INTERNET USER EXPERIENCE 2008
March 31 - April 2
Morris Lawrence Building, Ann Arbor, MI
A conference spotlighting methods for dramatically improving today's web site user experience
Tutorials
Thursday, April 3rd, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
3x3 for User Experience Design
Charlotte Schwendeman, National Practice Director, User Experience, Perficient, Inc.
Voice: 314.995.8809, Fax: 314.995.8806
Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus, Director, User Experience, Perficient, Inc.
TUTORIAL SUMMARY
In this one-day tutorial, we teach participants how to create and iteratively usability test and refine the conceptual design for a solution using the 3x3 technique. In addition to planning, designing, and conducting the 3x3, the course covers why we use the technique over others and 3x3 variations.
The course will include such things as:
- How to plan for the 3x3.
- How to sketch the approaches.
- How to facilitate it.
- How to analyze results.
- How to report results and recommendations.
We will discuss why we use this technique over others to come up with a solution's conceptual model, where it's used in the design/development process, and variations on and how we've evolved the 3x3 over a decade of using it for design ideation.
TUTORIAL GOALS
Upon completion of this tutorial, participants will know how to:
- Plan for the 3x3.
- Sketch the approaches.
- Facilitate the 3x3 evaluation sessions.
- Analyze the results of the 3x3.
- Report results and recommendations.
- Apply the 3x3 to different project types.
TUTORIAL STRUCTURE
The tutorial uses lecture, exercises, video and a case study to teach participants about the technique and provide them with the opportunity to practice the technique in an environment where they can receive feedback and mentoring from the practitioners who initially developed the technique. At least half of the tutorial is devoted to hands-on exercises and practice.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
While the tutorial is for everyone, it would be beneficial for the participants to have some knowledge of traditional usability testing and have some experience with interaction design.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TUTORIAL
The 3x3 is an iterative low-fidelity, paper/pencil prototyping technique coupled with usability testing used for arriving at the conceptual model for a solution. It is based loosely on the traditional advertising agency practice of creating multiple unique approaches to a solution, presenting them to a client, and then allowing the client to choose one with which to move forward. The 3x3, however, involves human computer interaction specialists creating three unique approaches to a solution, each approximately 3-6 screens deep. The approaches, or sketches, are typically drawn on paper with pencil. The main or Home page is as fully fleshed out as it can be. Then approximately 2-4 tasks are sketched through to completion.
The process is approximately three weeks long: The approaches are sketched over a period of 5-10 days, depending on the complexity of the solution. The following week is used to iteratively test and refine the solutions. The approaches are tested on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. By mid-week it becomes apparent which of the three approaches, or parts of approaches best support the user in accomplishing her goals. On Thursday, the approaches are collapsed from three to two, and perhaps even to one. The third week is used to finalize the conceptual model, write the report, and present the results.
By engaging the user in the process, the choice of a conceptual model to use as the starting point for design is supported by usability testing data.
COURSE MODULES
Module 1: Defining the Technique (1 hour)
What is a conceptual module? This introductory module will discuss the definition and provide examples of a user interface's conceptual model, the foundation upon which any successful detailed design rests.
What is a 3x3? In this segment, we will discuss the application of this methodology, focusing on its importance at the beginning of the development lifecycle.
Module 2: Mechanics of performing a 3x3 (2 hours)
This module offers the opportunity to practice the 3x3 with guidance from experienced practitioners. It includes the following topics:
- Understand users, tasks, and goals. The segment will cover how to interpret user requirements and convert them into design ideas.
- Brainstorm alternative designs. Once requirements are understood, the attendees will engage in brainstorming sessions, where they explore alternative design solutions.
- Sketch the designs. Attendees practice low-fidelity prototyping of the solution alternatives.
Module 3: Facilitating the Iterative Evaluation and Prototype Refinement Sessions (2 hours)
- Test the designs. Attendees will learn how to implement 3x3 testing to gather user feedback to the design alternatives.
- Analysis and iteration. Attendees will learn how to interpret the user feedback and integrate it into the next iteration of the design.
Module 4: Finalizing the design and reporting the results (1 hour)
- Working with the data and arriving at the final conceptual model. Attendees will learn how to decide on final design changes after the final round of testing occurs.
- When and how to report the results. Attendees will be exposed to a variety of ways to present the final conceptual model to the stakeholders.
