Incorporating Usability Methods into a Software Development Process A Case Study at ADP® David Teller April 18, 2006 ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Clients’ Requests/ Complaints Marketing Analysis Application Code GUI Design Documentation QA Final Product ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
UI Design (Before) n n n Coding of features was done before the UI was considered UIs were developed by programmers and reflected the limitations of the “back-end” There was no role called UI Designer UIs were fixed as a result of loud complaints from clients Clients saw UIs only after the product was released ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Why Change Was Needed n Poor usability caused many support calls n User profiles were changing n n Help systems were too large and often filled in the gaps of unusable interfaces Unusable interfaces required more training – clients didn’t want to go n Corporate directive: “World Class Service” n Need to increase client retention ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Getting Started n Got support from my manager n Found opportunities to bring value • Looked for small wins • Promoted successes n Got more support • • • n Management buy-in (project-level) Created and shared a project usability plan Involved the entire product team in the usability activities Had a user-centered attitude • Always talked from the users’ point of view • Challenged those who say “I know what the user is thinking” • Looked for all opportunities to involve users ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Usability Activities n Partnered with client support group and actual clients n Created a user task list n Performed usability tests on current design n Iterative testing with internal “mock” users n Usability testing with paper and HTML prototypes n Expert/heuristic reviews n UI standards compliance n Formal usability testing of redesigned products Often the most vocal or unhappy clients are good candidates for partnership. ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Promoting Success n Gathered and shared statistics showing improvements (managers love charts) n Presented to management showing before and after UI n Showed sales improvements or ROI n Shared test report summaries n Shared usability stories at staff and team meetings n “All-hands” meeting n Got a “loud” client to tell our management how the usability of the product had improved n Company awards ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Impact of Usability Improvements n n Changed the paradigm from system goals to user’s goals Designed and tested the UI earlier in the development cycle Back-end developers worked with UI designers in the beginning Developers that observed the usability testing “got it” ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
What We Have Today n n Product managers include usability activities early in the process User analysis and usability testing are planned Development is relying on user data for designs UI design (by UI designers) is done before application is coded ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
What We Have Today n n Help systems are smaller and are focused on troubleshooting Product managers are more willing to hold up deployment because of usability issues Usability issues are tracked Happier clients, better retention, reduction in customer service calls ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Marketing Clients’ Requests/ Complaints Application Code Analysis QA Final Product Documentation GUI Design ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Continuing to Grow Usability n n n Our group “sold” usability. Today, all products we support plan for usability Other writing groups did the same thing on their teams Many (other) product groups began asking for usability testing Our department continued usability education We formed a “usability task force” to share resources; people, documents, knowledge, ideas, processes ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Continuing to Grow Usability n n Demand for usability testing grew beyond “pro bono” work Management recognized that there was considerable cost savings and synergy if usability activities were centralized The Usability Test Group was established Development teams are still responsible for UCD ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Written Strategy Product and Site Review Process User Centered Design Methodology Integrated Software Dev. Process Corporate Design Standards Showcase Projects Continuous Training Usability Staff Developer Management Executive Champion Usability Team CUA on Staff 10% Usability Staff ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Dealing with Roadblocks n Short schedules ü Use quick techniques ü Plan for the next release ü Phase in the changes n No budget ü Use inexpensive techniques ü Look for sponsors n No time to fix ü Prioritize ü Plan for the next release ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Dealing with Roadblocks n Pride and know-it-alls ü Get them involved ü Show value ü Observe usability tests n Turf wars ü Partner, share, communicate ü Get them involved ü Collaborate ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Things to Remember n n n n n Get support/buy-in from management Plan for usability activities Get the entire product team involved Start small and grow Allow time to respond to the issues you find Challenge those who say “I know what the user is thinking” Look for all opportunities to involve users Promote successes ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
n Questions? n Discussion ©Copyright 2006, ADP, Inc.
Скачать презентацию Incorporating Usability Methods into a Software Development Process
97e3c4088b1f88cca24f6083478293af.ppt