Discovery Phase: User Research

At a high level, the UI designer is trying to answer these questions, which will guide the interaction development on coarse and fine scales:

• Who is the user?
• What do they need to be successful?
• How do they know when they are done?
• How do they know they got it right?

This will reveal whether there is any 'typical' user or not; what will likely emerge is a range of users, from skilled ones who spend considerable time with the product to those who use the product rarely. Customarily, all of these user needs will be met by one version of the product. There may be a class of users for whom an 'accelerated' UI would be a benefit, and that development will depend on a business case.

The UI designer and the team will come to understand certain mental models or metaphors familiar or helpful to the users, along with their preferences, likes and dislikes about any current product version.

User Interaction Requirements Specification (UIRS)

The User Interaction Requirements Specification is a scope document. It's a short(er) story of what the complete system will look like to the user, containing a description of each overall goal. It is oriented to what gets done rather than how. There are no specifics as to look and feel, the user experience, etc.

The UIRS is a first documented, objective sketch of what the product will contain and accomplish from a user perspective. Feedback on the UIRS from users and the development team will guide the functional specification.

The UIRS details what the product is supposed to be, what it's supposed to do, who will be using it, and states some high-level usability metrics, (e.g., process X will be deemed to work well if it takes on average less time and requires fewer error recovery steps). Metrics will be elaborated in the functional spec.

The scope of possible input-output devices (keyboard, mouse, trackball, monitor, touchscreen, screen reader, Braille display, voice recognition, etc.) should be defined, which is the first nod toward accessibility. Operability with various assistive technologies as defined in Section 508 should be indicated. (Section 508 applies chiefly to visual, hearing, motor, and speech disabilities.)

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