Presentation at WordCamp Philly 2014

1. WordCamp Philly 2014
!
Don’t just build
Pretty Websites
~ UX in the Real World ~
!
by Sonja Leix

2. Who am I?
Sonja Leix
!
New York based
WordPress Front-End Designer
Freelance
!
Twitter: @sonjanyc
www: sonjaleix.com

3. What is UX?

4. noun
the overall experience of a person using a product such as a
website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy
or pleasing it is to use.
"if a website degrades the user experience too much, people will
simply stay away"
us·er ex·pe·ri·ence

5. –Steve Jobs
“Design is not just what it looks like and
feels like. Design is how it works.”

6. Users & Goals

7. What is the purpose or
goal of your website?
Is the message consistent?

8. –Jakob Nielsen
“Usability rules the Web. Simply stated,
if the customer can’t find a product,
then he or she will not buy it.”

9. Do you know your
users?
What is your target audience?

10. WHO are the users?
WHAT are the activities they wish to perform?
WHY do they want to use/buy our product?
HOW does your product/service fit the context of their life?
Create Personas

11. Let’s call this (very simple) example persona:
Tech-Unsavvy Customer Support’s Worst Nightmare
- He is not good with computers and very impatient
- He prefers to talk to a real person when he has questions or a
problem instead of doing research himself online
!
We need to make our website very easy to use and navigate for
him. Provide: effective CTAs, FAQs, user-friendly support forums
and if all else fails a number or email to reach customer support.

12. –Paul Boag
“Users are not always logical, at least
not on the surface.To be a great designer
you need to look a little deeper into
how people think and act.”

13. Your client is often not
your target audience!
Design for the User!

14. Where do your
users come from?
Direct?
Referrals?
Social Media?
Search?

15. Where do your
users land?
Most likely not always on your homepage.

16. How do your users
interact with your site?
Analyse existing site
or
make assumptions for new sites

17. Layout & Structure

18. Do you always use the
same layout structure?
Content / Sidebar
Full-Width

21. Guide your users!
Provide useful, simplified navigation menus.

23. CTAs!
Add effective Calls to Action to convert
and guide users!

24. What the Fold?
Place important information and CTAs
higher up on page!

26. Sliders?!
Are your clients still asking for these
for every project, too?

28. Responsive
Design, duh!
for best User Experience across all devices

30. Beyond the
Coat of Paint

31. Site Speed
Usability also depends on how fast your site is!

32. Cross-Browser
Compatibility
Remember that day you put IE 7 to rest?!

33. Accessibility
Supports social inclusion for people
with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight,
and cognitive ability.
http://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/useful-tools/

34. –Tim Berners-Lee
“The power of the Web is in it’s universality.
Access by everyone regardless of disability
is an essential aspect.”

35. You’ve launched!

37. Time to relax?

38. Uhm?! NOPE!

39. After Launch:
Analyse!
Review your assumptions!
Get user feedback!
Iterate!
…

40. –Alan Lewis
“Failure comes when you don’t listen.
You can’t put something out there and
assume it’s great. It’s up to us to make sure
we’re listening to improve our chances
for success—if not this time, next time.”

41. Analytics Tools
Google Analytics
Kissmetrics
Crazyegg

42. Google Analytics
User Data

43. Google Analytics
User and Behavior Flows

44. Google Analytics
In-Page Analytics

45. Question Everything!
Iterate Often!

46. 5 Key UX Questions
to ask before (and while)
designing any website
http://bit.ly/5UXQuestions

47. Thank You!
Questions?
Sonja Leix
Follow me: @sonjanyc
sonjaleix.com