Andrew’s Usability in the Real World: Who are our Users?

While the usability profession often discusses the 'how' and 'why' of studying users, we too rarely discuss the 'who'. Who should you include in a usability study?

It's an important question. So much user-centred research relies on small samples, making it especially important to choose the sample wisely. More and more, usability people are asked to comment on whether a product is likely to be used (see my earlier column: Predictive Usability), and poorly chosen samples can lead to circular reasoning.

For example, imagine a company developing a new gadget asks you to study its usability. They tell you that their marketing department has decided on two key market segments: Young Funs and Old Grumpies. You recruit according to this profile, and find that Young Funs like the gadget, while Old Grumpies wouldn't use it in a million years. In many companies, this would be taken to mean young people will use the product, and older people won't, and so only the results from the younger people will be taken into account.

The problem of course is that the segments don't necessarily match the user groups. What about Young Grumpies? What about Old Funs? They weren't included, and so nothing can be generalised about younger and older people.

My colleague Kate McCluskey has been working on a technique drawn from the intersection of anthropology, cultural studies and user-centred design to ensure the right people are included in a study. The technique is called User Type Shaping, and here's what she has to say about it.

==========

A key problem for many organisations is understanding not only who their potential users might be, but also who their current users are. Without knowledge of who the users of a product or service are, deciding who to recruit for user-centred design activities is often a haphazard business, based on assumptions without evidence.
Standard methods only provide limited evidence in this area. For example, web metrics may list the actions happening on a site, but they do not show who is using the site and why they are doing what they are doing. Online surveys may provide some user data; however, this is largely limited, particularly as the respondents are self-selecting. Marketing segmentation schemes may also provide an indication of whom the organisation wishes to target, but it typically doesn't say who the actual users are and how they behave. In response to this problem, we began to develop User Type Shaping.

User Type Shaping employs a combination of techniques to identify who a product’s users are. The first part of the process involves narrowing and focussing the possible field of users by drawing on techniques from cultural studies and anthropology. These techniques illuminate both the context in which the organisation's products exist, and who the products users may be. The study focuses on material culture such as objects, environments, visual and verbal language, media representations, as well as any existing research, and ad hoc interviews. Part of the intention is to understand where and how possible users may come into contact with the product. The research data is then represented visually and analysed until key themes and initial user types emerge.

The initial user types identified during the contextual research are then explored further through field research, using ethnographic-based observations and interviews. Once tested in the field, initial assumptions may be validated or refined, and new user types may be uncovered.

During the field study it is also possible to explore any needs the users might have, and potential opportunity areas for the product. The data from the field research is then analysed and shaped into draft user types and represented by personas. The user types may then be further shaped and refined with key stakeholders in a workshop setting.

Whilst User Type Shaping can be used to create personas, it should not be confused with standard persona development. For not much more effort than standard persona development, User Type Shaping offers an organisation that has previously had little idea of who their users are the opportunity to identify them, based on rich qualitative data which goes beyond that produced by quantitative methods. In addition, it provides the organisation with a rich picture of the cultural landscape in which their product and their users are situated, which is valuable for understanding future opportunities and how the product might be developed and presented. With a picture of who a products users are, User Type Shaping enables the recruitment of participants for future user centred design activities based on evidence that does not rely on a segmentation designed for marketing. During the User Type Shaping process, the organisation's knowledge of who their users are, their attitudes, behaviours, and needs is increased, and since these types will be researched in future studies this knowledge will increase with each study.

==========

I would love to hear what you think. Send me an e-mail at andrew.swartz@serco.com.

by Andrew Swartz,
Serco Usability Services

© 2005 Serco Limited, All Rights Reserved.

Associated Link: Serco Usability Services

Why 'The 10 Commandments of Web Design' are Complete Baloney
Source: SitePoint, 5 July 2008
 
Further to our earlier discussion...

Local Council Websites: Good, but no Cigar
Source: Webcredible, 4 July 2008
 
The 'Local Council Websites: Good, But No Cigar' report evaluates the top 20 Socitm council websites against 20 best practice usability guidelines.

Why does the OK Button say OK?
Source: Gerry McGovern, 3 July 2008
 
Most times I come across the OK button, something not-OK has happened.

The 10 Commandments of Web Design
Source: Business Week, 2 July 2008
 
To try and make sense of it all, BusinessWeek.com canvassed a broad range of Internet luminaries to discover the design rules they live by right now.

Bill Gates' email rant at the Usability Team
Source: Crunch Gear, 1 July 2008
 
The Seattle P-I has tracked down an old e-mail from 2003 that Bill Gates sent out to members of the Windows Usability team.

Can a better User Experience also be a Greener Experience?
Source: Catalyst Resources, 30 June 2008
 
By improving the user experience of its web collaboration software, Catalyst made it easier for clients to work in productive teams without travelling the globe.

The Spread of Telepresence Technology
Source: Tech News World, 28 June 2008
 
Rising energy costs and green concerns are fuelling a huge increase in demand for videoconferencing, collaborative software and virtual telepresence technology.

UK Usability market worth more than £200 million by end of 2008
Source: eConsultancy, 27 June 2008
 
The UK Usability market will grow by an estimated 20% in 2008 to a value of £214 million, according to research published this week by e-consultancy.

Research suggests growing importance of Usability to UK Businesses
Source: Business Strata, 26 June 2008
 
Integrated software for lead generation and marketing is valuable, but only as long as it's usable.

Web 2.0: Too Smart by a Half?
Source: Computer Technology Review, 25 June 2008
 
Will the Web 2.0 generation’s epitaph be, “They died with their options open?”