What Is User Experience and Why Does It Matter?

Sarah HortonDirector of Accessible User Experience and DesignThe Paciello Group

Topics

• A Basis for User Experience

• Introduction to Accessible User Experience

• Methods for User-Centered Design

A Basis for User Experience

Harvard Web Publishing and concern for users

To create a robust and effective web publishing framework, composed of a software platform, user experience design and content strategy, service delivery, and governance, that will support FAS and CA department needs and build toward a more unified and usable experience of Harvard online.

To create a robust and effective web publishing framework, composed of a software platform, user experience design and content strategy, service delivery, and governance, that will support FAS and CA department needs and build toward a more unified and usable experience of Harvard online.

IA and UX Tasks

• Define common wayfinding

• Define common information architecture

• Design a global header and footer

• Design site and section navigation

To create a robust and effective web publishing framework, composed of a software platform, user experience design and content strategy, service delivery, and governance, that will support FAS and CA department needs and build toward a more unified and usable experience of Harvard online.

To create a robust and effective web publishing framework, composed of a software platform, user experience design and content strategy, service delivery, and governance, that will support FAS and CA department needs and build toward a more unified and usable experience of Harvard online.

Drivers for decision making

• Lack of time and resources to change

• Familiarity with the current approach

• Affinity for a certain aesthetic

• Desire to look different and stand out

But...…

What about

users?

Introduction to Accessible UX

Accessible user experience demo and discussion

By concentrating solely on the bulge at the center of the bell curve we are more likely to confirm what we already know than learn something new and surprising.

Tim Brown, Change By Design

Demo

Where am I and what can I do here?

Equitable Use

Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible;

equivalent when not

From Principles of Universal Design, http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_ud/udprinciplestext.htm

Methods for User-Centered Design

Personas, Scenarios, and Inquiry

The easiest thing about the search for insight… is that it’s everywhere and it’s free.

Tim Brown, Change By Design

Personas

Thinking about users

Trevor

Ability: Autism Spectrum Disorder. Uses larger text and a program that hides everything but the text, so he doesn’t get distracted

Aptitude: Uses the computer well for games, but doesn’t learn new sites easily

Attitude: Prefers familiar sites in an established routine

When I can learn the pattern, I can find my way.

Scenarios

Understanding user journeys

Trevor is glad his family lives in Boston where he can get around on his own. He uses the bus and subway extensively. He likes the mobile apps because he knows how to use them, and they don’t have a lot of distracting clutter. Catch the T and Catch the Bus are the best. He hardly ever uses the MBTA website—he doesn’t like it. Once he tried to use it to plan a trip on the commuter rail. He barely got past the first screen because of all the animations. When he did find the right section there were so many options and they were all so

detailed. He tried the Trip Planner but ended up getting sidetracked by the map. In the end, he didn’t go.

Inquiry

Asking questions, listening, observing

Logistics

• 9 people over 2 days

• Sessions lasting ½ to 1 hour

• Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) and the MBTA Office for System-Wide Accessibility

Perspectives• Low vision

• Large monitor, ZoomText, large type, high-contrast mode

• Blind• JAWS, VoiceOver

• Deaf• Captions

• Limited mobility and dexterity• Dragon

Topics

• Issues people encounter when working with the MBTA website

• Suggested areas of focus for improving accessibility

Several people commented that there is a lot going on with the site, which can make it difficult to use for everyone, but especially for people with vision impairments. One participant does not use the site because it’s too busy, and “things jump around.” Another can’t use her preferred mode of large text because the site is not designed to be flexible, and adapt to large fonts—when she enlarges the font, things get “jumbled.” Another prefers to look at the print preview of the itinerary

page because it is less cluttered than the main page.

Discussion

What can you do right away to bring users into decision-making?

Thank you!

shorton@paciellogroup.com

@gradualclearing