Process Approach to Interface Design
Habrahabr regularly publishes articles about usability. Some things that are said in them are usually quite obvious, some require serious preparation. However, in all of them something is missing.
But one detail is missing - if usability is concerned with usability, then why doesn’t anyone pay attention to usage? Not the buttons in the interface, but the process of working with the service from the beginning to the end. And both external users and internal, which may be even more important.
If you are interested in such issues, we will go further and consider the process approach to the design of information systems, which of course also includes usability issues.
For a start, I want to apologize to those whom I have wronged wrongly, saying that they do not pay attention to the processes. Of course, many do it. However, even more - no, acting intuitively, somewhere right and somewhere not. I hope this article will give some additional understanding of this issue, allowing you to act not intuitively, but meaningfully.
')
Now you are posting a convenient product list, a “buy now” button and contacts to a prominent place. I am glad that you know the basic obvious rules, but this is not enough.
A thoughtful approach tells us that first you need to set a goal.
The purpose of the store - making a profit. And it is not just to ensure sales. These are paid sales and a satisfied customer (since it generates a tail for us from other sales and other customers).
We write.
Goals:
1. Paid sale.
2. A satisfied customer.
What we have at the entrance:
1. Goods. Even not just goods, but goods that we know where to buy, where to store and how to deliver.
2. Potential customers. And we must turn them not only into real, but into satisfied customers.
A satisfied customer is one who buys from us again. As a maximum, they will recommend us, at a minimum, they will not write negative reviews about us.
The sale process - the transformation of a potential customer in the satisfied. In parallel with this, we get rid of the goods and get money into the account. The sale begins with attracting the client and ends with the delivery of the balance sheet (of any shade of dullness; even the most illegal business has its own account book). To forget about its initial and final stages is unacceptable.
And with this baggage, we proceed to the design. Who said the site? Wrong. Need to design processes. It depends on them what you have for the site and how everything should turn out there.
The process of functioning of an online store in general looks like this:
I deliberately do not build flowcharts, because I want to reflect the essence, without plunging into details, you will add details for yourself.
For some reason, everyone focuses on the first and second stages - designing interaction on the site and attracting customers. All other aspects remain unattended.
Why does our current state of usability industry mean that the right buttons were at hand? Generally, who decides that they are needed?
Let's take another look at the scheme and come up with tools for each block to solve the problem.
Most likely, there are a lot of goods, their presence is reflected in the accounting system. What you need to provide the buyer?
- Characteristics (anything can be included here, starting with photos, ending with some abstruse parameters from the manufacturer's brochure)
- Price (there is no normal argument not to indicate prices on the site)
- Availability (in general, is it in stock?)
- Information to go to the transaction. Although the phone, even the feedback form, even the basket - depends only on your business model.
- Add any items here if you think they are important and without them anywhere.
About the administrator is not forgotten?
He should be able to change some or all of these attributes (as well as others hidden from the buyer) based on the established access rights policies. Most likely, it will work with the database through a special interface, and not through the site. Be sure to pay attention to how convenient it is for the administrator to work with this system. Any best store can be completely killed by poor labor organization and database administrators - the first link in this chain.
So, we formed the user's window, understood how to organize the work of the staff on regular filling and updating this window-case.
There is also a kitchen to ensure the sustainable synchronization of the database with the real state of affairs, but it will most likely not concern us, although it must always be kept in mind. But the owner must keep this in mind and do not forget that without it, things are no longer being done if he wants a truly effective system.
The transaction interface should require only minimal and sufficient information from the client. The basics of sales are to take a customer hot, not to give him a long time to think (I am sure that you know all this, just remind you). In the offline store there are consultants for this. Online, you need to rely on the structure of the site and the convenience of the purchase itself. The purchase should be very easy to make and back - hard to refuse.
So, we have a “buy” miracle button, the client presses on it and the box that he is waiting for magically flies to it.
Not? Why?
Because we missed something. It is not enough for us that the client pressed the button, we need to process the order somehow. But for this you need more information.
