UX Lean & Mean (Internet Summit 2015)

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UX STRATEGIES: LEAN & MEAN

Sarah Weise UX Director

Booz Allen Hamilton

Hello Slideshare Viewers! These slides you’re about to flip through are from a 4 hour, hands-on workshop presented at Internet Summit 2015, and similar to workshops we’ve presented at the Digital Summit series 2014-2015. There are a number of stories and content not included here. We’ve tried to add a few notes along the way, but if you’d like to learn these techniques in more depth, we’d love to see you at our next workshop. Contact us for more details. Thanks for viewing, Sarah & Linna

@weisesarah

I  want  to  tell  you  a  story  about  the  first  UX  project  I  ever  worked  on,  back  when  I  was  a  UX  virgin.  It  was  over  a  decade  ago,  and  it  lasted  a  full  year…  

@weisesarah

We  analyzed  customer  segments,  and  idenBfied  and  recruited  a  ton  of  users  in  each  of  those  segments.  We  made  sure  to  select  a  staBsBcally  significant  number  of  parBcipants  from  each  group  so  that  we  could  report  our  findings  with  scienBfic  precision  –  confidence  intervals  and  margin  of  error.    I  was  doing  t-­‐tests  and  z-­‐tests  to  find  out  which  recommendaBons  should  go  in  Phase  I  versus  Phase  2.    I  even  remember  bringing  my  old  college  staBsBcs  textbook  to  work  with  me!  

@weisesarah

We  conducted  our  research  in  a  lab  with  a  two-­‐way  mirror.    We  filmed  the  test  parBcipants  and  went  back  and  watched  the  tests  mulBple  Bmes,  scruBnizing  facial  expressions  and  body  language.  

@weisesarah

By  the  end  of  the  year,  we  had  a  big  honkin’  report.    There  were  over  100  findings.    We  actually  had  tables  to  group  and  categorize  all  of  the  findings.          It  was  in  a  binder  like  this.    With  a  cover  page  slaved  over  by  a  graphic  designer.        This  was  my  first  UX  job,  and  at  the  Bme  I  was  so  proud  of  this  report.    It  was  massive.    It  showed  off  all  the  hard  work  we  did.      

The best part…

@weisesarah

Over  10  year  later,  their  website  is  largely  the  same.  Only  2-­‐3  recommendaBons  had  been  implemented  out  of  100+,  and  those  were  preRy  much  low  hanging  fruit.  

@weisesarah

This  process  stole  a  year  of  my  life.  Countless  billable  hours,  your  taxpayer  dollars,  painstaking  work,  meeBngs  and  staBsBcal  nonsense.    Are  you  familiar  with  this  heartbreak?  

“The biggest lie in software is Phase II.”

Jeff Gothelf

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

Over  a  decade  later,  the  organizaBon  re-­‐engaged  us.    Some  of  the  very  same  clients,  actually.  But  this  Bme,  our  process  was  lean.    In  under  a  month,  we  had  a  substanBally  beRer  product.  With  far  less  work  and  hassle.  Clients  parBcipated  in  the  process,  and  became  our  advocates.      It  leW  me  thinking…  Why  can’t  it  always  be  like  this?  

PRIX FIXE MENU

Data Gathering :: choose one

Usability testing Create scenarios based on top tasks, craft post-test survey, and conduct 6 hours worth of one-on-one usability testing*

Web survey Create survey questions to solicit preference data and discover more about target audiences*

Existing data trends Evaluate existing data such as help desk tickets, web analytics, and/or survey data

Focus group Plan and lead 6 hours worth of focus group sessions*

Analysis :: choose one

Expert review SME evaluation of select screens from a website or application

Visual evaluation Analysis of branding strategy, colors, images, typography

Task analysis Evaluate paths to streamline information architecture

Persuasion, emotion, trust evaluation Evaluate how to more effectively move customers to take action

Stakeholder analysis Based on a web survey, focus group, or existing data if available

Pattern analysis Identify trends in existing data

Benchmark Compare my site to my competitors’ * Recruiting/scheduling not included

Presented in 2010 by Sarah Weise & Linna Ferguson, User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)

Now  this  is  not  the  first  Bme  I’ve  asked  myself  this  quesBon.  In  fact,  I’ve  spent  my  career  trying  to  make  UX  as  simple  and  effecBve  as  possible.      5  years  ago,  Linna  and  I  even  coined  the  term  “Express  Usability”  at  a  UXPA  conference  in  Munich,  where  we  convinced  a  whole  bunch  of  people  to  implement  UX  strategies  in  just  1  week  with  a  fixed  price  menu  approach,  an  idea  that  came  to  us  aWer  drinking  heavily  at  a  fixed  price  restaurant.  

