Workshop - Conducting Successful Usability Test

Would you like to have lifetime access to the most groundbreaking thinking in the world of Experience Design?

Workshop Description:

Usability testing is a powerful tool. It guides the design of products. It informs us on the behaviors and expectations of users. And, it gives teams a way to measure how close they are to achieving their goals.

Most companies, universities, and government agencies are regularly conducting usability tests. But many clients tell us they need help. Every week we hear questions like these: Are we getting the most out of every test? Are we as prepared as we should be? Is our design team receiving the information they need from the test results? How many users should we test?

To get the most out of every usability test and make the biggest impact on your designs, here’s your opportunity to learn the essential fundamentals of usability testing. Techved Design's Neha Modgil has put together a fabulous Workshop designed explicitly to share the basics of usability testing. As one of the premier usability experts in the field, Neha Modgil has helped dozens of companies and agencies bring usability testing into their processes. If you're just starting out with usability tests, you'll learn insightful tips and effective techniques from her years of experience.

In this session, you'll learn:

§ How to set up your usability testing lab, including an overview of User Interface Engineering's typical test set-up

§ How to recruit the right users to get the most accurate test results

§ How many users are really necessary for a usability test

§ The basics of task design, including the different types of tasks: verb-based tasks, scavenger hunt tasks, and interview-based tasks

§ How to become a better facilitator including how to communicate with the users and the test observers

§ How to collect the test results and evaluate what makes an effective report

§ The fundamentals of remote usability testing

Who Should Attend

This is a wonderful usability testing refresher. It's perfect for product managers, designers, engineers, and technical writers who are just starting out with usability tests. Or, if you have already conducted some tests but want to share this information with your team, this Work Shop is a great way to get your colleagues onboard.

Date and Time:

8 January

10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Venue :- The Mirador,
131 B New Link Road,
Opp. Solitare Corporate Park,
Chakala, Andheri (E)
Mumabai 400 099

Workshop fees**: Rs. 5000 for corporate registrations.

** Bulk Registration: Registrations will get discount on Registration fees.

Workshop Registration
For workshop registration, you can call at:

Hand phone: 9768885552

Landline: 022 40163004

You can also write to us at:

Email:- info@techved.com / saurabh@techved.com

User Engagement Design

‘User Engagement Design’ is the ability in Design to engage and occupy users on your website. The users should be able to discover and grasp the website and its

features as he browses along. Every time he stops by your website, he should

find something significant and should want to come back and explore more.

As the Business owner of your website, you undoubtedly want to augment ‘Unique Visits’ to your website (and thanks to SEO, SEM and other marketing efforts, users do end up reaching your website). The key now is in retaining them and engaging them so that they go back delighted and return awaiting.

The aim of a designer should be to progress users of the website in the following order (Ref – ‘Designing for the Social Web – Josh Porter’)

Some tips that can help in better User Experience Design of your Website:

1. List down User’s ‘Intent and Primary action’ on any landing page. Also create a list of tasks aligned with his Primary action on that page. Present access points into these related tasks.
   Eg. When user is browsing through ‘Services’ section of your website, pictures of the work that you have done and client feedback on those services may appeal to him. Provide access points to these.

2. Understand features / functionalities that your user would require for the ‘Primary task’ completion on any page and provide Action buttons for that task. (highlighted, if you can).
   Eg. I have come across a few job portals that do not have ‘Apply’ button on the ‘Job Search Results Page’. Website forces the user to read job details and then Apply!!

3. User may have abandoned your website while he was in middle of a task (eg Creating Profile). Remember the task where your users left your website. Prompt him on Emails that he has an incomplete task. Also, when he returns on your website, display the incomplete task first.

4. Keep innovating and providing something new for your Returning users and give them the ‘cheese’ to keep coming back. Remember to notify them on Email about the au courant features that you have introduced.

5. No points for this – Provide a graphically amiable page for your target audience. (Does not mean a razzle-dazzle page!!)

6. Provide an experience to the user that delights him and he wants to delve deeper.

How does good ‘User Engagement Design’ help:

1. Good ‘User Engagement Design’ results in higher number of page visits and extension in time spent on your online product. (which also means higher Alexa rating J)

2. It increases the ‘Repeat User’ visits to your website.

3. It also increases loyalty, integrity (adherence) to your brand and website.

4. Users complete more tasks than they would have otherwise completed.

5. Users talk about it and help in viral-ity of the product. There is hence, ‘Social Marketing’ of your website.

Lets look at a good example of ‘User Engagement Design’ on Linkedin -

I run my own company and barely have time to browse through websites. I would at no time anticipate and go to Linkedin to check the number of people waiting to associate (connect) with me. Hence, when Linkedin sent me the ‘Connection Request’ in my mailbox, it helped.

