I gave this talk at Beyond Tellerand 2011 on how user experience tools can be used to frame problems better in order to create better (digital) products.

1. with UX?
Cheat your way...
Stephanie Troeth
Beyond Tellerrand, 2011. Düsseldorf With thanks: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pb-n-james/5048927901/

2. Who?
Stephanie
user experience strategist
user experience designer jewellery artist
Editor-in-Chief, improvisation musician
Web Standards Sherpa

3. Who are you?

4. What is UX?

5. What makes a unique, great product?
What is UX?

6. business technology
user

7. business brand
user
Hat tip: David Rollert

8. exotic!
fun!
adventurous!
business brand
user
Hat tip: David Rollert

9. serious
exotic!
fun! reliable
adventurous!
business brand useful
user
Hat tip: David Rollert

10. serious
exotic!
fun! reliable
unique adventurous!
business brand useful
user
Hat tip: David Rollert

11. “9 Steps For
Creative
Problem
Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

12. Identify
“9 Steps For Track Gather
Creative
Problem
Solving” Execute Examine
—Ronald Brown
Plan Incubate
Differentiate Retrieve
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

13. Finding
Identify
Track Gather
Execute Examine
Plan Incubate
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

14. Finding
Identify
Shaping
Track Gather
Execute Examine
Plan Incubate
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

15. Finding
Identify
Shaping
Track Gather
Execute Examine
Deciding Incubate
Plan
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

16. Finding
Identify
Shaping
Track Gather
Execute Examine
Implementing
Deciding Incubate
Plan
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

17. Finding
Identify
Assessing
Shaping
Track Gather
Execute Examine
Implementing
Deciding Incubate
Plan
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

18. Finding
Identify
Assessing
Shaping
Track Gather
Execute Examine
Implementing
Deciding Incubate
Plan
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

19. Finding
Identify
Assessing
Shaping
Track Gather
Problem space
Execute Examine
Implementing
Deciding Incubate
Plan
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

20. Finding
Identify
Assessing
Shaping
Track Gather
Problem space
Execute Examine
Solution
Implementing space
Deciding Incubate
Plan
Differentiate Retrieve
“9 Steps For Creative
Problem Solving”
—Ronald Brown
http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/creative-problem-solving/

21. The great mistake is leaping from
facts to solutions, skipping over the
play and exploration at the heart of
finding new ideas.
— Scott Berkun, “The Myths of Innovation”

22. Finding Shaping Deciding
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate

23. Finding Shaping Deciding
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate
Problem
Naming

24. Finding Shaping Deciding
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate
Problem
Naming
Problem
Framing

25. Finding Shaping Deciding
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate
Problem User & Market
Naming Research
Problem
Framing

26. Finding Shaping Deciding
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate
Problem User & Market Create new ideas here!
Naming Research Sketch!
Prototype!
Problem
Framing

27. Finding Shaping Deciding
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate
Problem User & Market Create new ideas here!
Naming Research Sketch!
Prototype!
Problem
Framing

28. bridging research into ideas
framing research
Identify Gather Examine Incubate Retrieve Differentiate
Problem User & Market Create new ideas here!
Naming Research Sketch!
Prototype!
Problem
Framing

29. A problem well-defined is a
problem half-solved.
—John Dewey

30. Who invented the lightbulb?

31. business
user
What problem are we solving?
What impact do we want to have?
How do we measure success?

32. business
What are the business
constraints, organisational brand
visions & goals we need to
take into account?

33. business
What are the business
constraints, organisational brand
visions & goals we need to
take into account?
Tool: Stakeholder interviews

34. Tool: The SWOT/SPOT

35. Tool: The SWOT/SPOT
Internal factors
Problems
Strengths or
Weaknesses
External factors
Opportunities Threats

36. Tool: The SWOT/SPOT
Internal factors
convert Problems
Strengths or
Weaknesses
convert
External factors
Opportunities Threats

37. Tool: The SWOT/SPOT
Internal factors
convert Problems
Strengths or
Weaknesses
match convert
External factors
Opportunities Threats

38. Tool: The SWOT/SPOT
Internal factors
convert Problems
Strengths or
Weaknesses
match convert
External factors
Opportunities Threats
potential
objectives!