PRIX FIXE MENU

Data Gathering :: choose one

Usability testing Create scenarios based on top tasks, craft post-test survey, and conduct 6 hours worth of one-on-one usability testing*

Web survey Create survey questions to solicit preference data and discover more about target audiences*

Existing data trends Evaluate existing data such as help desk tickets, web analytics, and/or survey data

Focus group Plan and lead 6 hours worth of focus group sessions*

Analysis :: choose one

Expert review SME evaluation of select screens from a website or application

Visual evaluation Analysis of branding strategy, colors, images, typography

Task analysis Evaluate paths to streamline information architecture

Persuasion, emotion, trust evaluation Evaluate how to more effectively move customers to take action

Stakeholder analysis Based on a web survey, focus group, or existing data if available

Pattern analysis Identify trends in existing data

Benchmark Compare my site to my competitors’ * Recruiting/scheduling not included

Presented in 2010 by Sarah Weise & Linna Ferguson, User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)

PRIX FIXE MENU

Deliverable :: choose one

Recommendations report Details top recommendations based on our analysis in a finding-rationale-recommendation format

Screen-by-screen findings report Points out areas on each page that can be improved

Design concepts Pair with the visual evaluation: two alternate design concepts

Information architecture recommendations Navigational outline or flow chart detailing enhancements to organization and page flow

Wireframe(s) Visually displays layout recommendations; interactive prototyping may be an option if time permits

Trend report Pair with the pattern analysis or benchmark; couple with stakeholder analysis if data is available and time permits

Presented in 2010 by Sarah Weise & Linna Ferguson, User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)

CREATE

A culture of creativity, empathy & openness to new

ideas

OBSERVE

User behavior early and often

DISCOVER

Where business goals and user

needs meet

DESIGN

For human connection

Today we’ll learn techniques to…

@weisesarah

Let’s meet.

@weisesarah

No matter the day, season or culture, experience boils down to one thing.

@weisesarah

HUMAN CONNECTON

@weisesarah

The Numbers Game

@weisesarah

We think on autopilot. Multitasking makes us less creative.

@weisesarah

Where does our time go?

Simultaneous Projects

Time Available Per Project

Loss of Time to Context Switching

1 100% 0% 2 40% 20% 3 20% 40% 4 10% 60% 5 5% 75%

This is waste!

Source: Quality Software Management by Gerald Weinberg @weisesarah

Who is an artist in here?

@weisesarah

When  you  ask  this  in  a  kindergarten  classroom,  almost  every  hand  shoots  up.        Today,  we  had  2-­‐3  hands  go  up  out  of  150.    

AGE 5 You use 80% of your

creative potential. .

AGE 12

Your creative

output drops to 2% ADULT

Your creative output stays around 2%

Unless you do something about it!

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

Look  at  a  3-­‐5  year  old  classroom.    These  spaces  are  filled  with  fun  and  colorful  things  to  do,  see  and  touch.      

@weisesarah

But  then  we  end  up  here.    How  could  we  be  creaBve  in  a  space  like  this?    How  do  we  communicate  or  connect?      

Long drawn out meetings. Decisions by committee. What for?

YOU can change this culture. Encourage a creative, less distracted mindset

from the start with a focused icebreaker.

@weisesarah

20-Circle Challenge

@weisesarah

Was that harder or easier than you thought?

How did this challenge make you feel? Nervous? Excited? Anxious? Focused?

What was your approach?

20-Circle Challenge Discuss with a partner

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

Was that harder or easier than you thought?

How did this challenge make you feel? Nervous? Excited? Anxious? Focused?

What was your approach?

20-Circle Challenge Discuss with a partner

@weisesarah

Everyone can be creative. Use a UFB to cultivate creativity.

