Rather than moving from one static stage to the next, Agile emphasizes constant iteration and testing with prototypes building on prototypes so the endpoint works. The focus is on producing working software or websites over comprehensive requirements and documentation. This may seem counter to the idea that it’s critical to take the time up front to know your users in order to design something great. Quite the contrary; UX and Agile are allies.
UX and Agile both celebrate building the most important pieces first and testing frequently. When UX is a part of the equation, it’s easy to define the “most important thing” based on real data and user research. UX activities, just like development activities, are a critical component of Agile projects–just in shorter bursts and focused on smaller pieces of the product at a given time.
Determining when and how to use UX is more art than science but project goals provide the basis for some guidelines about which techniques to employ.
| Method | What it is | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics Analysis | Analyzing usage data, and making subsequent recommendations. Tools like Google Analytics are often used to gather the data and support the analysis process. | To understand the current state of usage. To measure the success of a particular change or release. |
| Heuristic Evaluation | Evaluating a website or application against a set of criteria and documenting usability flaws and areas for improvement. | As a starting point to gauge the breadth, depth and severity of usability issues to support the prioritization of initiatives to address them. |
| Content Inventory | Reviewing and cataloging a client’s existing repository of content on a website. | As part of the planning and discovery process, this helps the team understand the scope of the project and develop a plan for migrating, deleting or editing content. |
| Personas | A persona is a fictitious identity that reflects one of the user groups for whom the product is being designed. These archetypes, when possible, should be based on a collection of real data about users. See Figure 1. | Personas are an excellent way for a team, as well as the customer, to define and understand user groups. These documents often serve as a reference throughout a project, and may even be used in planning on an Agile project. |
| User Interviews | User interviews may be formal or informal, remote or in-person. They typically include a series of questions about user priorities and typical tasks. | User interviews aid in understanding a given user group’s tasks and motivations. Data can be used to inform personas and design work. |
| Usability Testing | Sitting users in front of a website or application and watching them as they perform key tasks using the product. They often “think aloud” as they complete a task and a moderator asks detailed questions. These can be done remotely or in-person using a variety of metrics to gather data, such as time-on-task, satisfaction and eye-tracking. | Usability testing can identify issues with a current application or system up front and can also be used to test the success of changes or releases. |
This table covers a few common methods, but an in-depth set of guidelines for using UX methods and techniques, as well as resources to get started, can be found at http://uxmastery.com/resources/techniques/ Exit.