Using Data to Inform Information Architecture and User Experience

Using Data to

Inform IA & UX

Matthew Edgar

Is this you?

BIG DATA

BIG DATASmall Data

BIG DATASmall Data

Grrreat! Data

BIG DATASmall Data

Grrreat! Data

Just data

"Big Data" is on the rise

https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=big%20data

User Data is Everywhere

EXCEPT……despite its popularity, hardly anybody is really using data.

Only 15% of Fortune 500 companies

exploit their "big data"

https://www.gartner.com/doc/1991317/information-innovation-innovation-key-initiative

35% of startups aren't

even considering

BIG DATAhttp://tech.co/small-businesses-leverage-big-data-2015-06

Other studies show only 8% of companies use

data.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/23/64-of-organizations-have-invested-in-or-plan-to-invest-in-big-data-tech-but-only-8-have-started-using-it-says-gartner/

Meanwhile… half of companies are

only “somewhat successful" in using data...

http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/28/study-shows-marketers-are-hot-for-data-but-many-still-using-it-in-generic-ways/

The reality is….…data gets ignored in favor of opinions

…not in line with our brand…

…too technically hard…

…our customers just won’t like that…

Ignoring data in favor of opinions isn't exactly the best approach to take.

LET’S GET REAL

Why isn’t data used to its fullest potential?

How do you work in any amount of data into the day-to-day processes?

Data-Driven

DATA

Except, "Data Driven" doesn't really work.

DATA

For example…Landing Page

Conversion % With Nav

Conversion % No Nav

% Lift

Statistically Significant?

Free Ebook Templates

29.45% 30.0% 2% No

Free SEO Template

39.0% 39.1% 0% No

Content Creation Kit

56.2% 58.24% 4% Yes

Free Trial 19.5% 22.5% 16% Yes

Demo 10.3% 13.2% 28% Yes

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/landing-page-navigation-ht

This data tells us what we need to do:

REMOVE ALL THE NAVIGATION!

The lesson…

Decision

This is not to say “don’t use

data”.

“When properly used, [data] can lead to sound, well- informed decisions. When improperly used, the same data can lead not only to poor decisions but to poor decisions made with high confidence…” -Kishore S. Swaminathan, Chief Scientist and Global Director, Accenture Technology Labs

http://www.sas.com/en_us/news/sascom/2012q1/business-analytics.html

OPINIONS DATA

A BETTER FRAMEWORK

Data is not the driver,

data is the navigator

DATA

YOU NEED TO FACTOR IN:

intuitionopinions

experience

Back to the example

Using Data: A Data-Navigated Approach

1 What question do you need to answer?

2 How does the question relate to different perspectives?

3 Collect data.

4 Make a decision.

1. Asking the right question.

Wrong Question =

Wrong Data=

Poor Decision

Get to the data!

Back to the exampleWhat question are we asking?

"How do I increase conversions from this

page?"

“What is the best way to design this page?"

2. Gaining Perspective

Conversions

User Perspective

Brand loyalty

Limit yourself to 5 perspectives, otherwise this could be you

Back to the example

What is the best way to design this page?Perspective What is the perspective trying to

achieve?

Business Case Conversions

User Case User satisfaction

Marketing Case Brand loyalty

3. Collection

The first problem when collecting data is collecting way too much.

Another pitfall to avoid is to ignore data you may already have

Collect a mix of quantitative and

qualitative data.

So, how do you collect the

data?

Quantitative data is often easily found…

Analytics Tools

Analytics Tools Product Usage

Analytics Tools Server LogsProduct

Usage

Customer Support

Customer Support

Sales

There is lots of qualitative data available too.

User Testing and Surveys

Available Services: Survey Monkey, Microworkers, Mechanical Turk, Usability Hub, UserTesting and more

Have conversations internally with surrogates.

The point is to look at the data you

already have and collect a mix of both types of data.

Prioritize simplicity.

Back to the example

What is the best way to design this page?Perspective What is the perspective trying to

achieve?




What is the best way to design this page?Perspective What is the perspective

trying to achieve?Data points




The Business Case

Google Analytics goals report

Heatmap

Form Analytics

The User Case

User testing

Prior step analysis

Prior step analysis

Time spent on site and exit rate

What is the best way to design this page?Perspective What is the perspective

trying to achieve?Data points

Business Case Conversions Google Analytics conversionsHeatmapsForm analytics

User Case User satisfaction User testingTime on site, exit ratePrior step analysis

Marketing Case Brand loyalty Customer loyaltyCustomer support frequencyBranded search volume

4. Making a decision

This is where using data can get messy.

It is easy for the people making the decision to only look at one perspective.

Back to the examplePerspective

What is the perspective trying to achieve?

Data points

Business Case Conversions Google Analytics conversionsHeatmapsForm analytics

User Case User satisfaction User testingTime on site, exit ratePrior step analysis

Marketing Case

Brand loyalty Customer loyaltyCustomer support frequencyBranded search volume

Most companies facing this situation with conflicting sets of data fall back on opinions to make a decisiondata gets ignored.

Other companies start to collect more data.

Avoid data collection paralysis.

Avoid opinions trumping data.

Which perspective do we use?

What perspective of the question you are asking

really matters most.

Where does the question fit as part of a bigger whole?

http://bit.ly/1ROKX8f

The Funnel


What do people think about the brand? Do users or customers want to connect with you?


What do our users need and want from our site or app?


How do we increase conversions?


How do we support customers?

Look at the data only when you know where the question fits.

Back to the example

Wrap upWorksheet:Elementive.com/worksheet

QuestionsMatthew [email protected]

Data & Analytics

Using Data to Inform Information Architecture and User Experience