Message Design and Content Creation

1. Message Design and Content Creation 3 January 2006 Kathy E. Gill

2. Agenda • Introductions (new class members) • Review: Nature of Design and Teams • Overview : PM/UCD • Team/Project • Discussion Leaders • Team exercise

3. 1. Nature of Design and Teams

4. 2. Overview: PM/UCD • The Challenge • One Possible Answer • Benefits • The Process • Summary

5. The Challenge • Only 28 percent of IT projects are delivered on schedule and within budget http://www.ciscoworldmagazine.com/opinionw/2001/08/23_itprojects.shtml • Only one-sixth software projects completed on time and within budget http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1998/jul/causes.asp

6. The Challenge, cont’d • One-third of complex software projects fail, costing U.S. companies $81 billion • Cost overruns add another $59 billion • Of the challenged or cancelled projects, the average was 189%over budget, 222% behind schedule and contained only 61% of the originally specified features http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1998/jul/causes.asp

7. Answering the Challenge • Projects fail because “the system did not meet user needs” • Enter: User-Centered Design • Central tenet: who is the audience? • Not a “step” but a “process”

8. Value for Investment • $1 invested in usable software = $10-100 in benefits • 80% of maintenance costs are due to unforeseen user requirements; only 20% due to failures

9. Relevance and Impact • Productivity - People and Systems • Call-centers, e-commerce web sites • User Perception • Tivo v Replay, VCR Plus • Training Cost • Large component of new implementation • Cost of Errors • Medical errors, airplane crashes

10. An Engineering Approach (1/3) • Concept • Determine objectives – clearly identify audience(s) • Basic Design • Functional specification (hardware, software, human); requirements; task analysis

11. An Engineering Approach (2/3) • Interface Design • Apply empirical data, mathematical functions, experience, principles, population measures, and design standards • Production • Integrate production requirements, test, and update

12. An Engineering Approach (3/3) • Deployment • Investigate use, modify, evaluate • Follow up • Procedures, product evolution

13. And Yet … • The process is NOT linear! • Nor is it a “waterfall” (a traditional software development process)

14. UCD: ISO 13407 • Provides a clear understanding of the ‘context of use’: users, tasks and environment • Iteration of design solutions using prototypes • Active involvement of real users • Multi-disciplinary design

15. Then Why Is It So Hard? • No accepted/agreed-upon structure for web/digital media design teams • No industry-wide standard for web project management • Cross-functional teams have disparate working/communicating styles

16. Some Keys to Making UCD Work • Have the right project manager • Organizes resources: team, equipment, $ • Leads development of all deliverables : audience definition, functional spec, etc • Creates overall project plan • Ensures workflow works • Figures out how to stay in budget • Coordinates Communication

17. PM Resources • Project Management Institute, www.pmi.org • Association for Project Management (UK), www.apm.org.uk • International Project Management Assn., www.ipma.ch

18. Steps (1/2) • ID Goals (audience, client) • Determine Stakeholders (define) • Research Market (needs, competition, etc) • ID Team Roles, Responsibilities

19. Steps (2/2) • Create Project Workflow (w/milestones) • Creative Tasks • Technical Tasks • Admin Tasks • Marketing Tasks • ID QA Concerns • Manage Scope Creep!

20. Summary • Good interface design enables increase in productivity, reduction in errors, and better user experience • The key to good design is customer-focus

21. 3. Team/Project • Review Team Matrix. Refine (narrow) your “I’d Like To” … and “I Wouldn’t Like To” statements to me. • Discuss parks v immigrant experience • Why NFP is not possible

22. 4. Discussion Leaders • How would y’all like to be grouped into four reading groups? • Each will have one week to read additional material and lead discussion, beginning next week

23. 5. Exercises • WAMAYC • Review website examples

24. Exercise - WAMAYC • Win As Much As You Can • Relevant to groups, departments, firms, industries and countries • Structure (rules, plans, incentive systems, stratification, culture) and Process (communication, trust, Confucian Dynamism) • Cooperation versus Conflict – Classic Prisoner’s Dilemma (game theory)

25. WAMAYC – groups • Getting Started: • Each participant forms a dyad with another participant. • Four dyads make up a cluster. We should have two clusters. • “Floaters” as observers

26. WAMAYC – rules • Communication between dyads not permitted! • Dyads announce decisions simultaneously • Start Now!

27. WAMAYC – process • Iterated versus “one-shot” game • learning and equilibrium • tit for tat • altruism as cooperation

28. WAMAYC – post-notes • Note the role of: • Culture, trust • Incentives • Rules and rule breaking • Benchmarking, measurability • Control (outcome vs. process) • People (temperament, leadership, chemistry) • Learning

29. Team Tasks • Two structured exercises • Pick recorder for this session • Review STP for your project • Determine team contact method • Review project deliverables document • Begin discussing roles • Leave when done ;-)

30. Next Week: • Finalize Team, Project, Roles • Task Identification