Interactive Experience Map

Getting started with the Cloud service

Initial phase (only occur the first time using the product)
Reoccuring phase (occur every time using the product)

Introduction

This map represents the journey of the persona Asad from when he hears about the company until he gets his first insights. The curve shows Asad's experience throughout the journey. Asad has a positive experience if the curve is above the reference line and a negative experience if the curve is below the reference line.

The repeating section describes when Asad is within the web based data analytics tool and tries different functionalities. This section is gone through several times. A minor journey moment is only described briefly while major journey moments are described more extensively. Additional guidelines and recommendations are presented at the bottom of the page.

The map was created in March 2014 as a part of our Master thesis and is based on a study, including interviews, usability testing, site analytics and theoretical research.

Persona: Asad

Asad needs more insights about his data, he is not an analyst but he needs to get his job done. He spends an hour every now and then on analysis and he wants to share his findings with others. Asad wants to see instant value to pursue the software. He has nobody around to ask about analytics. He is very familiar with Excel.

Created by Olof Bjerke & Kristin Edvardsen, 2014

To start the journey press on a journey moment or scroll down.

Searching on Google

This is Asad's standard procedure.

Entering the company website

Asad is satisfied because he quickly found the site he was searching for.

Company website

What is Asad doing?

He is looking for information, trying to understand the product and looks for a way to see how it works.

What is he feeling?

Asad's mood is going down. At first he was exited to reach the right page and thought i looked good but now when he wants to learn more about the product he feels lost. He feels unsure if this is really for him?

Takeaways

Information needs to be more clear and concise. Asad must understand the value in the product for him. It has to be easier to find desired information and the information needs to be easy to comprehend.

Entering trial registration form

Asad enters the form and is immediately pleased by the visual style.

Frustrated by the form

Asad is thinking to himself: ‘I just want to test it, not give up my name. This is going to lead to a lot of spam.’

Trial Registration - password

What is Asad doing?

Asad is trying to find a valid password but does not see the password requirements.

What is he feeling?

He is feeling very upset and submissive because he can't use the password he wants and neither can he find something that works.

Takeaways

Feedback on password requirements needs to be very obvious to the user. It can also be questioned to have such strong password requirements in the trial stage.

Confirmation on successful registration

Asad is eager to get started and is just about to press the login button on the Success page when he receives an email notification. He realises that he probably needs to activate via email first.

Activation email

This is standard procedure and Asad only reads until he finds the activation link (misses the video link later in the email).

Getting started - just entered

Asad enters the getting started page and is pleased with the visual style. He perceives it as clean and thinks it will work well.

Getting Started - after a while

What is Asad doing?

Trying to find out how to proceed.

What is he feeling?

Asad is feeling slightly confused and down because he is not certain about how to proceed. What is the next step?

Takeaways

It needs to be clearer to the user what the next recommended step is. Suggesting many alternatives on the same priority level to a beginner user leads to confusion and the risk is that he takes an unfavorable path.

Getting started - finds the video

Asad's mood quickly improves when he finds the getting started video, which feels like a proper first step.

Getting Started - While watching the video

What is Asad doing?

Asad is watching the getting started video.

What is he feeling?

Asad is feeling disappointed, he had expected more from the video. He feels that it is trying to sell the product to him, rather than helping him. Also he thinks it is going to fast and he feels dejected as he can not follow.

Takeaways

A getting started video needs to have a clear pedagogical purpose and show an up to date version of the software.

Getting started - after video

Asad is once again searching for the next step. The video did not really explain where to go from here…

Library - just entered

Asad decided to click launch the web based data analytics tool and he enters the library. He feels excited because it feels like he soon will get started.

Library - after a while

What is Asad doing?

Asad is trying to find a way to proceed. He finds a way to create folders and he can search, but does that help him? He does not really know what he is looking for but he thinks he should create something.

What is he feeling?

He feels more and more irritated and confused because he can't find what to do here. He feels stupid because it should be obvious where to go and he can't find it.

Takeaways

Need to guide the user better. Create new analysis button has to be presented much clearer, it is very difficult to find, especially for a beginner user who does not really know what he is looking for.

