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User research findingsUniversity of Hull


Agenda• Introduction

• Persona introduction

• Your personas

• Content ideas

• Next steps


Introduction


Project recap• Objective: To review the external facing University of Hull

website

– Feed in requirements of both the key stakeholders and external facing audiences

– Restructure the existing site information architecture

– Update page templates for key pages of the site


Project recap• Activities (up to now):

– Desk research

– Kick-off meeting

– Interviews (stakeholders)

– Stakeholder workshops

– Interviews (user)

– Persona creation

– (Conceptual design)


How we did the research• Interviewed 18 existing/potential audience members in both

London and Hull– Prospective and existing undergrad and postgrad students– Parents of prospective students– Researchers– Businesses

• Asked them to describe the process they went through/are going through selecting their university

• Asked about how they research and choose a university

• Asked for their impressions of researching on existing university websites

• Analysed data to produce personas


Persona introduction


What are personas?• Personas are design decision making tools

– They help people remain user-focused

• Personas help communicate user research– They present research data in a way that can be easily understood and

remembered


“Our key stakeholder believes this is the most

important feature”

“We know what our customers want”

“I’m a user and I think it should be green”

“Will anyone actually use this?”

“Which feature should we de-scope first?”“Who is your target

audience?”

“Everyone.”

What are personas?


What are personas?• Characterisation or archetype of a single user group

• Personas help make design decisions

• Personas help communicate user research– They present research data in a way that can be easily understood and

remembered– They build empathy and objectivity

• Personas have a name, photo and personal story– A persona is not a real person (but they are based on a group of real

people)

• Re-usable


Personas are...• Fake people (concrete representations) based on real data, which

provide context and motivation regarding goals, behaviours, and beliefs

• A practical tool to help prioritize features & maintain focus on target customers

• A vehicle for bringing customer goal and behaviour data to life


Personas are not...• Every possible customer (a taxonomy or a customer

segmentation)

• A replacement for existing design, development and usability processes


From interview data to draft personas

• Analysis of interview data– Affinity diagram (collating data onto post-it notes and

organising it into intuitive and logical groupings)


Your personas


Assigning importance to personas

• Primary personas:– Those personas most representative of the largest proportion of visitors to

the University of Hull website and/or most important to the University of Hull to fulfil it’s strategic plan

– Ambitious Ameera– Nervous Nathan– Busy Ben– Friendly Fabian

• Secondary personas:– Less representative of University of Hull site visitors but this persona still

represents a set of related findings from the research

– Responsible dad Rob– Academic Annie– Start-up Sam– Alumni Alice

Ambitious Ameera

“I want the best education

for my money”

Ameera Sajadi – 27 years old,

Postgraduate student

Ameera, 27, lives in Delhi and works as a team supervisor in a medium

sized service company. She thinks that a business MSc from a good

university in Europe would look fantastic on her CV and enable her to

get to higher management positions. Her employer is very supportive

and has agreed to give here a year’s sabbatical to go and do a Masters

degree abroad.

She is keen to get the best value for her money, since for her this is a

major investment. So she will research the university league tables to

find the best business schools based in areas with a low cost of living. In

addition to the courses, she compares student accommodation and

support services for international students.

In addition to researching the universities’ sites, she looks for some

independent opinions from students to get a feeling for the place.

“I want the best education for my

money”

Ameera Sajadi – 27 years old, Postgraduate

student

SITE INQUIRIES

What business courses are available? What is the course content?

Course focus and modules, entry requirements, assessment methods, job prospects, additional opportunities for development of academic and profession skills

What are the departments’ and lecturers’ research areas?What student accommodation is available and how can I get

it? Can I see pictures of the facilities? Are there any support services for international students? What is the city like and where is the university located?

What social activities are available?Is it safe for me to live there? What are the local amenities?

GOALS

• Getting the best education for the money

• Improve job prospects

• Go to a place that is not too big and offers some social activities to make friends more easily

BEHAVIOUR

• Find out which universities in the UK are the best for business studies

• Find courses within her area of interest

• Get a better feeling for each university and its surrounding area

• Find out more about living in the UK in terms of cost, social life

o League tableso University websites / virtual tourso Google/Google images

• Get some independent opinions about the courseso Google to find previous or current studentso University websiteso Social networking sites

• Find information on visa requirements o Google, university site

Ambitious Ameera

Nervous Nathan

“I’m not sure if I should go to

university”

Nathan Douglas – 17 years old, living at home

Nathan lives at home with his mum and younger sister Sarah. He is

currently doing his A levels and is thinking about going to university

next year. He has a laptop and loves to play games on it and sometimes

do a bit of programming. He is thinking about a career in software, but is

not sure whether it is worth going to university or whether it may be

better to start a job directly after school instead.

