The Fine Art of Listening to the Customer
Global Network of Innovation User Interface Design
Ever tried using a new cell phone or computer program and wound up being totally frustrated? Customers often wonder why some products are easy to use while others defy logic. The secret lies in making things simple and, above all, listening to the customer.
Separated by a one-way mirror, experts at the User Interface Design Lab ob-serve a user's reactions to a possible new product
Recently, Siemens Corporate Technology's User Interface Design (UID) Lab inaugurated a third center in Princeton, New Jerseyits sister labs are in Munich and Beijing. The facility is located at Siemens Corporate Research, which serves as a global center of competence in four core technologies. The concept behind the UID labs involves a common sense approachhave people use products, whether cell phones, kitchen appliances or computer tomograph (CT) systems before they go out the production door. Sounds logical, but the person who should have been consultedthe useris often left out of the picture. "When we established the first usability lab in Munich, the prevailing assumption was that the customer would adapt to the product," notes Dr. Heidi Kroemker, who heads up Siemens User Interface Design Labs worldwide. "We had to work hard to make development engineers realize how important it was to consider user interface design and usability engineering in the very early stages of product development." Arnold Rudorfer, Manager of the Princeton Lab, has worked closely with UID Lab counterparts in Munich and Beijing on user interface design projects for Siemens companies. A few months ago he began working with Siemens Information and Communication Networks (ICN), a leading provider of integrated voice and data networks for enterprises, carriers and service providers in the U.S and overseas. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, ICN wanted to redesign a prototype B2B (business-to-business) Web site to make it more responsive to customer needs. Specifically, they wanted to streamline how their U.S., German and British customers purchased telecommunications equipment and services online. "Our goal was to make the customers' interaction with the B2B site as easy and simple as possible," notes Rudorfer. "Answers to problems should be available in a couple of mouse-clicksnot 10 or 20. How could we simplify navigating the site so that customers found it easy to use?" Knowing that UID Labs had specific experience in helping other Siemens companies on user interface design projectsparticularly on e-business Web sitesICN turned to the UID Lab. From past experience, UID experts knew that using a customer-based approach was key to gaining user acceptance. Further, the Labs' interdisciplinary skillsincluding computer science, engineering, physiology, linguistics, design, and psychologyprovided a unique background for solving users' problems. As a result, a detailed strategy for redesigning the B2B Web site was drawn up and approved by ICN and the UID Labs.
Interview sessions with both ICN and their customers to find out how they interacted, plus on-site customer workshops would address usage issues. "The customers we visited were impressed with the way Siemens accepted their ideas and input, and a little surprised that we would actually fly people in to listen to their suggestions," Rudorfer said.
After completing the interviews, customers participated in focus groups at the Princeton lab to help identify the right set of functions and content for selected tasks. Additionally, UID experts helped uncover how the user expected to interact with the web site. "In this way," Rudorfer said, "we were able to focus on what was most important to ICN's customers." Because the customers were helping design "their" Web site, the Princeton experience was very positivesomeone was listening to what they were saying. Following the focus group sessions, UID researchers were able to design a well-defined set of functions, plus expected information and content, for a screen layout of the B2B Web site. Most of the improvements suggested by the users were adopted.
Those who've examined usability studies for cell phones know that product manuals are next to useless in China and India where most people ask friends or sales people for help. Exactly the opposite is true in Europe. And nobody reads instruction manuals more carefully than the Germans
Service reports needed to be streamlined. Normally, the customer's account manager would need several days to compile a report that listed all customer inquiries. Implementing UID suggestionsreports went from three days to three mouse clicksensuring not only quicker responses to concerns, but more satisfied customers.
Quotes for small equipment orders were also speeded up by installing an online quote calculator. By providing estimates automatically, this time-consuming process was reduced from five days to some five minutes. Additionally, ICN simulated online equipment orders to uncover how easy or hard it was to place an order using the B2B prototype. The UID Lab's philosophy is to find out what works or doesn't from the customer's perspective, which is why subjects are often video taped behind a one-way mirror. After the customer is taped using the productwhether web site or CT systemthe user and UID researcher review the tape. Sessions such as these help to fine tune the product. Within the B2B project, blue prints of the final user interfacethe screen layoutswere designed and evaluated in several iterative steps. These resulted in several important improvements. Finally, the usability inspections and tests helped to fully validate the UID Labs' design strategy. Today, ICN's B2B Web site is being implemented, with U.S., German and British customers expected to go online at the same time later this year. "UID Lab analyses not only benefit customers, but also the company," explains Dr. Kroemker. "An average savings of 30 % in development costs can be realized using the Labs' experts and facilities, and in some cases that figure may be even higher since cost intensive improvements are no longer necessary." To date, more than 100 products have been tested in the UID Labs, including washing machines, cell phones, software, hearing aids, computer tomographs, automation devices, and even power plant maintenance units. The UID Labs' close cooperationwith customers and across cultural and geographic boundarieswhether in Munich, Princeton or Beijingis helping Siemens find out from actual users what their likes and dislikes are. If good listening skills are something of an art form, then Siemens seems to be raising user interface design to a fine art.
Guy Pierce