Based on the logic of things, the only universal information without which it is impossible to do in principle is contact details . At least an e-mail, or a profile in a social network, or anything that will allow to contact the buyer. If you force him to indicate something else, then while he enters a bunch of credit card numbers, he can change his mind! We do not need this, so we require contacts and nothing more.
It makes sense to ask the rest of the data from the client later, when he had already accepted for himself the fact of the purchase and had mentally lost money. There may be many options here and I don’t want to consider them in detail right now. A credit card, e-wallet number, passport details and mother's maiden name - this is your business and your business model.
Let's see, what next?
Registration is a very problematic part. Why? Because customers strive to communicate with the store all the convenient ways of IM and personalize their attitude towards themselves. God forbid if at the same time they fall on different managers. Write-gone.
A simple example is the number of times:
The client ordered a TV, the manager phoned out to the warehouse, the TV was shipped, then the customer calls and asks to transfer it to another day, or to change the model or anything else.
Then he can do it again, write clarifying letters that he actually does not live on Mayskaya Street, but on Pervomayskaya Street, etc. etc. Every time he waits on the phone, he gets to different managers who have to explain the same information 300 times. Do you still have many such purchases?
What to do with all this? Obviously, we need a system of end-to-end support, where his orders would be tied to each client, any contacts on them, and it was also possible to make clarifications, carry on targeted advertising campaigns, etc.
In the civilized world, this is called CRM , as we call it as a god for the soul. What does it have usability to do with it? Yes, despite the fact that for the customer there is no difference in the internal kitchen that is maintained in the store. He represents a black box for him - a certain site. If CRM works through the stump-deck, then whatever the convenient site, the client will feel that this is the site is to blame, and the staff is rude and does not delve into his difficulties.
A simple example of the number two I designed in the form of a picture (yes, yes, you hate these faces filled with everything and everyone, but they convey emotions perfectly). I think everything is clear from it.
To allow such situations in the modern world is simply not serious.
A simple example is number three:
The correspondence is entered into CRM, but the operator’s responses are sent to the client by mail from the address no_reply @. Many respond to it as if nothing had happened, becoming enraged that their answers go nowhere. The question is, what prevents to put a ticket system that would parse incoming calls to the address of the letter?
Total:
After such communication, the client will achieve his purchase and will most likely leave you his money. Only then it will go again, a couple of negative reviews will leave on the forums. And you do not see a couple dozen customers who read these reviews. So pay attention to the internal order processing process and remember that it very often includes a customer feedback mechanism.
And again, it makes no sense to grind the wrapper, if you have similar shoals in the internal work. Focus better on eliminating them.
If you organize it yourself, then read the previous paragraph again. Since all of the above to place an order can fully apply to the delivery process.
But fortunately, we have the opportunity to use various courier delivery options. But in the case of any overlays, whoever bumps fall on - on you or on the courier? Think about how you will control them.
What does the site have to do with it? For example, despite the fact that even for third-party couriers it is quite possible to make a separate interface through which they would report on the results of work, and it would all fit in with the order history. There is no separate system - it is necessary to load managers with additional work. The same option depends only on specific numbers.
It was not there. First, the client can always say that something did not suit him in the product (here it’s up to the owner to decide which is more profitable for him - to football them and sue, gaining bad karma, or solve issues amicably).
Secondly, if he bought something from us and everything went smoothly, then surely he would not mind to buy something from us later.
Be sure to come up with a mechanism for involving him in marketing campaigns. In order not to reinvent the wheel, you can again, remember the CRM. There everything is already invented for you, take it and inject it.
You can tell me - I know all this, but this is not my business. I am a simple usability designer, and not at all a business analyst or someone else has to do all this.
Now let's remember who the usability designer is. This is a person who makes using the service convenient. Not just convenient for the location of the buttons, but convenient in all senses. So think wider and try to understand not only how but why.
And, probably, this is the fundamental difference between “interface design” and “usability”.
From the above, we can summarize the essence of the process approach. For each interaction element (page, form, site, whatever):
Make it more convenient!
But one detail is missing - if usability is concerned with usability, then why doesn’t anyone pay attention to usage? Not the buttons in the interface, but the process of working with the service from the beginning to the end. And both external users and internal, which may be even more important.