Library - uploads data

Asad chooses one of his so oftenly used Excel sheets. He feels excited that he will very soon use the product.

The web based data analytics tool - just entered

Asad think it looks nice, and also likes that he immediately can see a visualisation.

The web based data analytics tool - after a while

Asad is trying to find out what he can do, but he feels it is a bit hard to know where to start.

The web based data analytics tool - first interaction

What is Asad doing?

He is trying to understand how the software works. Some actions result in unexpected outcomes.

What is he feeling?

He feels submissive and he does not really understand what to do because there is no clear starting point.

Takeaways

The user needs guidance when using the product for the first time in order to understand it.

The web based data analytics tool - understands something

Asad manages to perform a task and feel content with his progress...

The web based data analytics tool - a set back

...but then he can not find out how to proceed. He feels annoyed as he has tried many different approaches but does not reach the desired outcome.

The web based data analytics tool - masters a functionality

What is Asad doing?

He has learned to master the functionality quite well and understand how it works.

What is he feeling?

Asad is feeling very positive. His mood improves rapidly because he succeded with a task.

Takeaways

The user's mood goes very much up and down while using the web based data analytics tool. When just having managed a task the user feels very positive.

The web based data analytics tool - reach desired insight

What is Asad doing?

Has learned to master several functionalities and have now reached a desired insight.

What is he feeling?

Asad feels positive because he has reached a valuable insight and his impression of the product improves.

Takeaways

The user might misunderstand the visualization and draw faulty conclusions. It is vital to have a good understanding of the product.

The web based data analytics tool - want to share

Asad want to share his insight, but can’t really find where this can be done.

The web based data analytics tool - finds the PDF generator

What is Asad doing?

Asad finds the PDF generator and creates a PDF that he can share.

What is he feeling?

He is a bit happier because he has found a way to share his insights. But this was not really what he would have hoped for. He would have wanted to share the interactive visualization.

Takeaways

The user needs to be aware of the sharing possibilities and it should be possible to share from within the web based data analytics tool.

The web based data analytics tool - another way to share?

Asad thinks that maybe he somehow can send the file instead. He assumes the file should be saved automatically as it is a cloud service but sees the save option in the top and realizes that he probably has to save.

The web based data analytics tool - saving

What is Asad doing?

Asad is trying to save his file, which he discovers is quite hard. He tries to save but it does not work. He is not allowed to save the file in the folder he is in.

What is he feeling?

He is feeling both irritated and submissive. He wonders: why am I not allowed to save? He also feels insecure as there are a lot of stuff created by other users.

Takeaways

The user needs to be directed to a location where he has permission to save and only see items created by himself.

Library - sharing

What is Asad doing?

Asad is trying to find another way to share, and finds copy link to this analysis. He tries the link to see if it works. He realizes that the file needs to be placed in the public folder inorder to be viewed and that is not really what he desires for his business files.

What is he feeling?

He is satisfied that he found an alternative method of sharing compared to generating a pdf. Still he is a bit sceptical as he can't understand the logic behind the sharing options; why can he share a link that can't be opened by others?

Takeaways

The user needs to be given information about the possibilities of the different offerings. Without knowing what is possible it is difficult to understand and use the service properly.

Guidelines and Recommendations

The guidelines were created to act as general guiding during the development of cloud services while the recommendations are specific for the company. The numbering of the list does not represent the ranking of the list items. The motivations behind the guidelines are referencing our master thesis: Rocky mountains - obtaining a holistic perspective of a cloud based data analytics service through customer journey mapping.