I may not recognize the invitee by his name OR I may not even know him. Linkedin realized this and on opening the mail message, LinkedIn told me how I could be associated to him (of course

based on what he chose when sending the invitation to me).

They now prompt me with an action button of ‘Accept’ which is a smart hook to get traffic to the website.

They also understand that I may want to read if there is any personalized message for me and thus the action of ‘View Invitation from..’ has been provided.

When I accept the invitation, Linkedin shows me other pending invitations. I may have seen these in my mailbox but may not have had the time to accept them then. Later, I may have forgotten about them. Hence, great idea to show them here. Also, since I have accepted one invitation, I may have time to spare and accept more. Hence, super idea to show them now.

On the same page, Linkedin also shows me (based on some back end algo logic) people I may know. Now Linked has pulled me into some action and enticed me to discover and browse further. Notice how they keep the page simple and do not show me anything more

When I get awed by the fact that I know someone in the suggested list and send him an invitation, it throws a list of more people that I may know. Well, now they have got me completely immersed in finding old / new contacts.

Wow, I enjoyed the Experience since all the actions I was meant to do on that page were clearly defined and I was not distracted with any other information.

What benefits did Linkedin derive from this Task Flow:

• It helped in increase my Network on Linkedin and hence assured that I go back to Linkedin whenever I need any assistance from anyone in my Network.

• They increased their metrics of ‘Average people in each Network’.

• They also increased their metrics of ‘Invitations Sent’ by every individual and ‘Invitations Sent’ that month

• On a subtle level, they increased the invitee’s motivation to send more invites.

Job Posting - Flash Programmer

Job Posting for flash Programmer

Location: Mumbai

Employment Type: Full TIme / Freelance

Work Experience: at least 2 years

Position Requirement:
- Should be proficient in flash, actionscript, as2, as3, javascript, css, animation and Object-orient code practices.
- Strong background of Flash animation techniques using both timeline and programmatic animation
- Ability to take/provide creative direction and work independently and proactively

What you will be doing:
- Develop engaging, interactive rich-media ad units for world-class brand campaigns
- Write clean, reusable, and scalable ActionScript code
- Work closely with a creative director to collaboratively come up with concepts and execute those concepts using Flash
- Adhere to time-sensitive deadlines and remain responsive and reactive from concept to launch.

Interested? Please leave a comment here with your contact details or give me a buzz at 9967621912.

Office - Hangout party

Who - TVDians in Mumbai

When - Last month when we were all tired of working and just wanted to break free

Occasion - One of the many to celebrate. I guess we were out to celebrate the heat wave in Mumbai

Where - Phoenix Mall, Mumbai

Posting some pics. Many more such occasions and pics to come. Cheers Techved Design!!!

haha!! thats me.

Before drinks!!

After drinks!!

The talented ones

Me and Shiv (my son)

Looking for a satiating Italian dish

Devesh in action

The delightful Nachos in creame'

Cocktails and Mocktails!

Usability - Sewing

Usability and Sewing!!! What has Usability got to do with dressmaking, tacking and sewing..
I would have never speculated on this until last week when I had to tailor something that had been lying around unstitched for a long time. Here are some thoughts -

• I picked up the needle to sew and painstakingly tried to pass the thread through the eye of the needle. I then wet the thread and tried again. It took me minutes to only get the thread through. It then occured to me, 'We've gone to the moon, for goodness sake, why can't we have better needles'.
  
  Now lets look at how a Usability expert apprehends this stumper and construes a solution -

This design is innovative and now a needle can be threaded even by my grandma.

• Next, I sat down to start the stitching activity. Oh, there was not enough light. I had to take the stitching machine closer to where there was light in the room. Did it help? Not much!! Infact light was behind and my shadow came in between me and the cloth.
  
  Now again look at this subservient design which handles this problem amply well
  
  

You no more need to move the machine to where light is!!

And now one of my favourite video that talks about contented sewing experience!!

Yes, usability is an important component of Sewing.
Happy sewing to all Sewing aficionados!!

Redesigning

When overhauling a User Interface, what do you think are the most critical bits of information!!

