This document discusses user experience (UX) design from conducting primary customer research to iterating a design based on feedback. It recommends talking to 10-15 target customers to understand their needs better than assumptions allow. Key insights should be analyzed to develop customer personas and design principles. Early prototypes using tools like Fluid UI can gather more feedback to iteratively improve the solution. The goal is to quickly apply lessons to design an experience that truly meets customer needs.

1. DESIGNING FOR
CUSTOMER NEEDS:
A UX perspective
Richard O’Brien
@richard_obrien
au.linkedin.com/in/obrienrichard/

2. “It’s not just what it looks like and feels like.
Design is how it works.”
- Steve Jobs, 2003

3. What is UX?
"User eXperience” design encompasses all
aspects of the end-user's interaction with
the company, its services, and its products.

4. You are not the customer

5. No doubt you’ve already got a good idea of
who your customers are…

6. …but without primary research your ideas
are just assumptions.

7. So how do we validate these assumptions
and design better products?

8. Get out and talk to customers
Find people who represent your target
customer and talk to them.

9. What to do…
• Find someone who looks bored and offer to buy
them a coffee
• Aim to interview 10 – 15 people
• Have a list of 10 key questions you want to
understand (tie these back to your assumptions).

10. What to do…
• Warm-up questions
“Tell me a little about yourself…”
• Talk about real events in their day-to-day life
“Tell me about a recent time when you…”
• Be appreciative
“Thanks for your time”

11. What to do…
• Ask open questions like “why” and listen to the
answer
• Take detailed notes and write down quotes
verbatim
• If it goes well, ask if you can contact them again.

12. What not to do…
• Ask leading questions
“Is the feature helpful to you?”
• Talk about your product (until you’re almost
done)
• Explain how you do things. You’re there to
observe/learn not educate.

13. After each interview…
• Write down your key observations
• Capture key quotes verbatim
• Look for similarities or themes – points to
expand upon with other customers

14. Tools that can help
SoundNote
http://soundnote.com/

15. Document what you’ve learned
There’ll be a lot and you’ll forget
it if you don’t.

16. Analyse the insights
• Write each observation on a post-it note.
• Group similar observations into themes.
• What should emerge is key characteristics
or needs of your customers.

17. Develop personas
A persona represents a
cluster of users who
exhibit similar behavioral
patterns.
Puts the knowledge into
a format that is easy to
reference going forward.

18. Core attributes of a persona
A Face to the name
Name, age,
profession,
Verbatim quotes
gender, etc.
A brief story Summary of their core
about the needs and
persona and motivations
their life.

19. Put them up on the wall

20. Design solutions to their problems

21. Key design principles
• Lo-fi
“What’s the simplest thing I can do to test this concept?”
• Use your personas
• Don’t write code. Draw & Prototype.

22. Share early and often
Value
Effort
The more you talk about it… the more you
realise what’s missing.

23. Tips for effective sharing
Focus
Don’t try and cover too many
different concepts/functionalities.
Prepare
Concept multiple options before
hand.
Listen
You don’t realise what you’ve
missed. Allow flexibility for others to
concept.

24. Tips for effective sharing
Pick a direction
And move forward. Go with your gut.
Document your hypothesis
These become what you will test
later.

25. Use a Design Wall to see the big picture
Give it a prominent place in the
office (near the personas).

26. Why use design walls?
• Visualise the overall experience that you’re
designing.
• Becomes a timeline of design.
• Meeting point for all design discussion.
• Easy way to introduce new stakeholders.

27. Get out of the office (again)

28. Test your solution
Cardboard & paper
Use your arts & crafts skills to build
some cardboard iPads/iPhones, etc.
Remember your hypothesis
Avoid getting lost in the feedback by
aiming to validate your hypothesis first.
Stick to bullet point insights.
Keep on the look out for stumbling
blocks
Feedback can be flippant
Know when to take it with a grain of salt.

29. Tools that can help
Fluid UI
http://www.fluidui.com/

30. Tools that can help
Silverback
http://silverbackapp.com/

31. Tools that can help
Usability Hub
http://usabilityhub.com/

32. Tools that can help
Loop11
http://www.loop11.com/

33. Tools that can help
UX Mastery
http://www.uxmastery.com/

34. And finally… iterate!
Success is built around how quickly and how often you
can apply feedback to your design

35. Recommended reading
Jeff Gothelf Cennydd Bowles
http://www.jeffgothelf.com/ http://www.cennydd.co.uk/

36. Thanks
Richard O’Brien
@richard_obrien
au.linkedin.com/in/obrienrichard/