Guidelines

  1. In a cloud service the user needs to be able to learn the product without external help. The pre-study (chapter 4.2) showed that previous solutions were depending on product training. The user Asad in a cloud context cannot be dependent on product training.
  2. Information videos and tutorials should be easily available and searchable. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that users working online tended to use search engines to search for help material.
  3. In a cloud service the state should be saved automatically to support the user’s mental model. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that users expect automatic saving in cloud services.
  4. User experience must not suffer due to the service’s response time. Both the usability study (chapter 4.3.3) and the interviews (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that a long response time affects the user experience negatively, both as it causes irritation but also a lowers product understanding.
  5. A cloud service commonly supports sharing and collaboration. The benchmarking (chapter 4.2.1) showed that many competitors offer sharing and collaboration, also the literature research (chapter 2.3.1) suggested that the possibility of collaboration is one of the advantages with web applications.
  6. In a cloud context the system should keep the user informed about the system status. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that a lack of system status information causes both irritation as well as uncertainty for the user. Also the literature research (chapter 2.3.1) emphasize the importance of this.
  7. In a cloud service the user needs to be ensured that his data is secure. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that the cloud context makes the user feel insecure regarding the privacy of his data. Also the literature research (chapter 2.3.1) suggested that user-centric privacy is an important aspect in the cloud context.
  8. Creating an account should be as simple as possible. Both the usability study (chapter 4.3.3) and the literature research (chapter 2.6.1) suggested that many users drop out during the registration process.
  9. Information/copy must be written in a language that can be easily comprehended. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that a lack of product and context understanding contributes to a lowered user experience and that information/copy influence how interesting the user perceives the site.
  10. It should not be required that the user has domain specific knowledge to apprehend initial information. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that a lack of product and context understanding contributes to a lowered user experience.
  11. It is important to provide a clear indication of what the next recommended step is and guide the user through the service. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that users were confused when they did not understand how to proceed.
  12. The user needs to be aware of what the cloud context means for their usage of the service. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) suggested that a lack of context understanding causes usage problems and lower the user experience.
  13. It should be simple to find help material. The usability study (chapter 4.3.3) and the interviews (chapter 4.3.2) suggested that the user experience is worsened when help material cannot be found. The usability study also suggested that users are helped by help material.

Recommendations

  1. Focusontheholisticperspectiveoftheuserjourney.Fortheuseritisonejourneywhereeverything contributes to the overall experience.
  2. Improve the information in the initial phase of the journey to make users understand what is offered.
  3. Let the user understand the value of the product before registering.
  4. Make it simpler to register for a trial.
  5. During the trial, let the user test the offering that he will later be interested in buying.
  6. Improve the user’s understanding of the relation between the web based data analytics tool and the library. The user should be able to know how to navigate from one to another.
  7. Investigate the user’s needs and adapt offerings accordingly.
  8. Investigate the user’s needs and adapt functionalities in the different products accordingly.
  9. Improve sharing, make it more accessible and also allow sharing of both folders and files.
  10. Make it simple for the user to know how to navigate and interact during the first time use.
  11. Differentiate guides and help material for the different products. The user should not be confused by help material that does not concern his offer.
  12. Improve the feedback. Feedback should be visually distinct and easy to understand.
  13. Improve the introduction video. An introduction video should have a clear pedagogical purpose and show an up to date version of the software.
  14. Make it possible to access the login to the cloud site from the company website. Do not force users to remember the specific site URL.
  15. Have consistent site titles. The site title should give the user information about his location in the system.

    16. Specific for the web based data analytics tool

  16. Shorten the response time and/or create fluid transitions between time consuming steps to improve users understanding.
  17. Make sure that the system clarifies to the user when something in the interface changes, blanking a screen should not be allowed, e.g. when turning on/off a side panel.
  18. Improve the stability and eliminate crashes.
  19. Further investigate if it is the mix of buttons (buttons with solely text indication and buttons with graphical icons) that makes the user overlook the text indicated buttons.
  20. Improve the learnability. Make it easier for a beginner user to become an intermediate user but do not lower the user experience for an intermediate user.
  21. Better describe the relations between visualizations. For example if creating a details visualization it should be clear that this is a detailed visualization and obvious to which visualization it is related to.
  22. Make the main toolbar more apparent.
  23. Create clearer connections between filter and details-on-demand with toolbar icon.
  24. Make text on buttons task oriented to clarify their action to the user.
  25. Make it more apparent how to change the expressions on the axes.
  26. Investigate direct manipulation to see if it can improve the usability.
  27. Make it easier to find the help button; do not place the help button in a sub menu.
  28. In saving mode, do not present folders where the user do not have permission to save and especially do not direct the user to such a folder when saving.
  29. Provide templates.
  30. Provide sample data.