@weisesarah

UFB  =  Uninterrupted  Focus  Block    This  is  a  way  to  protect  your  Bme,  focus  on  a  single  thing,  and  empower  yourself  to  be  creaBve.      

Creativity is a muscle. Exercise it. Commit to 5 minutes a day for 30 days.

@weisesarah

Not  only  that,  start  your  UX  sessions  off  with  a  creaBvity  booster  like  one  of  these  acBviBes,  and  your  parBcipants  will  get  in  the  zone.  They’ll  be  more  focused,  aRenBve  and  creaBve  in  your  sessions.  

Doodle a picture Draw an animal Make something out of play dough Write a journal entry Find an interesting object from nature, and write 20 words to describe it Discover a new word, and use it in a sentence Do a crossword puzzle or word hunt Write a haiku Try a new food Pin an inspiring picture on Pinterest Build a tower with blocks or legos (I’m partial to MagnaTiles…) Find an interesting texture and do a paper rubbing

30 Days of Creativity Ideas for the challenge. Each day…

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

Companies like 3M and Google give staff 15-20% of time to work on projects of their choosing Gmail

Google Ads

Post-it notes Masking

Tape @weisesarah

What creative habit will you start today? What will you try for 30 days straight? How will you bring this back to work?

Creativity Write down on your note-taking page…

@weisesarah

1. Mad Libs

2. Wall Voting

3. Wall Targets

4. Personas

5. Empathy Maps

6. Journey Maps

7. User Stories

8. Ideation & Refining

9. Usability Testing

10. Projective Interviews

#1 PLAY MAD LIBS

•  There’s no dial-in number Maximize human connection. 4 – 20 people.

•  No phones, tablets, laptops We have a short time with you. We need pure attention and focus!

•  Goal is to generate a lot of ideas quickly There are deadlines and timers for each activity.

•  Call ELMO Tell people up front that it’s not rude to call “ELMO”. Goal is to talk quickly and stay on topic. No history discussions here!

•  We are not in the idea or ego squashing business We succeed through a breadth of perspectives and concepts. Not just execs. Facilitator required to diffuse tensions.

Schedule a Hands-On Visioning Session

@weisesarah

•  There’s no dial-in number Maximize human connection. 4 – 20 people.

•  No phones, tablets, laptops We have a short time with you. We need pure attention and focus!

•  Goal is to generate a lot of ideas quickly There are deadlines and timers for each activity.

•  Call ELMO Tell people up front that it’s not rude to call “ELMO”. Goal is to talk quickly and stay on topic. No history discussions here!

•  We are not in the idea or ego squashing business We succeed through a breadth of perspectives and concepts. Not just execs. Facilitator required to diffuse tensions.

#1 PLAY MAD LIBS

Schedule a Hands-On Visioning Session

@weisesarah

FOR: target customer WHO NEEDS: service/feature UNLIKE: competitor/alternative WE ARE A: business type WE PROVIDE: emotional benefit WE STAND OUT BY: key differentiator

#1 PLAY MAD LIBS

@weisesarah

#1 PLAY MAD LIBS

FOR: target customer WHO NEEDS: service/feature UNLIKE: competitor/alternative WE ARE A: business type WE PROVIDE: emotional benefit WE STAND OUT BY: key differentiator

@weisesarah

#1 PLAY MAD LIBS

FOR: target customer WHO NEEDS: service/feature UNLIKE: competitor/alternative WE ARE A: business type WE PROVIDE: emotional benefit WE STAND OUT BY: key differentiator

@weisesarah

The Story of Mayberry Public Library

@weisesarah

Mayberry  is  the  center  of  a  small  town  9,000  strong.  While  the  library  is  a  historical  landmark  shaped  by  memories  and  beloved  by  the  town,  not  many  people  actually  go  there  anymore.  People  do  research  online,  and  read  books  on  their  iPad  or  Kindle.  The  county  is  looking  at  their  budget,  and  funding  for  the  library  may  be  in  jeopardy.  This  library  must  find  a  way  to  make  itself  more  relevant  to  the  Mayberry  community…  

