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MeI’ve built small and large UX teams.
Co-founded the DFW UXPA chapter in 2002.
UXPA International Board, President 2008-2009.
Teach at Kent State’s UXD program.
Provide user experience research and design consulting.
I’m Going To Do All This In 15 Minutes…
The UX Landscape
The Continuing Challenge
(Part Of) The Solution
Everything Is Awesome!
Source: UXPA 2014 International Salary Survey
Median User Experience Practitioner Salary 2005 - 2014
It’s About Organizational Alignment
At many companies, various groups and departments are not aligned around creating the best user experience possible.
Sound familiar?
At a former company, product management asked my UX team to conduct field research with small businesses.
We identified an opportunity for an accounting product that served new value dimensions.
That’s awesome! Woo!
Product management began writing up a business case.
We created personas and goals.
And mocked up workflows and views.
We started testing the mockups…
Product management began writing up a business case.
We created personas and goals.
And mocked up workflows and views.
We started testing the mockups…
And senior management promptly went batshit crazy.
What went wrong?
Org Culture
New products “just weren’t done here.”
Growth by acquisition.
Executives had no incentives to create new products.
In fact they had strong disincentives.
What went wrong?
Org Culture
New products “just weren’t done here.”
Growth by acquisition.
Executives had no incentives to create new products.
In fact they had strong disincentives.
Institutional
The organization had very few people who had ever worked on new products.
There was no institutional memory or process.
What went wrong?
Org Culture
New products “just weren’t done here.”
Growth by acquisition.
Executives had no incentives to create new products.
In fact they had strong disincentives.
Institutional
The organization had very few people who had ever worked on new products.
There was no institutional memory or process.
PM & UX Mistakes
We had the data, but we failed to communicate the pressing need effectively.
We failed to build awareness and alignment.
Executives like process. They really like repeatable processes.
So we created a business process for new product innovation.
It included:
Field research (not just surveys) to discover new value dimensions.
Rapid prototyping and design iteration.
Cross-disciplinary involvement: product, design, development.
And a whole lot more.
The Intervention
Rapid contextual innovation – “RCI”
The “3-3-1” process
3 people
3 weeks
1 viable opportunity
We Even Had A Fancy Name…
Prototyping and iteration based on customer feedback became part of:
Initial value discovery
New product development
Business strategyUX
UX
The Outcome
We moved UX up the value creation chain.
We utilized our skills at the front end of the process…
On an equal footing with product management and development.
The Outcome
Strategy
“A long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal.”
“Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions by its orientation on affecting future, not immediate conditions.”
<Lazy>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy</>
Strategy vs. Tactics
Strategic plan: Go from airport to hotel
Tactics: AccelerateMake some turnsSlow downStop
Change AgentA person who leads a business initiative by:
Defining and researching the problemPlanning the interventionBuilding business support for the interventionEnlisting others to help drive change
Six Sigma - http://Isixsigma.com/dictionary/change-agent/UXmatters - The User Experience Practitioner As Change Agent – http://bit.ly/a2Xwux
UX Practitioner As Change Agent
To be a change agent, you must focus on strategic goals.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for short-term wins.
But they should be in the service of a long-term strategy.
UX
Research and design is only half of your job!
The other half is leading your organization to more fully incorporate UX practices.
Develop a UX plan that aligns with your organization’s business goals.
Advocate for the plan, get executive buy-in.
Then rack up some tactical wins…
And use this leverage to embed UX practices and process more deeply into your organization.
Your Mission