Designing the Information Experience

Linda LiorRayne Wiselman

IX is a subset of UX

Information Design: Designing the presentation of information to facilitate understanding

Information Architecture: Structural design of the information space to facilitate intuitive access to content

Designing the IX

Research

• Identify your users (personas)

• Understand common tasks and scenarios

• Understand motivation and expectations

Plan your content architecture

• Identify knowledge needs and gaps

• Understand constraints (schedules, resources)

• Define scope (depth and breadth)

• Define deliverables and delivery methods

• Plan the IX experience (use the research to define guidelines and workflows)

Implement

• UI text• Context sensitive

help and help links• In box

documentation• On the Web

documentation• Continuous

publishing models

Evaluate!

Heuristic walkthroughs

Customer support

Documentation Reviews

Bug bashes Usability tests Partners and MVPs

Understanding users and tasks

Thinks in mathematical models (Algorithms,

Boolean logic)

Computer Programmer

Research

IX within the applicationThe user interface is communication between the user and the technology (Everett McKay)

Your text provides the context and meaning

Movement for Inductive User Interface

Software can be made easier and simpler by:

Breaking down features into screens that are easy to explain

Focusing each screen on a single task

Suiting a screen's contents to the task

Making it obvious how to complete a task using the controls on the screen

Shift towards providing assistance within the UI

Is this inductive or deductive?

Plan!

Define the workflows

Identify Content Types

Define Terminology

Identify possible usability issues

Create UI Text Guidelines

Creating the IX

PlanningDefine the workflows – is the first time experience different? What is the learning curve? Are there prerequisite steps?

Where does the main UI content go?

Create UI text guidelines – consistency gives users confidence

Lock down terminology – start by reading the specs and creating a terminology list. Then investigate the terms used

Identify possible pitfalls and usability issues

Identify content types

Splash pages and landing pages Navigation elements (i.e., trees, tabs) Tooltips and hover text Buttons and labels Wizards (welcome pages, titles, subtitles,

explanatory text, options) Status indicators and monitoring

information Popup and Error messages

Example – Landing Pages

Even a bit helps…

1

• Review the specs to understand the feature• Identify new terminology

2

• Suggest text • Review and revise with team• Review with the developer

3

• Get feedback• Review and revise

UI text scrub process

Define Highest Ring of Quality (RoQ)

Core to golden scenarios, high

visibility, high impact

Core to silver scenarios, high-

medium visibility, medium impact

Legacy, low visibility, non-core, low impactFocus on the

Gold

General Guidelines

Think about the purpose of the page ◦ What does the user need to do?◦ What does the user need to know? ◦ What is the most likely action?

Less is more - Avoid length blocks of text (Eye-tracking studies show that online readers tend to skip large blocks of text.)

Keep the text close to the options it relates to (closeness Gestalt principle)

Ask yourself… Are items grouped

logically? Is the language

appropriate for the user?

Does the text provide the right amount of information?

What is the dog doing here?

Is the text helpful?

Example – What’s wrong here?

UI TextSome practical suggestions

Avoid redundancy

Cut out extraneous text….

Make the most of limited spaceEvery letter counts….

This will result in… Whether … In order to… Alternately, ….

• As a result… • If… • To… • Or, …

• In other words….

• Please…

PM Text – avoid marketing text “When you use this feature ….” (wonderful things will happen)

Work with the developer

Terms that devs like to use: ◦ “Abort”◦ “Terminate”◦ “Machine”◦ “Failed” (especially the

product failed) Formatting

◦ Indentation (coding) Enable this option

With this option enabledyou can….

◦ Spacing Remember the Gestalt principle

Notice the indentation

Things to remember… Users DO read the text Need to find balance (can’t document the

product in the UI) Create a UI text process and get buyoff from

stakeholders PMs like to sell their feature Developers are not writers Guidelines make our lives easier Don’t forget to evaluate! What seems clear

to you, may not be to the reader

Content Model

Research Identify context

• Map the content model to user research

• Map content model to product research

• Map model to content value

Planning Design

structure of content space

• Content architecture

• Content delivery mechanisms

Implementation

Design presentation

of information• Types of guides• Guide structure• Customer

feedback mechanisms

Evaluation and

Maintenance

Design processes

• Content review process

• Update/deprecate processes

• Customer feedback process

• Success metrics

Research: CustomersIdentify typical users

Title; org; responsibilities;

typical day; learning mode

Motivation; technical savvy

Information usage –

proactive/reactive

Product Persona

Research Product Customer need: I want to

drink cold water Business goal: Find a

solution that fits my needs

Choose a solution: Ice; cooler; refrigerator

Requirements: Both hot and cold water

Limitations: Provide cold water for 100 people all day

Consider the options: Evaluate fridges

Buy: The product that best meets all my needs

x x

Identify state of content• Current content set• Customer feedback• Content metrics• Third-party content

Evaluate competitive content

• It was probably considered by your customers

Identify the case for content value

• Increase revenue• Reduce costs• Aid deployment• Increase sales• Increase community

Research Content

PlanningDesign the structure of the content space

Design the

structure of the

content space

Define delivery

mechanisms

Define content

structure

Define guidelines

and limitations

Define community strategy

On-boxOnlineWikiBlogVideo

HierarchalDistributed

Duplication strategyLink out strategyOff line reading strategyLoc strategy

Publicize strategyBlog strategyForum strategyWeb cast strategy

• Content types• Map to personas

• Guide design:• Layout• Tone• Writing style

• Guide review process• Review owners• Review criteria

Implementation

Evaluation and Maintenance

Content Model

1. EvaluateExternal review

User storyboarding

2. ManageContinuous publishing Freshness

Update/deprecateContent curation

3. TrackCustomer feedback

Feedback->ModelSuccess metrics

To create a great information experience: Know your customer Map your content to user tasks, scenarios,

and business needs (not to the features) Use language your users understand Use the right vehicles (what belongs in the

UI, what belongs in docs) Evaluate!

QUESTIONS?

Thank You