39. What are our core values?
Who do we want to be brand
when we grow up?

40. What are our core values?
Who do we want to be brand
when we grow up?
Tool: Rational vs Emotional Grid

41. Hat tip: David Rollert, whose original method I adapted

42. emotional rational
Hat tip: David Rollert, whose original method I adapted

43. emotional rational
fun
psychic
(knows exactly what I was looking for)
effective
motivating
affective
(people's choice)
entertaining
facilitate
magical
discussion to play missions
encouraging
indication of progress
surprising
allow me to influence
— have an impact
inspire
Hat tip: David Rollert, whose original method I adapted

44. business
What are our competitors
doing?
brand
How are we different to them?

45. business
What are our competitors
doing?
brand
How are we different to them?
Tool: Competitive analysis
brand, business model, (design) strategy, user base, feature sets

46. “Build it and they will come.” user
brand

47. “Build it and they will come.” user
Who are they?
brand
How do they find out about you?
Why will they come?
Why do they need what you’re building?
Why would they choose you over a competitor?

48. “Build it and they will come.” user
Who are they?
brand
How do they find out about you?
Why will they come?
Why do they need what you’re building?
Why would they choose you over a competitor?
Tool: User matrices
Hat tip: David Rollert, whose original method I adapted

49. user
The “Run Collector”

50. 1. Establish your axes
curious engaged
social individual
explore compete
frequent occasional
visitor local

52. 2. Choose two key axes.
3. Identify questions.
✦ What do they need?
✦ What do they want?
✦ What can they do?

53. What can they do?
local set a record
stalk other
runners
visitor
explore compete

54. What can they do?
local find new create most set a record
routes popular
route
share local
insight
find new set a record
routes
stalk other
(acquainted) runners
find new set a record
routes
visitor
explore compete

55. 4. Vary your axes, then your questions.
5. Rinse and repeat.

57. key insight

58. Tool: User modelling with user matrices

59. Tool: User modelling with user matrices
Uncover your underlying assumptions
Uncover assumptions on behaviour, needs and motivation
Establish hypotheses
Validate with research
Find out what you know and what you don’t know

60. user
Design principles: brand
synthesising core design
requirements.

61. Tool: Design principles
(for product or page)
Allows people to “peel the onion” in whatever way is useful for
them. They can start at the “core” or the peel and never get lost.
They find what they are looking for and are continually seeing
more interesting and engaging content.
Communicate passion for good food. Inspire people to eat and
cook and bring them and the producers closer together.
Feel seasonal and vibrant, like touring the store. Stimulate
senses through impactful images and text in a way that’s clean
and uncluttered. Show people in the images, not just product.

62. A sound strategy is informed by
research but conceived with
conviction.

63. UX
A sound strategy is informed by
research but conceived with
conviction.

64. Common user research methods
surveys
card sorting
A/B testing
focus groups
remote testing tools
interviews
usability testing
“listening labs”
heuristic evaluation “contextual enquiry”
personas
close-ended open-ended

65. Common user research methods
surveys
card sorting
A/B testing
focus groups
remote testing tools
interviews
usability testing
“listening labs”
heuristic evaluation “contextual enquiry”
personas
close-ended open-ended
imp rove the exploring th
e
s olution problem spac
e

66. Common design tools
dynamic
realistic
prototypes
functional
paper prototype
prototype
low-fidelity storyboard functional hi-fidelity
specifications
flow diagrams
hi-level detailed graphic
sketches mockups
wireframes wireframes
content
inventory
static
problem-space solution-space
friendly friendly

67. Competitive analysis
SWOT/SPOT Rational/Emotional grid
business brand
Stakeholder
interviews
user Design
principles
User matrices

68. Competitive analysis
SWOT/SPOT Rational/Emotional grid
unique
business brand
Stakeholder
interviews
user Design
principles
User matrices

69. Be brave!
Don’t be afraid to
experiment.

70. Be bold!
There are many
right answers.

71. Be intentional.
Take the time to think.

72. Thank you!
(Yes, these slides will be online.)
Stephanie Troeth
funny cat
photo @sniffles
http://about.me/stephtroeth
My eternal gratitude to great shoulders I stand upon:
‘Femi T Adesina, Chris Baum, Robert Hoekmann Jr., David Rollert, Olivier Thereaux