UxD For Product Managers (Heroes)

UxD For Product Managers (Heroes) – Research & Design Techniques For The Real World

Mary Piontkowski [email protected]

“A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice his own needs on behalf of others, like a shepherd who will sacrifice to protect and

serve his flock.” - Christopher Vogler.

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Confidential 3/24/12 9

10 Principles For The Real World

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#1: Prac8ce What You Preach

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#1: Prac8ce What You Preach

Consider user needs and research

Incorporate UX methodologies

Collaborate

Push back

Embrace change

Bring in others to complement your skill set

What else?

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#2: Break Down Walls – Rela8onships MaCer

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#2: Break Down Walls – Rela8onships MaCer

Don’t throw it over the wall!

Interdisciplinary collaboraCon

CollaboraCve project planning

CollaboraCve requirements and design sessions

Sketchboards and design thinking

Actually talk to people

Trust

EmoConal literacy – know who you’re talking to and appreciate the context

It takes Cme to build relaConships…

But your design iteraCon Cme will be reduced!

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#3: Give a Damn; Care About Your Work

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#3: Give a Damn; Care About Your Work

Or find another job

You’re not going to do great work if you don’t believe in your product

Care about the product and the users

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#4: Support the Cause; Evangelize for User Research and UX Design

#4: Support the Cause; Evangelize for User Research and UX Design

Doesn’t maPer who’s doing the UX – you win

RepeCCon, data-‐driven points

Invest Cme required for change

Create an environment conducive to design and innovaCon

Brown bags

Conferences

White boards

Sharpies

RelaConships!

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#5: Don’t Be Shy, Get to Know Your Users

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#5: Don’t Be Shy, Get to Know Your Users

Internal research team

External research team

Friends of friends Friends, coworkers, people on the street, everyone!

But… Your wife/husband is not your user

Context too!

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ObservaCon

Contextual inquiry

ParCcipatory design

Card sorCng and structured in person acCviCes

Usability

Surveys

Internal brainstorms with SMEs

#5: Don’t Be Shy, Get to Know Your Users Many Ways to Get User Feedback

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#5: Don’t Be Shy, Get to Know Your Users Consider Context – Where? What Else is Going On?

#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques

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#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques

Design thinking approach

Agile and iteraCve

Cross-‐disciplinary

User-‐centric

Methods worth adopCng

Personas, mental models, design principles and other user-‐centric models

Usage scenarios/use cases

Sketchboards, paper prototypes, and other collaboraCve design techniques

User research as a part of the design process

Allow design to inform requirements

Simplify simplify simplify where you can

Process guidelines to help organizaCon cooperate

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#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques Simple Models To Help Educate and Evangelize

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Reinforce collaboraCon and check points

Include guidelines knowing everyone won’t really follow the process

#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques Documented Process – How Would Your OrganizaCon Benefit?

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You don’t want to end up with this!

#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques Documented Process – How Would Your OrganizaCon Benefit?

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People typically connect with stories bePer than reports

Paint a picture of key user types

Demonstrate use cases and priority tasks

Use a quote to express the impact the product has on the user

#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques Personas As A Tool To Rally The Troops

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Explore more ideas faster

It takes a while to get it right

Sketchboards as a collaboraCve design tool

Roll it up and take it with you

#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques Sketch Sketch Sketch


Who are you trying to convince?

#6: Learn, Adopt, and Encourage UX Techniques Different Audiences Require Different Methods

#7: Beware of UX Top 10 Lists and Dogma8c Advice

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Checklists are helpful. But they can’t replace experCse.

#7: Beware of UX Top 10 Lists and Dogma8c Advice

Like this one!

“Make sure users can get to everything in three clicks!”

One list isn’t the end all, be all – it’s not that simple

Figure out what works for you and your organizaCon

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#8: If You Like It, Steal It

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#8: If You Like It, Steal It

It doesn’t need to be your idea

Learn from people, processes, methods, and designs out there

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#9: Break Some Rules

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The first mouse.

#9: Break Some Rules

Design something out of scope

ParCcipate in an unexpected way

Data is important, but so is insCnct!

Get users involved regardless of scope

Don’t be afraid to be wrong

Throw it out and start again

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#10: Have Fun!

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You Can’t Become a Hero Overnight

Pick one thing to start with: Invite a designer to collaborate on requirements

Call a cross funcConal brainstorm

Print out sketch templates

IdenCfy one piece of user feedback that would help your product

IdenCfy one type of project that would benefit from formalized UX process

Share this presentaCon with coworkers

Reach out to a UX agency or individual for help

You don’t need to do it all yourself, but you need to enable it!

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END, THANK YOU!

Mary Piontkowski Director, User Experience [email protected]


Thank You!

Was this inspiring?

Are you walking away with at least one acConable technique?

Referenced Resources

The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovaAon, Marty Neumeier

InnovaAon Workshop, Marty Neumeier

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms OrganizaAons and Inspired InnovaAon,

Tim Brown

Inside Apple, Adam Lashinsky

Sketchboard Resources:

hPp://www.adapCvepath.com/ideas/sketchboards-‐discover-‐bePer-‐faster-‐ux-‐soluCons

hPp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVFTBj_BYy0

hPp://www.slideshare.net/ugleah/sketchboards-‐prototypes-‐presentaCon

Persona Resources:

hPp://www.cooper.com

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