Kids

FOR ____________ <target customer>

@weisesarah

THESE CUSTOMERS NEED ______________ <service/feature>

E-books

@weisesarah

Amazon Local Bookstore

UNLIKE ______________ <alternative/competitor>

@weisesarah

Gathering Place

WE ARE A ______________ <business type>

@weisesarah

Belonging Nostalgia

WE PROVIDE ______________ <emotional benefit>

@weisesarah

Free to join In your backyard

WE STAND OUT BY ______________ <key differentiator>

@weisesarah

Group brainstorming methods: Use a different one for each stem

•  Scribble as many ideas as you can in

2 mins (individuals or pairs/groups)

•  Ever person/pair/group must fill 5 post-its

•  Build it and ideas will come. Put 50 stickies on the wall, and have people shout out ideas

•  Everyone stands, shouts out 1 idea then sits, selects someone else to go

@weisesarah

Quickly visualize the most agreed-on concepts.

#2 WALL VOTING

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

Dual-colored dots save you time. Only talk about the ones with red and green.

#2 WALL VOTING

@weisesarah

Move popular stickies to top. Read vision statement across.

#2 WALL VOTING

@weisesarah

And when you write it out…

@weisesarah

@weisesarah

Use if there’s still a lot of discussion. Wall targets help visualize and narrow key priorities. Align with key differentiators. Write a key differentiator in the middle of the target, and invite people to move the post-its onto the target based on how well they align with the key differentiator. Talkative crowd? Have the team prioritize in silence.

#3 WALL TARGETS

@weisesarah

Why would a UX guru advise me to start by talking to internal staff, not users?

In  my  opinion,  the  key  difference  between  Lean  UX  and  tradiBonal  UX  is  the  idea  that  UX  professionals  are  NOT  just  advocates  for  the  user.    In  Lean  UX,  we  work  to  understand  and  define  the  business  and  product  vision,  and  find  where  that  intersects  with  customer  needs.        Let’s  say  we  find  out  that  users  need  bicycles,  but  the  goal  of  the  business  is  to  sell  unicycles.  If  we  don’t  take  that  into  account,  we’re  going  to  be  fighBng  every  step  of  the  way,  and  our  recommendaBons  will  never  be  implemented.    Understanding  vision  and  goals  gives  us  context,  and  we  can  use  this  info  to  gather  user  data  that  maRers.  

1. Mad Libs

2. Wall Voting

3. Wall Targets

4. Personas

5. Empathy Maps

6. Journey Maps

7. User Stories

8. Ideation & Refining

9. Usability Testing

10. Projective Interviews

Hashtags are big. Let’s make sure there

are at least 4-5 on our homepage.

@weisesarah

When I was 10 my father had a heart attack in front of me. From then I vowed to be prepared if that situation ever happened again. - Bill Winters

#4 PERSONAS

@weisesarah

Hi! My name is…

Description

Goals & Needs

Tech Usage (laptop, tablet, phone, wearables, favorite apps…)

Picture (yes, draw it!)

Age / Gender: Occupation: Key Emotional Driver:

Show us yours!

Post to Twitter, and we’ll pull it up here for the room to see. #ISUM15 #UX

@weisesarah

#4 PERSONAS Check out John Personas make a post-it come to life.

@weisesarah

Instant empathy! It’s much easier for humans to relate to other humans.

#4 PERSONAS

@weisesarah

1 page is more than enough Bullets are great. Quickly state what resonates (and what doesn’t) for a customer. Role play Stubborn exec or client? Have them role play. Ask them to take on a persona and then ask a bunch of questions. Only have 10 mins? Give a team a half-started persona and have them fill in the rest.

#4 PERSONAS

@weisesarah

Can be visual Check out what’s on Amy’s

work station!

#4 PERSONAS

@weisesarah

3. Wall Targets

4. Personas

5. Empathy Maps

6. Journey Maps

7. User Stories

8. Ideation & Refining

9. Usability Testing

10. Projective Interviews

#5 EMPATHY MAPS

Design Thinking Action Lab 2013

#5 EMPATHY MAPS

@weisesarah

#6 JOURNEY MAPS

30+ screens to apply for a job!

Using this, we streamlined

the process on USAJobs.gov to 9 screens.

#6 JOURNEY MAPS

@weisesarah

#7 USER STORIES

@weisesarah

#7 USER STORIES I am a I want to…. So that I can… Check out books Have more money to spend on other stuff Find books online Get a book without driving to the library

Retiree

@weisesarah

Round  1:  Write  a  complete  sentence.  Then  write  another.  

