At the first assignment we defined the personas in two meetings [Rosa & Monica], one for Creating Personas and another [Rosa & Monica & Bin] for Reviewing Personas & Tasks.
After that during the write-up some questions were erased about the personas age, our focus and so. Then in the next meeting [Bin & Monica], at the Refining Personas and the Primary Tasks (assigning Frequency and Importance), we tried to check points that would be incoherent in the personas profile. For example, the age and the image related with our Primary Persona were not matching. After the creation of Rich persona [Hong contribution], we realized a new site business strategy: that would be a good idea to focus on people who works on dot.com (two of our persona have direct relation with this environment: Rich & Stefan; and one indirect relation: Leonardo [SO is from this environment). This represents well the environment of San Francisco. So Chris is someone who could use the site, but the site is not focus on her. We sent the summary of Primary Tasks table to everyone, as well as the new personas page.
Scenarios & Tasks
At the Refining Personas and the Primary Tasks stage, we discussed which competitors web site and personalization practices we would study. So we assigned for each member a site. Our reasons for choosing the following sites:
The idea of studying those personalization practices was to identify best practices, strengths and drawbacks for the creation of task/scenarios/features. To ground our discussion and analysis, it was also suggested to check the readings available for Personalization. We also would need to understand the difference between Personalization and Customization.
We also assigned one scenario/persona for each group member. Which would be based on Persona description and in the Primary Tasks defined.
At the meeting Creating Scenarios, we first presented our site personalization analysis (some sites will be more rich in features than others). For a more complete overview of these analyses please check Identifying the Personalization Features. We identified some good and bad practices, for example:
1. Citysearch, [Bin pointed out:]
There were only three features at Citysearch, which looks like more a pool of third party features together. See more at Refining Personas and the Primary Tasks.
The problem of using Evite, a third party invitation feature: (a) users who had already registered at Citysearch, would have to sign up again; (b) their registration process requires too much personal information from the user; (c) it has another interface design and procedures, which make users confused, (d) it does not suit to share information and
presents options. So we concluded that would not be a good idea to use a third party tool. Although someone might say, that this tool has been used for several sites and that would be a learning gain on that, the other aspects were relevant enough for ground our decision. This tools is different from the one provide by SFnight prototype, which is called Add to My List.
Persona
Perceptions: A kind of tool like that would help Chris a lot. She is
always organizing parties at clubs and bars. But needs to be easy.
It is too complicate.
The mobile features. Too complex to make users sign up for that.
Persona
Perceptions: Stefan will not use if it is too complicate. And the
others do not have interest at the moment.
Newsletter. Based on users selection of preferences; it does not require too much personal information. SFnight prototype already have this feature.
Persona Perceptions: Stefan and Rick think they will not use, since they already receive too many e-mails. Both prefers to check the site when as needed. Chris wants to sign up, and now she is learning how to do it better, she is the one that do not have any control of the amount of information she receives. Leonardo is more interested in receiving about the big events (parties and shows).
.
2. Amazon.com
Amazon has been adding layers of personalization (based on collaborating filtering/algorithms) features over the years. Now is applying customization methods (based on users direct manipulation) to better refine its personalization features.
Some of our
concerns were about if there weren’t be too many features for users, some of
them was clear their immediate value. An extensive descriptions of those
features can be found in Identifying the Personalization Features.
Bringing personal area to the first page. The current SFnight prototype had inspired its MySFnight approach in Amazon.com “News for You”, basically bringing the personal area to the first page. The idea was to make ease to users check what is going on this week on their favorite bars and event types.
Persona
Perceptions: This design is specially relevant to Stephan, which likes
everything in his front, and does not like to waste time going to a second
page. We would check which other things could be brought to this are.
Reminder. Also seen in Yahoo.
Persona
Perceptions: Also we saw that this concept could be applied to events
and tickets that Leonardo or Rich might want buy. Chris will not need that for
tickets, since she only looks for free events, but she might want a reminder
about the ones that are free or that she got a good promotion.
Reviews and Top Reviews. It was also a design definition at the SFnight prototype. But not working yet. This feature is available at the current Bar profile page.
Persona
Perceptions: Leonardo was interested in reading other people reviews.
And Rich share his point of view, specially when he doesn’t like the place.
