A breakout session at Confab Higher Ed 2015 by Batu Sayici (@batusayici) and Melissa Zuroff (@MelissaZuroff).

1. User-centered thinking
in higher ed communications
Batu Sayici
Melissa Zuroff

2. Hello!
@batusayici
@MelissaZuroff

3. Let’s talk about
• Using research and data to establish
a user-centered strategy
• Determining the tools and team needed
• Recognizing and exploring how to approach
potential challenges

4. User-centered design
Designing a product or service around how users want
or need to use it, rather than forcing them to change
their behavior to accommodate your product or service.

5. Before
flickr.com/photos/remembertobreathe/14351037195

6. Internally driven communication mimicking
organizational structure and language!

7. The problem?

8. Now

9. A user-centered design and content
strategy reflecting students’:
1. mental model
2. priorities
3. language

10. How to get there
in 4 steps

11. Get management support
and sponsorship.
1

12. Challenges you
might face
• No budget/staff
• Low awareness of benefits
• Resistance to act
• Organizational change

13. Overcome the
challenges
• Show, don’t just tell.
• Focus on projects that produce tangible results.
• Involve stakeholders throughout the process of
planning, execution, analysis, and reporting.

14. Make your argument.

15. Emphasize what a
user-centered
strategy enables
• More effectively meeting organizational objectives
• Better serving user needs
• Better accountability

18. Some resources on
getting leadership buy-in:

19. Build the right team.
2

20. Identify the right
people and skill sets…
Visual Design UX Content Analyst

21. …and foster their skills.

22. Involve users (early) in
the design process.
3

23. Determine
your process.
Interviews
Social Media
Surveys
Analytics
Brainstorming
Card sorting
Surveys
Analytics
Usability tests

24. Use your data
to find what’s
not working.

25. Understand
current experience
and pain points.

26. Simplify
their journey.

27. Talk their language.
Avoid jargon and
internal terminology.

28. Check rough
prototypes early.

29. Test & iterate
Quick and dirty is better than none.

30. Here’s an example

31. Tips for user tests
• Use social media and email to create a pool of
participants.
• Offer desirable incentives.
• Run small tests often.
• Aim to make things better, not perfect.

32. Some resources on
testing:

33. Measure and
communicate results.
4

37. 3
3.25
3.5
3.75
4
easy to find easy to understand enjoyable
Before After
Results

39. To be more user-centered…
Get management support and sponsorship.
Build the right team.
Involve users early in the design process.
Measure and communicate results.

40. –Steve Krug
“When fixing problems, try to do the least
you can do.”
But also…

41. Questions?
@batusayici
@MelissaZuroff