Individual UX Assignment– Workshop Report Sintija Linuza, 14037509, Date: 16/03/2017 Sintija Linuza Department of Computer Science and Creative Technology University of the West of England Coldharbour Lane Bristol, UK
[email protected] submitted on the 16/03/2017
1. Workshop Overview 1.1 Introduction and aims for the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to prepare and deliver the information based on the chosen topic from the assignment brief. I and my group members decided to focus on the user testing techniques and prototyping. Our chosen theme was Card Sorting, mainly because it involves critical thinking, helps organize and test the information architecture to make it more accessible and user-friendly. [1] To ensure we conduct a successful workshop related to the card sorting, we went through the process which includes workshop design, development process, and evaluation of the workshop for the future workshop improvement. 1.2 Resources During the first workshop design stages, I and my group members used a Methodkit to plan and prioritize various tasks. [2] In my opinion, Methodkit was a useful tool to find the most important aspects of the workshop. It also ensured that we prepare and deliver information efficiently to our target audience. [3] Working as a team we found the necessity for a collaboration tool so we could organize and store the essential information for our workshop. We all agreed to use Trello to store our research materials and record the information discussed in the group meetings. [4] [Figure 1] Trello was easy to use and made our workshop preparation process more efficient. As a group, we made decisions about the resources to use for the workshop activities. Some of the resources were – A3 paper, Blue-Tac, Post-its, Marker Pens and a Tracing paper which would be used for brainstorming and share the participant ideas.
2. Workshop Design Process I strongly believe that during the design process, collaborative work was a key element to define the goals of the workshop. I and my group members looked for the themes which would help us deliver meaningful workshop based on hands-on approach. From our research, we found that Card Sorting is a popular user testing technique which involves active participation and helps to identify the most important aspects for the users within the information architecture. We found that there are many types of card sorting and it was challenging to choose the specific card sorting technique to show during the workshop activities within provided timeframe. [5] The key principles underpinning card sorting is a good understanding of critical thinking and prototyping. In order to cover these principles, we structured the workshop in a way that the participants use the critical thinking process first to discuss the provided design based on the scenarios, and find the ways to enhance their experience. [Figure 2] [6]. Then we look at the card sorting principles and introduce the participants with different examples where card sorting was used as a tool to enhance user experience. [Figure 3] [7]. Lastly, we place the emphasis on paper prototyping and explain the connection between prototyping and card sorting. [Figure 4]. This structure provided us with the insights of how we can develop the tasks and activities further to ensure participants find these techniques useful.
3. Workshop Development Process The very first stage in the development process was to find a right strategy for us to follow in order to prepare a consistent workshop. In the beginning of the workshop, I and my group members decided on giving an overview of the tasks and activities we have prepared and are going to focus on. [Figure 5] The workshop overview helped us identify tasks for each
one of us and define the time frame for each task. My research has been focusing on the card sorting and finding the information to present to the participants. I found that during the research stage I gained better understanding in card sorting and could distinguish different techniques used for user testing. I and my group members agreed that the definition of card sorting is essential to present because it gives an overview of what it is used for. [Figure 6] Then providing the examples and types of card sorting, and finally showing the examples where and how card sorting was used to improve the website architecture. [8] For testing purposes, I and my group members tested open card sorting techniques as it is the exploratory stage in organizing items. [9] We looked at different websites and how easy is to find the information we were looking for. In this activity, we found that there are websites which are challenging and frustrating to use mainly because of the information architecture. This gave us an idea for one of the workshop activity tasks where groups need to transform the elements of the specific website to make it more accessible and user-friendly. Throughout the development process we communicated very efficiently and therefore were able successfully divide and prepare tasks for the workshop.
3. Evaluation of the Workshop During the workshop, we included a section for the participants to ask questions and provide a feedback of the workshop. Their feedback helped us identify the advantages and disadvantages of the workshop. Once groups started the activities, there was full participation and interest in sharing each other’s ideas. Participants seemed to be satisfied with the workshop outcomes and enjoyed working in a group. Each group said that the provided activities were very useful and that they might use the techniques learned from the workshop in the future. [Figure 7] Some of disadvantages included the images on the screen in the critical thinking activity as users focused all attention on the image rather than the question. [Figure 8] Some students also mentioned the choice of website for the activity as it was developed using specific web design style - Brutalism, which is made by purpose to ignore the structure and design principles of the website. [Figure 9][10] The feedback helped us see and think about the improvements for the future workshops.
4. Conclusion I believe that the workshop was well structured and relevant to the user testing theme. Me and my group members covered all the important aspects planed for the workshop - critical thinking, card sorting and prototyping, and learned new user testing techniques. Holding a workshop helped us develop communication, presentation skills and being able to hear the participant feedback for the future workshop improvement and development.
References 1.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. 2017. Card Sorting. Available at https://www.usability.gov/how-to-andtools/methods/card-sorting.html. (Accessed 1st March 2017). 2. MethodKit (2016) MethodKit for Workshop Planning, Available at: https://methodkit.com/shop/methodkit-for-workshop-planning/ (Accessed: 27th February 2017). 3. Styk group blog (2017) Workshop Planning Week-1, Available at: https://stykuwe.wordpress.com/ux-workshop/ (Accessed: 4th March 2017). 4. Wikipedia (2017) Trello, Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trello (Accessed: 10th March 2017). 5. Optimal Workshop (2017) Getting Started with card sorting, Available at: https://www.optimalworkshop.com/101/card-sorting (Accessed: 26th February 2017). 6. Russ Under and Stephen. P Anderson (2017) Critical Thinking for UX designers, Available at https://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/critical-thinking-forux-designers-workshop (Accessed 15th February 2017). 7. Styk group blog (2017) Workshop Planning Week-1, Available at: https://stykuwe.wordpress.com/workshop-week-3/ (Accessed: 4th March 2017). 8. Rosenfeld Media (2017) Eurostar Card Sorting Case Study, Available at: http://rosenfeldmedia.com/card-sorting/eurostar-card-sortingcase-stu/ (Accessed: 13th February 2017). 9. Halima Satheya (2015) Open Card Sorting, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAaTiqHXO14 (Accessed: 10th February 2017). 10. Evanto (2017) What is brutalism in web design? Available at: https://envato.com/blog/brutalism-ugly-web-design-trend-takinginternet/ (Accessed: 15th March 2017).
Figures
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