He is a little nervous about the high cost associated with going to

university. He would like to continue living at home, if he can find a

suitable course nearby, as it would save a lot of money.

In order to explore his options, Nathan will go to the UCAS website to

find what computer science courses are offered, focusing on the

universities in his area. He also plans to look for dates of open days

because he wants to get a feeling for the universities.

SITE INQUIRIES

When’s the next open day?

What’s the overall course focus?

What modules are in the course? Are there any optional modules/choices?

What are the entry requirements? Is there any flexibility?

How will I be assessed?

What will I gain from going on this course?

How do current students find the course?

What could I do after the course?

What’s the cost of living? How much should I expect to spend?

GOALS

• Decide if university justifies the cost

• Find an interesting course

• Save money by living at home whilst going to a nearby university

o Also ensure he stays close to friends

• Not too concerned about league tables as long as the course is good

BEHAVIOUR

• Find out if it’s worthwhile attending Universityo Speak to his teachers and friends who have gone to

university

• Find the available courses in his area, and the grades neededo UCAS site

• Check the course contents• Get a “feel” for the university and talk to lecturers and students

o University websites o Open day

• Get a “take away” physical copy of information to show parents

o Prospectus

Nervous Nathan

“I’m not sure if I should go to

university”

Nathan Douglas – 17 years old, living at home

Busy Ben

“Will the University be the

right place to go for the

services we need?”

Ben Houghton – 45 years old, marketing manager

Ben Houghton is a marketing manager at a moderate size food

processing company. The company requires various services (that the

University offers), but he is unsure if Hull offer them at all.

The company is considering trying to push a healthy angle for some of

their products. They’d like a clinical test to give some weight to their

claims, but are a little unsure of the process and potential costs if they

use the University.

The company also needs to expand. Ben is considering using the

University as a potential source of graduates, but needs reassurance that

the students selected will be of sufficient quality. However due to his

workload he can’t pay too much attention to the whole recruitment

process – he’s looking to quickly bring in interns without having to

“force the process” too much.

SITE INQUIRIES

Does the University of Hull provide the services I need?Who do I speak to if I want to find out more details? Is there someone at the University who is a specialist in what I need? Would they be involved?

Will the University be a suitable partner to work with?Does the university have any proven experience? – Case studies? Previous partnerships? Who else have they worked with?

What will I gain from going to the University for my service?

Where is the University building/meeting room I need to go to?

If I want to bring in an intern, what’s the process?

What other services does the University offer?

GOALS

• Find out if the University can provide the services needed (conduct a clinical test and source interns)

• Get in quick contact with the relevant person at the University

• Ideally, find a University to work with nearby

BEHAVIOUR

• No time to do in depth research, wants to get started quicklyo Googleo Key info source is website

• Short timelines, need to feel progress being madeo Need clear process to engage o Need clear contact

• Sceptical of the ability of the University to do ‘real world’ work, will look for reassurance before engaging

Busy Ben

“Will the University be the right place

to go for the services we need?”

Ben Houghton – 45 years old, marketing manager

Friendly Fabian

“I want to be entertained at

University”

Fabian Baker – 18 years old, Business studies aspirant

Fabian is 18 years old and lives in Birmingham. He is finishing his A

levels and wants to do an undergraduate degree in business. He is

researching the league tables for universities that offer courses in

Business with the entry requirements he feel he can achieve. Since

many universities offer this he wants to make sure he chooses the right

course for him. Fabian will assess the course content from different

universities with his parents before making a decision.

Fabian is going to be living away from home for the first time and he

wants to know what it’s like to live in the University accommodation.

Fabian is very sociable. He is interested in finding out more about the

events and other student activities in the university, and knowing

more about area he will be living in as well as the city as a whole.

Friendly Fabian

“I want to be entertained at University”

Fabian Baker – 18 years old, Business studies aspirant

SITE INQUIRIES

What is the course content like?Course modules, entry requirements, job prospects

What is the university accommodation like?Who will I live with?Are they halls or houses?What are the costs like? Are there added living costs? If so, how much?

What kind of events take place on the university campus?Is there a sports complex in the university? What societies are active at the university?