- Stakeholder involvement. Attendees will learn the optimal times and ways to involve the stakeholders in the technique.
- ROI and value proposition. Attendees will cover the value this technique brings to a project from both design and development perspectives.
- Using the technique to manage project risk. The wrap-up will include a discussion of how the technique mitigates project risk through development.
CITATIONS
Buxton, B. (2007), Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
Xxxx, X. Billingsly: A Case Study in Managing Project Risks and Client Expectations. In Righi, C. and James, J. (2007, User-Centered Design Stories: Real-World UCD Case Studies. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
Snyder, C. (2003), Paper Prototyping. San Francisco: Elsevier Science.
TUTORIAL MATERIALS
The tutorial notes will include the workshop presentation slides, detailed descriptions of key content from the lecture portions of the tutorial, worksheets for the exercises, and a bibliography of recommended readings and tools to research. The following are a few sample presentation slides:
Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 3
Slide 4
About the Trainers
Charlotte Schwendeman
National Practice Director, User Experience, Perficient, Inc.
Voice: 314.995.8809
Fax: 314.995.8806
Email: charlotte.schwendeman@perficient.com
www.perficient.com
With more than 20 years of experience in human factors, usability, user-centered design and development, and human-computer interaction for hardware, software, Web solutions, handheld devices, and kiosks, Charlotte leads one of Perficient's three company-wide practices - the User Experience Practice. Charlotte defined and rolled out Perficient's user-centered approach to design and development in 2000. Since then, it has become a differentiator for the company. Charlotte currently provides thought leadership for this rapidly growing practice. She is responsible for directing all aspects of the user-centered design approach Perficient takes in designing and developing solutions, including such things as architecting and continually re-architecting its User-Centered Design (UCD) methodology and techniques; mentoring Business Consultants/Usability Specialists; and defining, specifying and leading the UCD approach and activities on major engagements and projects.
Charlotte helped with the development of the 3x3 technique with Carol Righi while on a project at Chrysler in the mid-90s. Charlotte recently contributed a chapter on managing project risks and client expectations with the 3x3 to the book, User-Centered Design Stories: Real-World UCD Case Studies by Carol Righi and Janice James.
Before joining Perficient in 2000, Charlotte was a human factors engineer at IBM Corp. and later in IBM Global Services' National Usability Engineering Leadership Practice. Charlotte began her career at IBM in the software development labs providing human factors and usability expertise on printer design/development and office products - such as the DisplayWriter - and software, such as PROFS, DisplayWrite, OS/2, Office for the PC, and similar once-hot-and-now-long-forgotten end user, back office, operating systems and device software, and client-server applications.
Recognized as a subject-matter expert (SME) at IBM, Charlotte was appointed to a Chair assignment as Curriculum Chair in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability in IBM's corporate education group where she designed and developed IBM's Human-Computer Interaction and Usability curriculum, its user-interface style (Common User Access or CUA) curriculum, and later its User-Centered Design curriculum. Charlotte taught UCD and usability engineering to thousands of developers throughout Europe, Japan, and North America. Charlotte was a key member of the corporate team that developed and deployed UCD throughout IBM's software development labs and introduced it into IBM Global Services at the national level.
As a Principal in IBM Global Services, Charlotte led UCD efforts for tier 1 client engagements from Mercedes-Benz NA, Chrysler, Toyota, and Volvo; to the redesign of a football game for the IBM Consumer Products Division; to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad; to MetLife. She was selected by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to lead a team tasked with designing and developing a kiosk used at the summer '96 Atlanta Olympic Games by athletes, the press, and volunteers.
Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus
Director of User Experience, Perficient, Inc.
Email: davemr@perficient.com
www.perficient.com
Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus (DaveMR) is a Director of User Experience at Perficient, Inc. He has designed user interfaces for hand-helds, kiosks, web sites, and production machines, and has conducted evaluations in the lab, on the web, in the field, and in the homes of consumers. Dave has managed groups to design the user experience for a broad range of products, improve usability, standardize user interfaces across products and product lines, and innovate new product and feature ideas. Dave is a frequent conference presenter and user interface design instructor, and authored a chapter in Design by People for People. He is an active member of ACM SIG-CHI, HFES, STC, and UPA. Dave has a master's degree in human factors psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.