Save money Connect with other book-lovers Meet other self-published writers Have more time to read Get my kids interested in reading Keep my kids busy on the weekends Lose myself in a good romance novel Re-kindle my love of reading Spend more time with my family Teach my son to read

#7 USER STORIES I am a I want to…. So that I can…

Parent

@weisesarah

Round  2:  Fill  out  the  “So  that  I  can…”  side  only.  Get  to  the  boRom  of  what  does  this  person  want  to  do.        Then  swap  papers  and  fill  out  the  “I  want  to…”  secBon  for  somebody  else’s  “So  that  I  can”  lines.    This  requires  you  to  think  of  the  end  goal  first.  Knowing  this,  you’ll  wind  up  with  far  more  creaBve  features/services.  

How might you apply this at work? Do you have a specific project in mind?

What, if anything, might stop you from trying this?

#7 USER STORIES Discuss with a partner…

@weisesarah

5. Empathy Maps

6. Journey Maps

7. User Stories

8. Ideation & Refining

9. Usability Testing

10. Projective Interviews

#8 Ideation generates lots of ideas and gets people out of “ruts”

@weisesarah

Take  8  minutes  to  design  8  different  ways  to  display  the  library  homepage  for  that  persona.  

#8 Ideation can be encouraged with prompts

Try this! Generate 5-10 solutions using the following prompts… The most obvious solutions: ___________________________________________

By adding, removing or modifying these: _________________________________

If you were a 5 year old: ______________________________________________

If you were a rebellious teenager: ______________________________________

If you had unlimited budget: ___________________________________________

If you couldn’t spend a dime: __________________________________________

With superhuman powers (invisibility, teleportation, etc): ___________________

If you were <Persona Name>: __________________________________________ @weisesarah

#8 Ideation can build off a persona

Brianne (New Hire) Dalton (Supervisor)

Portia (Mid Level Worker Bee) Aiden (Learning Leader)

@weisesarah

#8 Ideation can build off a persona

@weisesarah

#8 Ideation refinement pulls best elements from each idea

@weisesarah

Get  with  a  small  group  that  contains  one  representaBve  from  each  of  the  personas.  Share  your  ideaBon  papers  and  combine  the  best  elements  of  each  to  create  one  homepage.  

When could you use this technique at work? When is the soonest you could try it out?

#8 Ideation Write down on your note-taking page…

@weisesarah

8. Ideation & Refining

9. Usability Testing

10. Projective Interviews

#9 USABILITY TESTING lets you observe behavior

In-person Remote Moderated Remote Unmoderated

@weisesarah

#9 USABILITY TESTING

Scenarios (pre-written, same for all)

“Imagine you’ve been injured, and you want to know if physical therapy is covered under your insurance. Where would you go to find

this information?”

Free-form (open ended, custom to each person)

“What do you typically do on this site?

You mentioned you use this site to see what appointments your insurance will cover. Walk

me through that.”

@weisesarah

#9 USABILITY TESTING moderated, scenario testing structure

Opening script

First impressions / feelings

Satisfaction rating for each (1-5)

Intro questions: warmup / baseline / recall

Scenarios: pre-written / same for all

Post-test questions: agreement with statements, what’s missing, magic wand

@weisesarah

We need a volunteer!

#9 USABILITY TESTING

@weisesarah

Thank you for volunteering to participate in this study. To begin, I need to read an orientation script to you. I’m reading it directly so that all participants receive identical instructions. <Company name> is working to improve its website, and today they are collecting feedback directly from users like you. The input gathered here today will help identify what works well, and what needs improvement. In this session, I'll present you with scenarios that ask you to locate information on the site. Speak aloud as you navigate, telling me what's going through your mind as you decide where to go or what to click, as if you were on a game show. This study is in no way a test of you, your skills, or your knowledge. It's a test of the system. If you feel frustrated at any point, please let me know because this will help identify areas of the website that need improvement. Since I'm here as a neutral observer, though, I won't be able to give you hints about where to go or what to click. The data from this study will be presented in aggregate form only, and your name will not be tied to your responses. I’ll also mention that I’ve been hired just to conduct these studies and did not build or design this site in any way, so you won’t be hurting my feelings by critiquing the site. Questions at this point?