What is it like to live in Hull?What makes Hull interesting for students?What local facilities/amenities are there?

GOALS

• To choose a course that best suited to him

• Know as much information as possible about the area near the university and the city

• Know more information about social life and events on campus

•Find out about the university accommodation

BEHAVIOUR

• Will visit university during open days and enquire if he will be allowed to see the university accommodation

• Visit the union site to see the social activities of students

• Will research online for various things to do in Hullo Google and university siteo Social networking sites

Responsible dad Rob

“I want my son to have good

quality education with future

prospects”

Rob Darwin – 40 years old, parent

Rob is the father of 17 year old Jamie who wants to go to university. He

wants reassurance from the university that his son will be in safe hands

and will be given quality education.

Rob hasn’t been to a university before so he wants his son to get the best

possible university education. He has thoroughly read through the

prospectuses that Jamie has shown.

Rob wants Jamie to get a good education wherever he goes, he also

wants to see previous years’ results and department performance.

Rob is curious about the teachers, their credentials, teaching methods

and the facilities his son will be able to use if he joins the university.

Since the fee has increased from this year Rob is curious to know how

the university is planning to justify this hike. He wants to know if they

have anything more to offer than the previous years.

SITE INQUIRIES

What are the fees for this course?

What are the last year’s results like? How does that compare to others?

Will Jamie get a good job after this course?

What are the support services that Jamie will be given?

For academic as well as personal development?

How is the teaching done? How much contact is there between the lecturers and the students?

Are there any excursions/field trips?

GOALS

• To support Jamie in choosing where to study

• To ensure that Jamie has good education

• To find out about the course outcomes and future prospects

• To support Jamie emotionally and monetarily at University

• To ensure that the university is in a location that is safe and friendly

BEHAVIOUR

• Shown the University sites by Jamie when discussing university options

• Read the university prospectus that Jamie brought home

• Discussed possibilities with friends

• Check University fees on site/prospectus

Responsible dad Rob

“I want my son to have good quality

education with future prospects”

Rob Darwin – 40 years old, parent

Academic Annie

“I want to continue my

research and work at a good

university”

Annie Goodford – 32 years old,

lecturer/researcher

Annie is 32 years old and strongly feels that pursuing a career in

academia is right for her. She has a position teaching and researching at

a local former polytechnic university. She’s been told by a friend about a

position at the University of Hull, and is thinking about applying.

Annie is looking for a university and a department that ranks higher in

the league tables and research ranking scores than her current. Annie

also wants to be associated with a reputed university as it will attract

good students and would give her lots of time and opportunities to

conduct her research. She wants to be working in an exciting research

environment, with other academics actively involved in research.

Annie understands that her research may be department funded initially

but in the long term she wants to be able to do high profile research

projects which are industry or government funded.

SITE INQUIRIES

What kind of research projects has the department done previously/currently?

What was the scale of the projects done?

How active/busy is the department? For example, how often does it host events, conferences, or talks?

Who are the other staff in the department or in the university who I can collaborate with?

What are their profiles like? If I would like to get in touch with them, where can I get their contact information?

Can I take a research sabbatical from teaching?

What’s the selection process if I did apply for the job?

GOALS

• Continue her research

• Find a good and reputed university for her research studies

• Wants to be given the freedom and time for her research and be able to publish her own papers

• Obtain external funding/grants to carry out her research

• Become a well-known academic in her field, get published and speak at conferences

BEHAVIOUR

• Main point of contact for information are friends and colleagues in academia

• Previously researched the league tables to find the best universities for her research studies

• When considering a university she wants to know about:o Previous/Existing research projects done by the

departmento Her promotion prospectso Other people at the department and their current and

previous work

Academic Annie

“I want to continue my research and

work at a good university”

Annie Goodford – 32 years old,

lecturer/researcher

Start-up Sam

“I need support to grow the

business – where can I get it?”

Samantha (Sam) Bell – 22 years old,

entrepreneur

Sam has just left a job in the marketing department for a multinational

computer software development company. She’d only worked there for a

few months after leaving University, but she didn’t enjoy herself. She

and a friend want to try setting up their own digital marketing

business instead.

Sam and her business partner are looking for potential offices in which to

base their company. They like the idea of setting up in a University, as

they think they’d feel at home there (having only recently left university

themselves). She also thinks it will be easier to organise meetings, as the

University is such a recognised landmark. However they are open to

other possibilities, and are looking elsewhere.

