The first set of activities involves gathering and analyzing user requirements Determine who will perform the initial experience tasks and construct user profiles User profiles will help in the definition of user scenarios For example, determine if users are predominantly technical or novices, and whether they like new technology and electronic equipment or fear it Identify the environments in which the product will be sold and used, and identify factors in each environment that will affect how users will perform the initial experience tasks.
Identify the tasks your users will need to do during the initial experience Remember: these typically are tasks users have to do, not want to do, before they can use the product Determine the kinds of tasks users can do based on their skill and experience, and how they feel about doing the tasks Although users may be able to perform a particular task, they may find it irksome and irritating For example, complex or difficult hardware assembly and tedious software configuration are tasks many users find aggravating.
Determine how users want to do these tasks Ask users to identify characteristics that would make the tasks easier or even fun The typical initial experience involves unpacking through initial use of the product However, some users may need to perform additional tasks, such as learning what the product does and how to use it, or preparing the environment for the installation Determine if all users need to perform all the tasks, and if they must do so in the same sequence Also determine how users might want to set up and arrange the product Decide what kind of instructions they will need and whether the same person will perform all of the initial experience tasks or a team will do them.
Determine user expectations, such as a willingness to pay extra for features that make the initial experience easier For example, determine if users are comfortable doing setup and configuration themselves, or if they expect the product to be setup and configured when they receive it Determine if they would pay more for a product that is ready to use Make sure that users' tasks and expectations can be reasonably addressed within the limitations of available technologies If users' expectations are beyond what is currently possible, factor their desires into future development plans so solutions might be found.
Define measurable usability goals and objectives for the initial experience tasks Decide specifically what needs to be accomplished through the design of the initial experience elements Some of the goals and objectives will be derived from subjective user requirements Others may be more objective, such as goals for setup time, number of steps required, increasing measurable customer satisfaction, and reducing support calls below a certain level.
Identify as many user tasks and scenarios as possible For example, decide how many variations of the initial experience might occur due to differences between users and environment Assess how the experience might differ among the users and how different users will feel about the experience.
Identify design goals that best address users needs, expectations, problems, scenarios, environments, and then consider constraints imposed by business needs and objectives, such as cost reduction Assess the impact on the user of each compromise Establish boundaries and perform periodic measurements to avoid slipping below user acceptance levels as the result of several incremental cutbacks.
Some recommended methods for obtaining this information are listed:
- Focus Groups Allow current and potential users to brainstorm and relay their positive and negative experiences Ask them to describe an ideal initial experience
- Surveys (telephone or mail) Poll recent users about the positive and negative elements of their initial experience Ask them for ideal initial experience characteristics
- Help Center call sampling Read through samples of Help Center calls that are associated with packaging, setup, power on, start up, registration, and initial use of the product
- Contextual Inquiry Observe new users in the environment in which they will use the product Watch them as they live the initial experience Note their delights and frustrations
- Reference Materials Use established reference information to set bounds and constraints early in design For example, Humanscale from MIT Press provides anthropometric population data that is based on gender and percentile