LxD - Learner Experience Design

http://www.usablelearning.com

LxDLearner Experience DesignJulie Dirksen, Usable Learning

Learning Solutions 2011

So what is LxD anyway?

What do you think?

Let me tell you a storyIt was 1993, and I had a job training customer

service reps for a financial services company…

It was not a great job…

The reps had a hard job –

they got yelled at a lot

(not really smiling happy

reps)

How long it took for them to get really

proficient = 6 months

How long it took before they got burned out

and looked for another job = 6 months

This was a big part

of the reason…

IBM AS/400

7 different systems

(accounting , credit, collections, etc)

Which should we fix?

Knowledge in the Head vs.

Knowledge in the World

- Donald Norman

Requires memory or cognitive

processing

Knowledge is embedded in the

interface

All of the sudden, I’m a GUI (Graphical

User Interface) Designer…

orItem 1Item 2Item 3Item 4

or

or

I wanted rules…

So I went looking:

• Chromostereoposis

Putting things that are blue

next to things that are red

Messes with your depth perception.

Weird, huh? And different people

react differently to this.

So I went looking:

• Fitts’ Law: The time to acquire a target is a

function of the distance to and size of the target

Click

Click

So I went looking:

• 5 +/- 2

• Grouping Like items

And that was kind of it…

…Umm?

Then I bumped into this…

There are no rules

The reason you can’t find rules…

or

…is because they frequently don’t exist

We design in a tunnel

And we fill in

gaps

User Testing!

See what sticks

Image by Gluemoon cc license

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gluemoon/90804324/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Usability grew up

User Experience Design!

The Elements of User Experience

-Jesse James Garrett 2000

http://www.jjg.n

et/elements/

The Elements of User Experience

http://www.jjg.net/elements/

http://www.jjg.n

et/elements/

Okay, but what’s LxD?

I have 3 different answers…

Answer 1: It’s clearing the path

Can people use it?

Pyramid:

Stephen Anderson www.poetpainter.com

http://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/cre

ating-pleasurable-interfaces-getting-

from-tasks-to-experiences

What is the purpose of good user

interface design?

Makes a system

usable

Allows the user to

complete their task(s) Keeping the user from

getting frustrated

Makes the interface

invisible

Reducing extraneous

cognitive load

Interface design to reduce cogntive

load

Intrinsic Cognitive

Load

Germane

Cognitive Load

Extraneous

Cognitive Load

If it’s in the “How

to use this

training” It’s

probably

Extraneous

Cognitive Load

What is the purpose of good user

interface design?

Makes a system

usable

Allows the user to

complete their task(s) Keeping the user from

getting frustrated

Makes the user feel that

they are in control…

Makes the interface

invisible

Makes the user feel in control…

My mother almost never feels in

control online, except for a few sites >

We have control issues:

The next button will become available

after the audio plays completely

Available

We have control issues:

Why?

(Serious question)

Answer 2: It’s putting the learner in

the centerCan people use it?

Is it about the learner?

What’s the center?

Content? The Learner?

Specifically, is it

about the

learner’s

behavior?

What’s at the center?

Cathy Moore e-Learning Blueprint - http://www.elearningblueprint.com

Answer 3: It’s the whole context

Can people use it?

Is it about the learner?

Does it change behavior?

Pyramid:

Stephen Anderson www.poetpainter.com

Does it

change

behavior?

http://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/cre

ating-pleasurable-interfaces-getting-

from-tasks-to-experiences

Where's the knowledge?

world head

Embedded

Fully Embedded Knowledge

Where's the knowledge?

world head

Embedded

Guidance

Guidance

Guidance

Guidance

Guidance

Microcopy

Where's the knowledge?

world head

Embedded

Guidance

Performance

Support

Performance Support

Job Aids

EPSS Electronic Performance

Support System

Where's the knowledge?

world head

Embedded

Guidance

Performance

Support

References

/ Resources

References and Resources

Where's the knowledge?

world head

Embedded

Guidance

Performance

Support

References

/ Resources

Training

Tools and Methods

• User Research

• Design Tools

• User Testing

User Research

• Interviews

• Focus Groups

• Surveys

These are all fine, but…

Job Shadowing

Follow them

around

Design Tools

Card Sorting

Design Tools

Persona

Development

Persona: Alice

Age: 32

Job Function: Business Analyst

Description: Alice has been with the company for 3 years, and started as a tester in the quality assurance department.

She spends her work time requesting and reviewing

research reports, interviewing stakeholders and end users and creating software specs.

She is focused, goal-oriented within a strong leadership role. One of her concerns is maintaining quality across all output of programs.

She is connected via a T1 connection at work and cable modem at home. She also uses her smart phone extensively. She is most likely to be heard saying: “Can you be

more specific?”

Design Tools

Prototyping

User Testing

Watch somebody USE your application

What User Testing isn’t:

• Focus Groups

• Stakeholder Reviews

• Sending out the link for feedback

• Bug Testing

Process for User Testing

Recruit Users

1

Create a

script and test

plan

2

Watch

people use

your e-

Learning

3

Record the

results

4

Make design

recommenda

tions

5

Don’t Make Me Think

Case 1: The Close Button

Case 1: The Close Button

x

To close the

box, they

clicked here.

Case 1: The Close Button

Fitts’ Law:

The time to acquire a

target is a function of

the distance to and

size of the target

Case 1: The Close Button

Case 2: Invisible Text

Case 2: Invisible Text

Case 2: Invisible Text

Case 2: Invisible Text

Case 2: Invisible Text

Case 2: Invisible Text

Case 3: Active Learning

Case 3: Active Learning

Case 3: Active Learning

Case 3: Active Learning

Answer 3: It’s the whole context

Can people use it?

Is it about the learner?

Does it change behavior?

Pyramid:

Stephen Anderson www.poetpainter.com

Does it

change

behavior?

http://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/cre

ating-pleasurable-interfaces-getting-

from-tasks-to-experiences

Thanks! Questions?

Julie Dirksen

Usable Learning

http://www.usablelearning.com

Twitter: usablelearning

Slideshare:

http://www.slideshare.net/usablelearning