The biggest factor for them is support – there are various aspects of

business that are foreign/mysterious to them, and so they’re looking for

somewhere where they can get support and guidance.

SITE INQUIRIES

Does the University support fledgling businesses?How? What expertise is available?

What facilities/premises are available?

What other companies will be nearby?

What training’s available?

What events are happening?

GOALS

• Find out where to base their start-up

• Looking for potential further support – access to all the knowledge that Sam and her business partner don’t have (without having to pay over the odds for it)

• This should be located near other like-minded people/start-ups

• This should ideally be in a recognisable location

BEHAVIOUR

• Will research possible options – ask friends, local contacts

• Interested to see what schemes (support and grants) are available locally to aid start-ups

• Happy to look at offices elsewhere, cost will be a crucial factor in selecting a base, but can be affected by what support is offered

Start-up Sam

“I need support to grow the business –

where can I get it?”

Samantha (Sam) Bell – 22 years old,

entrepreneur

Alumni Alice

“I want to stay in contact with

my old friends”

Alice Fenchurch – 34 years old, freelance translator

Alice is a 34 years old freelance translator. She graduated from the

University of Hull’s combined language course in 2005 after studying

French and Spanish.

She needs to stay in contact with her fellow graduates for 2 reasons –

social contact to make sure she stays in contact with her friends from

the course, and networking, to ensure people are aware of her current

position, so she is remembered if any translation contacts appear.

She’s curious to see how her old lecturers are getting on, the coming

and going from the University, and what significant changes are being

made to the University as a whole.

Alumni Alice

“I want to stay in contact with my old

friends”

Alice Fenchurch – 34 years old, freelance translator

SITE INQUIRIES

[Unsure how likely Alice is to visit the University website without prompting]

When is the next reunion? Where will it be? Are there any photos from the previous reunion?

How are my old lecturers? Where have they got to?

GOALS

• Keep up with old friends

• Be informed of any significant changes to the university, or the faculty of arts and social science, specifically the department of modern languages

• Use the network of former graduates to find new jobs/find good applicants for jobs in her company

BEHAVIOUR

• Will visit the site to confirm/check arrangements for reunions

• Unlikely to visit the site any other time (without prompting)


How are personas used?

• Communication– Communicating memorable research findings across the organisation– Ensuring everyone in the organisation has the same image in their head

when they say ‘user’

• Strategy– Checking ideas – “Is what we’re planning suitable?”

• Design– Aid design decisions (suitability checking)– “Is what we’ve designed suitable?”


How are personas used?

Build up a matrix of the kinds of content in different areas of the site that would

satisfy each persona


For your personas to be a success

• Understood (what they are and what they are not)

• Trusted (buy-in needed)

• Remembered (keep them fresh in your mind, become familiar with them)

• Used & talked about (build them into existing work practices)

• Maintained & validated (keep them up to date)


Content ideas


Content ideas• Course information

– Individual module content– Clear overview of teaching style and assessment methods– Benefits of a course / job prospects / career options– History of results / comparison to other courses – Excursions / field trips / facilities used

• Life in Hull– More information on social activities– Pictures/ virtual tour of university buildings, facilities– Pictures/ virtual tour of area / city – Safety – More info on local amenities


Content ideas• Additional services

– Information on additional academic and personal development services

– Support services for students

• Research– Consistent and up-to-date information on research areas and

people – Overview of past and current research projects including

funding information– Researchers’ profiles – Department’s presence at conferences and events– Information on sabbaticals


Content ideas• Businesses

– Clear overview of services offered for businesses– Search for specific area of expertise (crosslink to research

section?)– Case studies / previous partnerships for credibility – Services and training opportunities for new businesses– Calendar/ Overview of events for businesses– Highlighting other businesses for collaboration


Next steps• Interaction design (Concepts, Wireframes)

– Use personas to help continue conceptual design of key pages

• Use personas to decide website features

• Keep the personas alive– Future research to refresh them– Build upon them (e.g. include mobile research)– Always use them when making design decisions

• User testing of designs


Thank you

Pooja ChinnapattanUser Experience Consultant

[email protected]

020 7423 6338

Alistair GraySenior Consultant

[email protected]

020 7423 6328

Kerstin ExnerUser Experience Consultant

[email protected]

020 7423 6320

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Www.webcredible.co.uk 1 webcredible | user experience research design training 1 User research findings University of Hull