Shadow a user
Shadowing a user means that you'll be observing someone doing their work with the current system. Before you shadow a user, make sure that you understand the goals. Each project and user might have specific goals; however, the general goals are:
Identify key actions for users - For example, the process of opening a case.
Focus on outcomes - For example, a new case was opened, and a response was sent to the customer.
Look for automation and integration opportunities - For example, the customer's account manager could be notified automatically instead of requiring a manual email from the user who opened the case.
Be aware of the user interface likes and dislikes - For example, the user had trouble finding the customer to open the case because search doesn't allow filtering on more than one criterion at a time.
Before you begin user shadowing, consider offering a questionnaire to the users. Ask open-ended questions about the current system, their common tasks, special tasks such as quarterly closing of the books, and what they want in a new system.
Identify key actions for users
Identifying key actions for users is what helps your planning achieve better results. In this process, you'll learn about the customer and about their goals for the new system (as a whole). Additionally, you'll learn about the undesirable traits in the current system that you'll need to improve. Complete this learning prior to the shadowing technique. Then, after you've started shadowing, you'll be able to ask better, more in-depth questions. Be prepared to learn about new key actions that you haven't yet identified.
Focus on outcomes
When you're focusing on outcomes, you're looking for the user's goal with the given actions that they take on tasks. For example, you'll determine if a report will need to be generated with specific data or if other actions are dependent on certain processes being completed before they can begin.
Look for automation and integration opportunities
You've been asked to help improve the system, not only to create a new version of the old system. Recognize patterns of tasks. If the user does the same tasks all day, every day, then you'll need to determine which tasks can be automated to improve user efficiency. When a user needs to copy and paste from one system to another, it's time to investigate integration to reduce error-prone processes.
Be aware of the user interface likes and dislikes
The user experience is more than only its appearance. Watch for unnecessary clicks to complete tasks, for example:
If the user needs to complete 14 clicks to get to a new screen, then determine whether the task could be done in fewer clicks.
If the user needs accommodation for a visual impairment, investigate whether the current system addresses that need.
During your user shadowing experience, be prepared to ask questions, take notes, and learn more about the user's daily processes so that you can design a better system that meets their needs. Ideally, you should avoid being too disruptive with frequent interruptions. Consider saving questions until they've completed a logical piece of their work. As a result, they'll be able to focus on naturally completing the process.
Every business has processes. When you learn about the business, the actions of the employees, and the expected results, you'll notice their process. While you might have an idea of how you might build a system to meet the identified processes, make sure that you only focus on the process at this stage rather than the user experience.