If you are interested in such issues, we will go further and consider the process approach to the design of information systems, which of course also includes usability issues.
For a start, I want to apologize to those whom I have wronged wrongly, saying that they do not pay attention to the processes. Of course, many do it. However, even more - no, acting intuitively, somewhere right and somewhere not. I hope this article will give some additional understanding of this issue, allowing you to act not intuitively, but meaningfully.
')
Quite common words, let's go straight to the examples.
Imagine you are doing an online store.
Now you are posting a convenient product list, a “buy now” button and contacts to a prominent place. I am glad that you know the basic obvious rules, but this is not enough.
A thoughtful approach tells us that first you need to set a goal.
The purpose of the store - making a profit. And it is not just to ensure sales. These are paid sales and a satisfied customer (since it generates a tail for us from other sales and other customers).
********
, , . – . – - . , /.
********We write.
Goals:
1. Paid sale.
2. A satisfied customer.
What we have at the entrance:
1. Goods. Even not just goods, but goods that we know where to buy, where to store and how to deliver.
2. Potential customers. And we must turn them not only into real, but into satisfied customers.
Let's walk a little more by definition.
A satisfied customer is one who buys from us again. As a maximum, they will recommend us, at a minimum, they will not write negative reviews about us.
The sale process - the transformation of a potential customer in the satisfied. In parallel with this, we get rid of the goods and get money into the account. The sale begins with attracting the client and ends with the delivery of the balance sheet (of any shade of dullness; even the most illegal business has its own account book). To forget about its initial and final stages is unacceptable.
****** *******
? – . , , . ! – . , – .
1998 , – . , – .
, . , - .
, “ ”. . . - , , . – , .
***********************And with this baggage, we proceed to the design. Who said the site? Wrong. Need to design processes. It depends on them what you have for the site and how everything should turn out there.
The process of functioning of an online store in general looks like this:
I deliberately do not build flowcharts, because I want to reflect the essence, without plunging into details, you will add details for yourself.
We now turn to the voiced problem.
For some reason, everyone focuses on the first and second stages - designing interaction on the site and attracting customers. All other aspects remain unattended.
Why does our current state of usability industry mean that the right buttons were at hand? Generally, who decides that they are needed?
Let's take another look at the scheme and come up with tools for each block to solve the problem.
Need to inform the customer about the goods.
Most likely, there are a lot of goods, their presence is reflected in the accounting system. What you need to provide the buyer?
- Characteristics (anything can be included here, starting with photos, ending with some abstruse parameters from the manufacturer's brochure)
- Price (there is no normal argument not to indicate prices on the site)
- Availability (in general, is it in stock?)
- Information to go to the transaction. Although the phone, even the feedback form, even the basket - depends only on your business model.
- Add any items here if you think they are important and without them anywhere.
About the administrator is not forgotten?
He should be able to change some or all of these attributes (as well as others hidden from the buyer) based on the established access rights policies. Most likely, it will work with the database through a special interface, and not through the site. Be sure to pay attention to how convenient it is for the administrator to work with this system. Any best store can be completely killed by poor labor organization and database administrators - the first link in this chain.
So, we formed the user's window, understood how to organize the work of the staff on regular filling and updating this window-case.
There is also a kitchen to ensure the sustainable synchronization of the database with the real state of affairs, but it will most likely not concern us, although it must always be kept in mind. But the owner must keep this in mind and do not forget that without it, things are no longer being done if he wants a truly effective system.
Next we actually purchase.
The transaction interface should require only minimal and sufficient information from the client. The basics of sales are to take a customer hot, not to give him a long time to think (I am sure that you know all this, just remind you). In the offline store there are consultants for this. Online, you need to rely on the structure of the site and the convenience of the purchase itself. The purchase should be very easy to make and back - hard to refuse.
So, we have a “buy” miracle button, the client presses on it and the box that he is waiting for magically flies to it.
Not? Why?
Because we missed something. It is not enough for us that the client pressed the button, we need to process the order somehow. But for this you need more information.
Based on the logic of things, the only universal information without which it is impossible to do in principle is contact details . At least an e-mail, or a profile in a social network, or anything that will allow to contact the buyer. If you force him to indicate something else, then while he enters a bunch of credit card numbers, he can change his mind! We do not need this, so we require contacts and nothing more.
