Archive for the 'Research' Category

Alan Cooper’s Brilliant Presentation on Agile Development

Every once in awhile you see a presentation that just makes you say “wow”.

Alan Cooper’s keynote address at the Agile2008 Conference, titled The Wisdom of Experience presents a deeply insightful perspective the software development process.

The presentation starts by painting a clear, broad picture of the software development landscape and then dives deeper into the development process. His main premise is that the Agile Methodology is the best (and only) way to effectively implement modern software projects because it facilitates true collaboration between engineers and interaction designers.

We try to use the Agile Methodology on all of our development projects at RDVO. I think we’re one of the few agencies that have embraced this approach–the majority of interactive design firms still use the broken Waterfall Model as their core implementation process. We’ve found that Waterfall essentially sets you up to fail. A reason most agencies embrace it is because it’s much easier to “sell” to clients. Go figure.

So back to Cooper…not only is the subject matter of the presentation important, he is a master of medium. The presentation is perfectly organized and executed. While it would have been interesting to watch the presentation, the main points are clearly organized in the speaker notes.

There has been a lot of talk about the Steve Jobs presentation style, and how all business presentations should follow his model. As great as “Jobsian” presentations are, they also have a lot to do with his subject matter. While this may sound nice, the vast majority of business presentations simply need more “meat” to be relevant. I think that Cooper’s presentation provides a perfect happy medium.

From Nielsen: Old Folks Struggle with the Web

In his latest Alertbox, Jakob Nielsen publishes the results of a quantitative study on how time needed to complete website tasks increases as you get older. According to the study, there is a 0.8% increase in task time per year for users between the ages of 25 and 60.

Nielsen attributes the increases in time to the human aging process—erosion of cognitive resources, loss of visual acuity, etc. Apparently, the older you get the harder it is to process complex information and tasks on the web.

While there is not enough disparity between 30- and 50-year-old users to warrant different design approaches, Nielsen notes that there is a specific drop-off in ability after age 65. Websites designed for senior citizens clearly need to follow different usability guidelines.

It’s hard to disagree with the Nielsen’s findings, although concluding that older users struggle more than younger users is hardly groundbreaking. The study notes that the age at which people start using the web has some impact on their ability, regardless of age. However, the study does not take into consideration how the types of online tasks you perform vary by age.

Pew Internet released an interesting report on how online activities differ by demographics. While the findings do support Nielsen’s findings, there is equal variance across different demographics such as income, race, and education.

Web usage demographics

Prepping for a big presentation? Here are three techniques you should use.

Powerpoint comic

There is no shortage of articles lamenting on how tools like PowerPoint have done more harm than good. In my opinion, PowerPoint is not the problem—it’s just a means to an end. The real dilemma is that the “slides” and “presentation” have essentially become the same things.

Your presentation is not your slides. Slides are visual aids meant to emphasize and support your oral arguments. The audience is listening and reacting to your words, not to your laptop. A disconnect has now evolved—presenters now spend the bulk of their energy focusing on the production of their slides and minimal effort on the actual delivery of their presentation. How many presentations have you sat through where the presenter simply read from their slides word for word?

While I am certainly guilty of falling into the PowerPoint trap, I’ve learned a few techniques that can help break the habit. Preparation is critical.

Here are three prep techniques that require you to step away from PowerPoint (for at least a little bit) and can be used to develop compelling presentations.

Write the story

There is an art to effective presentations, and it has nothing to do with slide templates or diagrams—the art is the story you tell. Like any story, a presentation must have meaning. The best stories have an intriguing opening that captures attention, a logical progression, and a killer conclusion. When planning your presentation, take the time to think about the story your telling and what it is about it that will keep the audience interested and engaged.

Instead of organizing your presentation around slides, think about it as chapters in a story. Sales presentations are a great example. There is a formulaic approach—features, benefits, examples. Instead of thinking about that way, try to tell the story of the software: how did it help in a particular instance? Channel Steve Jobs. When he introduces new products, it’s never all about the functions – it’s the story of the product in context to how it can make your life better. Think about this approach and then build the slides to support it.

Treat your presentations as stories and narratives. Stories are far more compelling than lectures.

Do your homework

I recently attended a presentation by a search marketing company pitching its services to a biotech that develops software for managing clinical trials. The presentation went along swimmingly—the firm confidently presented their capabilities and experience, and seemed to know their stuff…until one of the audience members asked a question about their thoughts about the clinical trial process. I was dumfounded when the presenter asked, “What’s a clinical trial?”

End of presentation.

Regardless of how good your presentation is, if you fail to do the necessary research you are simply shooting yourself in the foot. Take the time to learn about your audience’s industry, their competitors, and their needs (both real and assumed). Granted, you cannot expect to know everything about your audience but knowing enough that you can confidently speak their language goes a long way. It also shows that you are committed and took the time to understand their business.

Remember, your audience needs to more than your inherent skills and competencies—they want to know that you have smarts to apply your abilities to their business needs.

Get some sleep

Presentations are often completed at 3:00AM the night before the big meeting (”I have to get my slide builds just right…”). Good work requires time and it often takes up to the last minute to get everything done. Regardless, it is just as important to show up to presentation rested and energized. Looking haggard does not translate as “hard working” to your audience—it makes you appear disorganized and unprepared—usually not traits audiences respond to.

So instead of pulling an all-nighter hovering over your slides, get a good night’s sleep, eat a good meal, and try to relax. Doing so will improve your ability to present much more so those extra five case studies that you worked on until sunrise.

Nice Practice: LinkedIn Solicits Design Feedback from Actual Users

More big sites should do what LinkedIn.com is doing: testing a working design concept in real-time—with actual users. The site is testing a new homepage design (which is very good, BTW). There’s a very clear call to action soliciting input from their user community. Clicking on the ’send your feedback’ link opens a pop-over window with a text box for comments.

LinkedIn.com user feedback link

LinkedIn.com User Feedback Form

I’m surprised that more websites don’t put feedback loops like this into practice. Granted, the site owners probably receive a ton of junk to sift through, but I’m sure they are lots of great insights and commentary that will go a long way towards informing their design decisions. It’s also think that the simplicity of the text boxes results in more candid feedback and is much more user-friendly than a poll or survey.

It would be interesting to learn how the LinkedIn design team plans to assess and act on the data…