Stefan does not rely on those reviews (people are not like him necessarily, and
has different cultures, backgrounds and tastes), since he prefers good
editorial recommendations.
Search Explorer & Similarity. It is interesting features which refines the search inside user recommendation area. In SFnight we would use this inside MySFnight. We thought to call Search on My Favorites or Search Like My Favorites
Persona
Perceptions: The four personas would have motivations to use, specially
when they want a quick refine of their favorites. Stefan might want to search a
specific band at his Favorites bars, to know if they are in some of their
calendar.
Recommendations. Amazon uses collaborative filtering to match with user behaviors and buying choices. It is also a design definition at the SFnight prototype, but is based in the Top Editors’ pick. There are several ways of presenting this in the prototype. In the customized area, SFnight currently retrieve top events related to the user preferences [customization method].
Persona
Perceptions: The four personas were interested in using it, since there
are too many events in the city, they would like to know which are the hot
ones. Of course they think SFnight will provide good editorial review.
Add to My Wish List. If in Amazon this list suits for creating wedding lists, baby lists, graduation lists.
Persona
Perceptions: At SFnight we thought that Rick wants to create a list of
the bars he already went, and the ones he would like to go back, and the ones
he thinks he will never go back again. Check Rich reasons for that at his
scenarios. Also Leonardo though to create this list, so he can remember which
bar he went already. He also like to explore new ones.
3. Yahoo.com
Yahoo model is based on customization features. Users can change the default area, although they usually don’t change the layout much. More about Yahoo model is shown at Identifying the Personalization Features. The Yahoo design also brought the need to create a second MySFnight page. The group concern was not to overwhelm the homepage with so much information. The SFnight Final Project representative clarified that the home page will be redesign, so that the group should be free to enlarge the personal area at the homepage. Also the group should consider that once the user is registered there is an area for SFnight players at the homepage right side that will disappear, leaving more space for the user personal area.
Calendar. The idea of Yahoo TV listings and Calendar was transposed to MySFnight Calendar, a new feature
Persona Perceptions: Stefan
who receive visitors quite often, would
like to add to his calendar some event or bar options to his friends. The
calendar also will fit well Chris, although she is not so organized in her person
life, she would like to be on party. Also she doesn’t want to loose some good
promotions also. Leonardo will not use much. Waste of time he said to us. Rich
like to share everything with his girl friend, and was wondering if how they
could have access to the same calendar. Should they have the same registration
name?
Calendar editing. Also the calendar brought the idea of creating a journal. But this was evoluted to something more easy. Our personas didn’t want too much. They just would like to tack the bars the would like to visit and the ones thy had a bad experience, or some one did.
Persona
Perceptions: Rich posted us a problem: he has been at SF for 5 years,
and during those years he tried to go to different bars at SF. He doesn’t like
to repeat much, so doesn’t Leonardo. But they are getting confused. So they
asked us if we could add some feature that could help us on that.
4. SFnight
Prototype
As mentioned above some of those were already contemplate by SFnight prototype and other are new. Just as a summary, the following ones already existed:
§ Personal area at the home page
§ User Reviews
§ Recommendations based on user’s Favorites Venues and Events Types
§ Newsletter, based on Favorites Venues and Events Music Types
§ Selection of Favorite Venues and Event Types [dancing, music type etc]
§ Add to My List, to create a list and share information with friends etc.
§ Ticket selling [not called a personalization feature]
5. The New
Features Added
§ Search Like My Favorites, crossing Favorites bars and events with other keywords (places, bands name etc; need to refine this concept later)
§ Calendar of My Events, including Save Event to My Calendar
§ Sort/and Make comments at “Add to My List” existing feature
§ Invitation feature, more simple
§ Search coming a specific band at Venue’s Calendars Events
§ Visit in Future list
§ Void list
§ Save the Review to user personal page
§ Nearby Venue (or only Favorites?)
Creation
Process
First we did a presentation of each one scenario for a specific persona. Then we realized that some of them would be overlapping and that we would delegate some personas to perform the tasks that would better match its needs.
We then together refined the scenarios, redefining a context and the tasks that would suit it, as presented:
1. Persona 2:
Chris
We choose her to initiate the registration process, since she is the one less computer and Internet savvy. And this registration process should be easy and quick, to make the user creates his personal area.
[goes context related to her and tasks]
[The same for the others]