International SharePoint Conference – Developing an End User Adoption Strategy

Information Architecure

Information Architecture starts with the User: I Love Users

Information Architecture: structural design of shared information

Do not (only) look at their current folder structure
folders are easy way to put information, but makes it difficult to find

“If I store it, thats how I use it, but how do others use it?”

Key Components in defining Information Architecure

• Content – what does exist?
• Context (business, organizational) – why does the content exist?
• Users – how does users use the content?

How to search?

Most people use the Google-Model
The users think:
“I ask a question, magic happens, and the system gives the answer”

But this doesn’t work because
- users don’t know what they search
- users don’t know how they search (querries, spelling)
- users don’t have patience

There are different ways how people search

1. Users are looking for exactly one item e.g. a certain form – if the query is clear, search is usually good, since only a few results show up
2. Users are looking for everything – users don’t know what they search, so they have no expectations of the results
3. users kind of know what they want, but they are not really sure (exploratory) – usually queries are not good, because users don’t know how to get to the answer
4. users try to find something again

SharePoint uses the Berry-Picking-Model

1. Search
2. View results
3. Refine
4. Repeat

How to learn from users

TALK to USERS, not management
- Ask
- Listen
- Test
- Repeat

…but remember: users don’t know anything!

…but remember: Opinion Right
Just because it’s somebody’s opinion, doesn’t mean it’s right.

…So, Instead look for patterns in the answers.

How to test user adoption?

1. Surveys – are not a good choice, only the people with strong feelings will fill it int, usually the ones that hate it
2. Wireframing – Usefull because it does not interfere with design
3. Card Sorting (http://boxesandarrows.com)
   open: participants are given cards showing site content, no pre-established grouping
   task: let them group
   closed: participants are given cards showing site content, with an established initial set of primary groups
   task: let them sort cards into groups

   look for significance: the more people the higher the significance

Usability Testing

Usability’s Quality Components

• Learnability – how easy can users accomplish basic tasks?
• Efficiency – how quickly can tasks be performed? (NOT number of clicks, but predictability, I know where to click)
• Memorability – after a period of non-use, how easy can a user re-establish proficiency?
• Errors – how many errors does the user/system make? how servere? can the user recover?
• Satisfaction – how pleasant is it to use the design?

Usability Heuristics

• visibility of system status – do I know where I am?
• match between system and real world – does it match natural flow?
• user control and freedom
• Consistency and standards
• error prevention
• recognition rather than recall
• flexibility and efficiency of use
• aesthetic and minimalistic design
• help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors
• help and documentation

Performing a test
- before, during and after
- with at least 5 users, not stakeholders
- define list of common tasks (find this form, go to this place and upload a document)
- run the test (& don’t help!)
- analyze and report

What to do with results
- use as proof for nay-sayers
- provide best cost justifications
- identify simple issues that when fixed will greatly improve user acceptance