The 2017 STC Summit closed Wednesday with a special event, a taping of a future episode of the YouTube show Fix My App, hosted by Richard Brevig with a team of UX experts: Lorelei Brown, Geoffrey Robertson, and Vera Rhoads.
Brevig took the stage solo to explain his background and where Fix My App came from. He explained how he first had an idea to create an app that would be “like the IMDB of the theater world,” and after a month of research he had a spreadsheet of performance groups, events … and competitors. That experience led him to realize that a way for start-ups to search for competitors would be valuable, so he created a search engine and rolled it out on Hacked.com. However, even with great reviews he found that 3,000 people were confused about how to use it or used it in ways he hadn’t intended.
From that pathway he found himself at Fix My App, bringing together experts to help web and mobile apps actually do what they intend to do for their users. To start, he played a game with attendees called ‘What Would the User Do?” He showed various pages along the pathway to get started using Grammarly, asking the audience to predict what they thought users would do on certain pages of the start-up process. It revealed significant issues for Grammarly and provided ways the app can improve.
At that point Dan brought his team of experts on the stage for a panel discussion. Vera pointed out to the audience that “users need signposts and guidance – not just information but how can I follow that information?” The group discussed the Grammarly issues, from ambiguous user flow to a negatively perceived utility.
Geoffrey discussed an example he used at work, where he attached cameras to mobile devices to capture how students were using a product. Vera touched on the process of setting up a user test, from recruiting users to pilot tests and solving problems. And Lorelei made the point – very well received by the audience – that an effort should be made to include any and all content in UX testing, including formatting and comprehension.
The show closed with a Q&A, as Dan and his panel responded to STC member queries. Keep an eye on STC's Notebook for information on how you can view this episode when it's available!
And finally it was left to new STC President Alyssa Fox, who thanked attendees for coming to the 2017 Summit and invited all to come back next year when the Summit hits Orlando, FL, 20-23 May 2018!