During the investigation phase, we create an audience profile and visit customer sites to understand the goals, attitudes, and workplace of the intended audience.
Audience Profile All good designers know that they need to understand their audience. To compose a picture of the audience, we usually collect all available market research data, then we conduct our own demographic survey to supplement the information. The survey gives us reliable data about the audience's computer experience, work experience, and general demographics. The resulting audience profile allows the team to make informed assumptions about users when faced with important interface design decisions and trade-offs.
Deliverable
A summary of the individual characteristics of the target audience
WHY:
Helps the team make informed assumptions about user needs, anticipate learning difficulties users might have, and set appropriate limits for the complexity of the user interface design.
HOW:
Survey of representative users from each segment of the intended audience.
Goals, Attitudes, & Workplace To understand the goals, attitudes, and workplace of the audience, we observe and interview people in context.
Deliverable
List of Goals
WHY:
Understand goals of management. Characterize the long-term vision for the office, and learn about current barriers
to meeting goals.
HOW:
On—site interviews with management.
Deliverable
List of Attitudes
WHY:
Determine what people like and don't like about their current processes and environment.
HOW:
On-site contextual interviews with representative people from the different user groups.
Deliverable
Workplace Descriptions
WHY:
Record and understand the significant features of the users' environment. Gather artifacts and aids such as forms, cards, prescriptions, memos, post-its, schedules, etc.
HOW:
Photographs, notes, and users' artifacts.
Deliverable
Issues List
WHY:
Create a running list of the issues that could impact the new user interface.
