VPTCS: a UX and web QA model (2001)
After 20 years in the web industry, if somebody asks me what’s the most useful thing you’ve created or done, I would definitively cite the VPTCS model. VPTCS stands for Visibility, Perception, Technical, Contents and Services.
Back in 2001, with my friend and colleague Eric Gateau, we analysed and classified the different aspects of the quality of the websites and identified these five user requirements. At this time we were looking to create a model that would allow us to put the user at the center but also to consider their whole journey, not only their experience of the user interface.
Most importantly we were trying to identify those things that frustrate the user, cause the high bounce rates, degrade a brand’s reputation etc. We wanted to factor in everything from SEO through to the frequently overlooked delivery of services, so touching on customer experience and digital experiences.
Since then, there has been increasing support and use of the VPTCS model due to it being a very versatile and praticable UX model.
It is used as a frame of reference to map the professions of the web, and it allows us to compartmentalize the users perception and requirements while demonstrating where the added value of the website is. We also discovered that it was an easy way to distinguish and illustrate the difference between UX and UI.
Below we explore the utility of the model, what we can do with it and how it helps us to have a 360 view of the web project and the web industry.
But let’s start with a quote from Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen about quality and silos, and about the difference between UX and UI. In this post, you’ll see that the VPTCS model deals directly with these common challenges.
In order to achieve high-quality user experience in a company’s
offerings there must be a seamless merging of the services of multiple
disciplines, including engineering, marketing, graphical and industrial
design, and interface design. It’s important to distinguish the total user experience from the user interface (UI), even though the UI is obviously an extremely important part of the design.
Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen
The Definition of User Experience (UX)
Understanding and structuring user requirements
When delving into the concept of the quality of a site, we started with a simple question “What do users want?” It’s quite hard to give a structured and simple answer. In answering that question, we offered a model which is hinged on five user requirements.
The VPTCS model comprises of five fundamental user requirements: Visibility — Perception — Technical — Content — Services.
- Visibility: are the users able to find the site ?
- Perception: are the users able to use and perceive the site ?
- Technical: does the site works ?
- Content: are the contents of good quality ?
- Services: are the services (what happens after the visit) of good quality ?
This model is very useful in many ways. Let’s explore what we can do with it.
Before, during and after the visit
This model reads in chronological order relating to the users visit of the site and the three major phases, before, during and after.
Before the visit — Visibility.
The user’s journey starts with Visibility. In the VPTCS model, this phase represents what happens before the user arrives on the website. This might relate to print or digital advertising campaigns, word of mouth and reputation, SEO, social media, or public relations.
During the visit — Perception, Technical, and Contents
This phase corresponds to the passage of time during which the user encounters the interface.
Perception covers all ergonomic aspects including design and graphics. In this model, the word “Perception” doesn’t refer to the whole user experience but to the visual part of the web trades and the user journey.
The Technical part, covers the security, the performance, the robustness, a part of the web accessibility and compliance to web standards.
Last but not least, we have the Contents that also, in part, relates to the interface. When we talk about content we address the intrinsic quality of Content, and therefore, for example, everything related to relevance, originality, the sources, spelling and grammar and all aspects that affect the trust and confidence of the user.
After the visit — Services
Finally, the user leaves the website and starts the whole third phase, the Services. In this VPTCS model, the Services phase represents everything that happens after the User interface. A lot of things happen then: after-sales communications, Service level agreements, customer relationship management, e-commerce logistics, delivery etc.
Explaining the difference between UX and UI
The VPTCS model also allows you to explain some of the UX (user experience) issues. With this model, you are not only interested in the interface but in the UX as a whole. The UI or, user interface, part is covered by the three central sections of the model: Perception, Technical and Content.
Visibility leads us to take an interest in why and how the user arrived? But that is not enough, you also have to understand why they are coming and what they want to take with them when they leave. That brings us to the Services part. As an example, on an e-commerce site, your experience doesn’t end the moment you leave the site. It’s going to continue: you’re going to have interactions with the site and services, even if you’re no longer using the interface itself; partial interactions may continue; delivery confirmations, upsells, customer care etc..
This model allows you to understand part of the UX and above all it allows you to explain simply the difference between UX and UI, and that is very important.
Mapping Web Professions
First, it allows us to map the web’s professions to each category of requirements.
In all five parts of the model, different disciplines are represented. Each discipline has different skills and uses different vocabularies.
One of the main problems we have in the web industry is that people working in silos don’t understand each other, sometimes it’s even worse, they despise each other 😉 . This model shows that all the five Web silos are necessary and have a point in common: the user.
Source : https://twitter.com/craigtaub/status/870240845773123584
Where’s the added value ?
The VPTCS model also shows where professionals bring direct value to the site. The professionals who produce Content and Services for instance. What they produce leads users to come to the site, to remain on the site and to return. Generally, it is the direct business owners of the website project who are responsible for producing the content and services.
On the other hand, we often have a combination of service providers and IT and communication departments who will deal with Visibility, ergonomics, or technical aspects. In actual fact, these professionals are responsible for ensuring that Content and Services are delivered.
This model illustrates two things :
- There’s a separation between the professionals who manufacture the sites and those who are responsible for producing the Content and Services (project ownership)
- The people who take care of the content and services are at least as important as the developers, designers and marketing people. They are often forgotten.
How is it used ?
The VPTCS model is mainly used in French-speaking countries, by the French government digital agency, several regional bodies, companies, international universities and schools, for instance.
We used it to create a list of 240 documented and checklable web QA rules under CC-BY-SA.
Some users use it to estimate and demonstrate the costs of a website, or to execute a full audit. Some users have proposed acronyms, we have several in French (Va Pas Te Croire Supérieur is probably the best for now because it means don’t believe you’re superior 😉, which fit perfectly with our philosophy). In English the best one to date seems to be Very Powerful Tool for Customer Satisfaction (by Bertrand Matge).
By the way, please feel free to propose yours.
If you like this model, feel free to share it, it is under CC-BY-SA license. Please remember to mention the authors and the date (Elie Sloïm — Eric Gateau Opquast — 2001).