Listed down are some things that I consider as the list of 'you should know'. These may not necessarily be in an order of priority -
- Know what your users are fond of - Have you checked with the users what they like. If you haven't, you are likely to get into trouble (and complaints!!). Ash has got so used to seeing her 'best friend' list on top right and you as a Designer think that this is the most blindspottish area and hence the friend list should not be there...You go forth and remove it from there. What do you think Ash will experience when she logs in again??
- Know what the user hates - Johny can never remember how to edit his profile. Everytime, he wants to do it, its a hit and trial. Its imperative for you as a designer to know this.
- Know what users can never figure out - Users can love or hate only things they know. There may be (many) things they have not even figured out. Its important to know these as well. A feature not being used may not essentially mean that users don't like it. It could also mean that users would have esteemed it only if they knew that it was there!!
- Know the less visited areas - Some areas are less visited than others. These are like murky nooks in a park where you do not venture out. Its an incognito turf that you do not want to explore. Know what users do not find visceral and hence never visit.
- Expose the most visited areas - If there are posts / articles / tweets that are very popular, show them to the world. Its no point hiding George Clooney behind a closet.

Listed above are some things that I have always kept in mind when redesigning. Feel free to add to this list. Would love to hear from others.

Writing for the web - how to attract and retain users

Writing for the Web - How to attract and retain users

Aim of the Workshop:
Get guidelines from Industry Expert on
Writing to increase sales and conversions on your website.
How can you write to engage user and compel him to take an action.
How can you interact to emotionally connect with your users.

Highlights of the Workshop:
Participants will receive a certificate from TechVed Design
The last one hour of the workshop is dedicated for discussion on participants’ online products. Plan to bring your web content to the workshop and you will have an opportunity to compare it to Workshop samples, get expert feedback and revise it with workshop participant’s inputs.

Who should attend this workshop:
Content writers who are beginning to dabble in the art of online writing
Advanced web writers looking to polish their skills
Technical Writers
Instructional designers
Product Managers
Usability professionals
Anyone who has online presence

Venue for this workshop: Golden Chariot , Roof top , V Mall business center, Off W.E. Highway, Thakur Complex , Kandivali (East) , Mumbai – 400 101

Date : 6th March 2010 ( Saturday)
Time : 3 PM to 6PM followed by one hour of discussion on participants’ online products.
Workshop Fee – Rs. 1000 per participant
About the Workshop instructor:
Neha Modgil – Neha is an expert on User Centered Design and Web Usability. She has taken various workshops for Web Usability and Trends in Web Design for Technology and Product teams of leading portals in India and overseas, Technical & Management teams of Internet startups and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) member companies. She has been a speaker at various national and international conferences including CHI – Canada, UPA – China and CUE – Pune. Neha has also taught Interaction Design courses at MIT, Pune.
Neha is also the Co-founder of a leading Usability Consulting & Research firm – Techved Design. The firm has offered Usability consultancy to clients like GE, Paypal, shaadi.com, naukri.com, Dell etc. She has experience in strategizing and conceptualizing designs for various domains like E-commerce, Social Networking sites, Intranets, Banking and Finance applications etc. She has also helped internet businesses look at their web logs and usage data to interpret user behaviour.

For any further queries,
You can speak with Sampada at : +91. 22. 40163004 / +91. 9819790931
You can also drop in a mail at: workshops@techved.com

Note : TVD reserves the right to cancel the workshop. Registrants will be promptly notified and will receive a full refund. TVD is not responsible for travel expenses or any costs that may be incurred as a result of cancellations.

visual designers

Are you a creative visual deisgner who can conceptualise thoughts into actions. Then , we are looking for you.
Get in touch!!

Job openings for designers

• Job Location : Mumbai
  Exp: 0-5 yrs
  Salary: As per industry standards / experience
  Role And Responsibilities of Web Designer :
  · Proficient in using tools like Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, CSS, HTML, XHTML, Ajax & JavaScript.
  · Should be sincere, dedicated & hardworking.
  · Should be able to work in a team
  · Should be able to meet aggressive deadlines.
  · Should be able to work independently on a project.
  Role and Responsibility of Graphic Designer / Visual Designer :
  · Developing prototypes and writing design specifications.
  · Communicating conceptual ideas and design rationale
  · Working closely with a cross-functional team to develop stellar user experiences that elegantly achieve product and business requirements.
  · Should be proficient using Photoshop and coral draw
  Please send me your updated resume along with the below details ASAP.Full Name:Location:
  Contact number: Overall Experience:Relevant Experience:Current CTC:
  * If you are not interested you can give reference of your friends who match with the profile.