PDF User-Experience-Designer Study Guide

An expert review is an activity that a designer can perform to conduct an independent audit of a current website. An expert review is a method of evaluating the usability and user experience of a website by applying established principles, guidelines, and heuristics. An expert review can help identify the strengths and weaknesses of a website, as well as provide recommendations for improvement. An expert review can be done by one or more experts, who can be internal or external to the organization. An expert review can be done at any stage of the design process, but it is especially useful before launching a new or redesigned website, or when there is a need to assess the current state of a website. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation]

Card sorting, task analysis, and prototype testing are not activities that a designer can perform to conduct an independent audit of a current website. Card sorting is a method of organizing and labeling information for a website, based on how users group and name the content. Task analysis is a method of understanding and documenting the goals, tasks, and steps that users perform on a website. Prototype testing is a method of evaluating the functionality and usability of a website by having users interact with a mock-up or a simulation of the website. These methods are useful for creating or improving a website, but they are not suitable for auditing a website without involving the users. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation] References: [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation]

In the context of an existing Customer Experience Cloud portal that is already performing well, the goal is to further increase customer engagement by adding elements that encourage interaction and participation. Recognizing peers with badges is a highly effective way to achieve this because:

• Personalization and Gamification:Badges introduce an element of gamification and personalization, which can significantly increase engagement. Users are motivated to participate and contribute to the community when they see a tangible recognition of their efforts and achievements.
• Community Building:Recognizing contributions with badges helps in building a stronger community by highlighting active members and encouraging others to contribute. It fosters a sense of belonging and appreciation among users.

While personalized branding (option A) and customizing page layouts (option B) can enhance the user experience, they do not directly incentivize user interaction and contribution as effectively as recognizing contributions through badges does.

References:For insights on implementing badges and gamification strategies in Salesforce Experience Cloud portals, Salesforce's official documentation and community resources offer guidelines and best practices. These resources discuss various ways to enhance user engagement and community building within the Salesforce ecosystem.

An interactive prototype is a simulation of the final product that allows users to interact with it and test its functionality and usability. An interactive prototype can be created using tools such as Figma or Invision, and can be shared with stakeholders and users for feedback and validation. An interactive prototype can have several benefits for a UX designer, especially when planning to roll out a refreshed version of a mobile app with some new functionality for customers. Two of these benefits are12:

• To avoid added long-term cost from oversight-driven rework. An interactive prototype can help the UX designer to identify and fix any errors, bugs, or gaps in the design before the development stage. This can save time and money that would otherwise be spent on reworking the product after it is developed. An interactive prototype can also help the UX designer toensure that the new functionality is aligned with the customer needs and expectations, and that it does not compromise the existing functionality or performance of the app.
• To enable iterative feedback from the users. An interactive prototype can provide a realistic and engaging user experience, and allow the users to explore the app and provide their opinions and suggestions. The UX designer can use the user feedback to iterate and improve the design, and to validate the assumptions and hypotheses. An interactive prototype can also help the UX designer to measure the user satisfaction and loyalty, and to test the app’s usability and accessibility.

The following two reasons are not valid for using an interactive prototype in this situation:

• To increase the speed of design compared to paper prototyping. An interactive prototype is not necessarily faster than a paper prototype, as it requires more time and effort to create and refine. A paper prototype is a low-fidelity prototype that uses sketches or drawings to represent the app’s layout and functionality. A paper prototype can be useful for generating and testing ideas quickly and cheaply, and for involving the users in the co-design process3.
• To eliminate the need for journey mapping during discovery. An interactive prototype is not a substitute for journey mapping, but a complement. Journey mapping is a UX research method that visualizes the user’s journey across the app, and identifies the touchpoints, actions, emotions, and pain points. Journey mapping can help the UX designer to understand the user’s context, goals, and needs, and to discover the opportunities for improvement. An interactive prototype can help the UX designer to test and validate the journey map, and to communicate the design vision to the stakeholders and users4. References: Interactive Prototypes Without Coding - Studio by UXPin, What is Interactive Prototypes? — updated 2023 | IxDF, Paper Prototyping as a Usability Testing Technique, Journey Mapping 101 | Nielsen Norman Group

These are three of the four core principles of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provide a set of standards and best practices for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. The fourth principle is Perceivable, which means that the information and user interface components must be presented in ways that users can perceive. The principles are further divided into 13 guidelines and three levels of conformance (A, AA, and AAA). References:

• [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview]
• [WCAG 2.1 at a Glance]