Undercover UX

Often designers are leaned heavily upon for the "success" of the business since they are at the front lines when communicating with web users but are not involved on the front lines of the "business". When a user does or doesn't do what the business intended, it often times is reflected on the way it was "designed". We designers spend our time undercover until a piece of work is set into the wild. Most of that time we spend worrying about the way it looks and not enough about the way its used (or could be used). If we're expected to be a part of driving the success and not just aesthetics we need to spend less time trying to BE RIGHT and more time GETTING IT RIGHT. That requires us to spend less time undercover. We'll discuss ways designers can get involved earlier in the business decision process to allow them to have a good balance between business and user needs to foster more delightful experiences for all.

Transcript

1. Undercover UX The business of design & the undercover user experience agent.
2. Me Who is this guy? You probably haven’t heard of me. That’s ok, right?
3. Undercover a person (or their activities) involved in or involving secret work within a community or organization.
4. Can you work Undercover? is trying to make a difference possible while being an undercover ux designer?
5. No. Why, you ask? Well, lets discuss.
6. Undercovering Myths
7. “good design arises as much from the internal structure of a company as from whether or not it’s a priority” - Hartmut Esslinger
8. “I explained that to make design a core element of Apple’s corporate strategy, it would have to be seen as a leadership issue; world-class design can’t work its way up from the bottom, watered down by the motivations and egos of every layer of management it passes through.” - Hartmut Esslinger
9. “…bottom-up design never succeeds, because even good efforts by departments within such systems remain insulated within the layers of the company’s organizational structure and everything really new, courageous and potentially game-changing is destroyed by its passage through ‘the gates of rejection.’” - Hartmut Esslinger
10. “Designers couldn’t simply be at the table: They had to be in charge. Beautiful design requires designers in charge.” - Hartmut Esslinger
11. Being “In Charge”
12. In Charge: What I first thought an “in charge” designer has to win awards
13. In Charge: What I thought next an “in charge” designer has to tell the internet who’s in charge
14. In Charge: What I thought next an “in charge” designer doesn’t need help, or to be told what to do
15. In Charge: What I think now its not about me. it’s not about control. its about the people who use what I help make. its about being part of something, something bigger than me. Lead, don’t control.
16. “Leadership is about encouraging acts of greatness... Don’t take control, give control” - David Marquet
17. The Business of Design
19. Lead Generation: What I think now YouTube Kickstarter Meetup etc.
20. Leadership i think we’re afraid. i think we fear speaking up when we feel low on the totem pole. we say “how can I lead when no one gives me the opportunity”
21. “We need to fear the consequences of our work more than we fear speaking up” - Mike Moneiro
22. Leadership people struggle with feeling creatively satified. what they truely want is to make a difference. to do that we need to be surrounded by our tribe, people that have similar goals and vision. if you don’t have that now, find one, make one, join one.
24. Leadership my experticity leadership experience. i’m trying to make less excuses.
25. Leadership Journey started as a front-developer/designer. messed up and made a name for myself.
27. Leadership Journey: Internal developer tribe did I start a mini tribe? kinda, in a way. a tribe of developers that would watch the logs every time something was released to make sure I didn’t mess up again.
28. Leadership Journey: Dev to UX moved from front-end dev into user experience over the years. asked for support and recieved it openly. i’ve been able to make great things with great people because we work together.
29. Leadership Journey: Promotive design prototype code
31. Leadership Journey: 3point5 simple wireframe design code
34. Leadership Journey: Store wireframes (14 screens) design theming (4 brand designs) interaction rules admin integration strategy code
40. Leadership Journey: Admin wireframe design patterns, standards interaction rules
43. Leadership Journey: Expert Profiles wireframes (many) prototype (client roadshow, user test) user interviews, interaction testing design interaction rules / usability long term roadmap strategy
48. Leadership Journey: Come out from under the covers do I know everything about leadership. no. i’m just getting started. i’m grateful for what i’ve learned so far and hope to continue to share it with you in the future.
49. Creatively Inspired: The Great Discontent strive to be creatively inspired and lead. http://twominuteswithtgd.com/
50. Thank you. benpeck.com @benpeck experticity.com @experticity