It makes sense to ask the rest of the data from the client later, when he had already accepted for himself the fact of the purchase and had mentally lost money. There may be many options here and I don’t want to consider them in detail right now. A credit card, e-wallet number, passport details and mother's maiden name - this is your business and your business model.
Let's see, what next?
Next we are waiting for the order.
Registration is a very problematic part. Why? Because customers strive to communicate with the store all the convenient ways of IM and personalize their attitude towards themselves. God forbid if at the same time they fall on different managers. Write-gone.
A simple example is the number of times:
The client ordered a TV, the manager phoned out to the warehouse, the TV was shipped, then the customer calls and asks to transfer it to another day, or to change the model or anything else.
Then he can do it again, write clarifying letters that he actually does not live on Mayskaya Street, but on Pervomayskaya Street, etc. etc. Every time he waits on the phone, he gets to different managers who have to explain the same information 300 times. Do you still have many such purchases?
What to do with all this? Obviously, we need a system of end-to-end support, where his orders would be tied to each client, any contacts on them, and it was also possible to make clarifications, carry on targeted advertising campaigns, etc.
In the civilized world, this is called CRM , as we call it as a god for the soul. What does it have usability to do with it? Yes, despite the fact that for the customer there is no difference in the internal kitchen that is maintained in the store. He represents a black box for him - a certain site. If CRM works through the stump-deck, then whatever the convenient site, the client will feel that this is the site is to blame, and the staff is rude and does not delve into his difficulties.
A simple example of the number two I designed in the form of a picture (yes, yes, you hate these faces filled with everything and everyone, but they convey emotions perfectly). I think everything is clear from it.
To allow such situations in the modern world is simply not serious.
A simple example is number three:
The correspondence is entered into CRM, but the operator’s responses are sent to the client by mail from the address no_reply @. Many respond to it as if nothing had happened, becoming enraged that their answers go nowhere. The question is, what prevents to put a ticket system that would parse incoming calls to the address of the letter?
Total:
After such communication, the client will achieve his purchase and will most likely leave you his money. Only then it will go again, a couple of negative reviews will leave on the forums. And you do not see a couple dozen customers who read these reviews. So pay attention to the internal order processing process and remember that it very often includes a customer feedback mechanism.
And again, it makes no sense to grind the wrapper, if you have similar shoals in the internal work. Focus better on eliminating them.
Next, shipping.
If you organize it yourself, then read the previous paragraph again. Since all of the above to place an order can fully apply to the delivery process.
But fortunately, we have the opportunity to use various courier delivery options. But in the case of any overlays, whoever bumps fall on - on you or on the courier? Think about how you will control them.
What does the site have to do with it? For example, despite the fact that even for third-party couriers it is quite possible to make a separate interface through which they would report on the results of work, and it would all fit in with the order history. There is no separate system - it is necessary to load managers with additional work. The same option depends only on specific numbers.
Made delivery. You can breathe a sigh of relief!
It was not there. First, the client can always say that something did not suit him in the product (here it’s up to the owner to decide which is more profitable for him - to football them and sue, gaining bad karma, or solve issues amicably).
Secondly, if he bought something from us and everything went smoothly, then surely he would not mind to buy something from us later.
Be sure to come up with a mechanism for involving him in marketing campaigns. In order not to reinvent the wheel, you can again, remember the CRM. There everything is already invented for you, take it and inject it.
You can tell me - I know all this, but this is not my business. I am a simple usability designer, and not at all a business analyst or someone else has to do all this.
Now let's remember who the usability designer is. This is a person who makes using the service convenient. Not just convenient for the location of the buttons, but convenient in all senses. So think wider and try to understand not only how but why.
And, probably, this is the fundamental difference between “interface design” and “usability”.
From the above, we can summarize the essence of the process approach. For each interaction element (page, form, site, whatever):
- Always understand where the user came from.
- What does he want?
- How will he achieve this?
- What will be the result? (where he will go)
- Remember the inner kitchen.
Make it more convenient!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/119506/
All Articles