#9 USABILITY TESTING opening script

@weisesarah

•  How often do you use the XYZ website?

•  How do you feel about the current site?

•  When you've come to the site in the past, are you typically looking for something in particular, or just browsing?

•  How do you typically come to the site? For instance, do you navigate directly to the URL, do you click a link you've previously bookmarked, or do you find a page from this site after you've Googled something?

•  Based on your past experiences, how helpful has the XYZ site been to you? 1 = Not at all helpful, 5 = Very helpful

#9 USABILITY TESTING intro questions - examples

@weisesarah

•  When you look at this page, what are your first impressions? How does it make you feel?

•  Based on your first impression, is this a site for someone like you?

•  Without clicking on anything, just scroll up and down the homepage and tell me what information would be most useful to you?

•  In your own words, how would you describe the purpose of this site?

•  Is there too much information on the homepage?

•  What do you think of the layout / colors / images / labeling / etc.

•  What can you do from here?

#9 USABILITY TESTING first impression questions - examples

@weisesarah

•  Avoid saying the actual label of what you want someone to click

•  Stay neutral. Try not to agree during a testing session. “Mmm-hmm” and “Go on” is better than “Yes” or “Sure” or “Right”

•  Provide context with words like “Imagine” or “Pretend” Here’s an example where it’s vital: Imagine you are a soldier having your medical condition evaluated. You would like to know how your disability rating is determined, and whether or not you can stay in the Army. Please find this information. How it would read without the “Imagine” You are having your medial condition evaluated…

“Huh? What? Are you saying I have a problem? That’s messed up, man.”

#9 USABILITY TESTING scenario tips

@weisesarah

Task  compleBon   Perceived  ease     Time  to  complete  

Post-­‐test  quesBons      

(Level  of  agreement  with  statements  about  visual  and  funcBonal  aspects)  

Comparison  metrics  

#9 USABILITY TESTING metrics, if you need numbers

@weisesarah

Bare minimum “tools” You can use free screen share software like join.me, Google Hangout or WebEx and the phone. You don’t need pricey tools. Keep it small, then iterate! You’ll see trends with just 3-5 users. Make a few key changes, then test again with 3-5 users. Forget unmoderated testing Sounds tempting, but you’ll learn more qualitative data in less time from just a couple moderated sessions. You don’t need scenarios If you don’t have time or aren’t sure what to ask, have users walk you through what they generally do on the site. Don’t wait. Test wireframes or even sketches!

#9 USABILITY TESTING quick & dirty

@weisesarah

Get out from behind your desk. People talk about how hard recruiting is. But honestly, people are everywhere. Strike up a conversation.

#9 USABILITY TESTING quick & dirty

@weisesarah

THE #1 SECRET TO GETTING AMAZING

RESULTS FROM USABILITY TESTING,

EVERY TIME…

Deepen with image-based projective interviews

Want to see if your hypothesis is right? Image-based projective

interviews identify deep feelings behind behavior.

Talk about images

Ask participants to bring 10-15 images to the interview that reflect how they feel about your product /

problem you are trying to solve.

#10 PROJECTIVE INTERVIEWS

@weisesarah

FEAR Of the unknown

For my life (helplessness) For my health and body For my family and kids

For my home. For nature, environment, planet

PROTECTION

For loved ones, especially kids

ANGER At the government

#10 PROJECTIVE INTERVIEWS

@weisesarah

9. Usability Testing

10. Projective Interviews

I will try these 3 things at work:

3.

2.

1.

103

•  Mad Libs •  Wall Voting •  Target Prioritization •  Personas •  Empathy Mapping •  Journey Mapping •  Write-and-Pass User Stories •  Ideation & Refinement •  Usability Testing •  Projective Interviews

Tweet your top takeaway to #ISUM15 @weisesarah

You now know new techniques to connect quicker and build better products, smarter and faster. Scientific precision in UX is overrated. Be human. Make a connection. After that, it’s a little push here, a little pull there.

BUILD. AWESOME. THINGS.

Slides & Handbook slideshare.net/weisesarah

Sarah Weise weise_sarah@bah.com linkedin.com/in/sarahweise @weisesarah