People, not process

Another day, another UX conference, and yet another designer telling you that you're doing things wrong and how you should adopt their methodology and nothing else.

Ian Fenn has had enough.

In this forthright but entertaining talk, he reveals the real truth about UX design - what works for you may not work for somebody else. It may not even work for you if you subsequently change employer or even project.

Ian will argue that the secret of successful UX design can be encompassed in a few simple rules - the foremost being that people, not process, are paramount.

(As presented at Midwest UX on 2 June 2012.)

Transcript

1. PEOPLE, NOT PROCESS Ian Fenn Twitter: @ifenn
2. 16 JUNE 1989
5. ๏ producer ๏ assistant producer ๏ production assistant ๏ graphic designer ๏ web developer ๏ perl developer A SMALL TEAM
6. ๏ collaboratively ๏ iteratively ๏ job titles didn’t matter ๏ documentation was light ๏ we were user-centred WE WORKED...
7. FENN UX?
8. ๏ collaboratively ๏ iteratively ๏ job titles didn’t matter ๏ documentation was light WE WORKED...
9. LEAN UX?
10. THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF OLD THINGS WE DON'T KNOW. Satirist Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
12. “ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A UX ROLE?” I ASKED.
13. “YES,” SHE SAID.
14. “WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE?”
15. “C, C#, C++, AND VISUAL BASIC”
16. http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/6881496274
17. A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS WITHIN
    A SET OF Mike Monteiro
18. A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS THEY OFTEN HAVE TO HELP IDENTIFY WITHIN A SET OF EVER- CHANGING CONSTRAINTS.
    Ian Fenn
19. A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS THEY OFTEN HAVE TO HELP IDENTIFY WITHIN A SET OF EVER- CHANGING CONSTRAINTS. WITH NO AUTHORITY. Ian Fenn
21. 1. START WITH PEOPLE, NOT PROCESS.
22. YOU GOT HIRED. WHY?
23. ๏ enthusiasm ๏ total confusion ๏ disillusionment ๏ search for the guilty ๏ punishment of the innocent ๏ reward and promotion of the non-participants
24. UNFORTUNATELY FOR US,
    WE CARE
25. 1. Be armed with knowledge http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrobelleza/4705301278/
26. 1. ARRIVE ARMED WITH KNOWLEDGE ๏ Read the usual suspects - Jared Spool, Jakob Nielsen, Johnny Holland, Boxes and arrows, UX magazine... ๏ Familiarise yourself with the high traffic websites that people visit - how are they shaping user behaviour? ๏ Question everything around you. Why are things the way they are? ๏ Is there a formal project brief? If so, ask for a copy in advance. Print it off. Scribble questions on it.
27. 2. Arrive dressed for success. http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebitmanky/424680015/
28. 3. MEET THE PROJECT SPONSOR
29. I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. - Rudyard Kipling in his "Just So Stories" (1902)
30. ๏ Why are we doing this? (Business needs) ๏ What do the users need? (User needs) ๏ Where do they want it? (Environment/Device) ๏ Who is doing it? (Team) ๏ When do we have to get it done by? (Time available) ๏ How will we measure success?
31. ๏ Why? - The battery is dead. (first why) ๏ Why? - The alternator is not functioning. (second why) ๏ Why? - The alternator belt has broken. (third why) ๏ Why? - The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced. (fourth why) ๏ Why? - The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule. (fifth why, a root cause) THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START
    (THE PROBLEM) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_whys
32. ๏ What do they expect? ๏ What’s in it for them? ๏ What challenges do they face? ๏ How will they know the project has been successful? ๏ Who else should you meet?
33. 4. MEET THE TEAM MEMBERS
34. http://bit.ly/war-developers
35. http://alextoul.posterous.com/the-war-between-developers-designers-project
36. MEET TEAM MEMBERS ๏ What’s their history? ๏ How do they work? ๏ What has been useful in the past? ๏ What has annoyed them? ๏ What are their expectations? ๏ How do they like to communicate?
37. PRODUCT MANAGERS ๏ Some are ux-focused, others are business or technical ๏ None of them will be short of an opinion ๏ Support all of your work with evidence ๏ Share it often
38. PROJECT MANAGERS ๏ Treat as you would a project sponsor ๏ Be honest about timings and try to stick with them ๏ Keep them informed ๏ Ask them to coordinate feedback
39. DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS ๏ Involved them early on ๏ Share your work or collaborate often ๏ Understand their constraints
40. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner (Hat tip to Giles Colborne 
 for directing me to this book.)
41. Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive
42. Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive Tank Whiner Think they know it all Yes person
43. Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive Tank Whiner Think they know it all Yes person
44. Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive Get it done Get it right Get appreciated Get along
45. CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Brits may be understated
46. CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Japanese won’t want to say anything negative
47. CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Chinese will be concerned about loss of face
48. CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Indians will say ‘yes’, even if it’s a no.
49. USEFUL PHRASES ๏ ...... (Silence: Beg for forgiveness, not for permission.) ๏ “Do you mind me asking - are you looking for solutions or do you just want to get things off your chest?” ๏ “Which of the solutions you mentioned would you choose?” ๏ “If we were going to meet the delivery date, how could we make that happen?” ๏ “How could we find out...”
50. ๏ know what you know ๏ find out what you don’t know ๏ ask what you need to know now ๏ tell others what you now know
51. WELL DONE.
    NOW YOU CAN THINK ABOUT PROCESS
52. LAST NOVEMBER I RECEIVED AN EMAIL...
53. 9.05 – YOU'RE GREETED IN THE LOBBY BY A UNICORN - YES, A UNICORN - TROTTING AROUND FOR A PROMOTIONAL PHOTO SHOOT. IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE.
54. 9.10 – GRAB AN ESPRESSO IN THE CAFE; IN THE QUEUE HAVE A CHAT WITH A FELLOW LEAD ABOUT LINE MANAGEMENT. YOU'VE RECENTLY CHANGED THE FORMAT OF YOUR BI-WEEKLY MEETINGS TO A MORE CASUAL LUNCH AND IT'S WORKING BRILLIANTLY.
55. 9.20 – YOUR MAIN CLIENT IS RUNNING AN AGILE PROCESS; IN YOUR SCRUM YOU GIVE A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM OF 4 ARE UP TO.
56. 9.30 – RUN A WORKSHOP WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS, THE CREATIVE AND TECH TEAMS (WE LIKE TO BLEND) TO SCAMP 2 ROUTES FOR AN IMPROVED PURCHASE PROCESS. OUR LEAD STRATEGIST KICKS THE WORKSHOP OFF WITH RESEARCH INSIGHTS.
57. 11.00 – HOST A `BIG MAMA' (OUR BI-WEEKLY TEAM KNOWLEDGE SHARE). TODAY'S TOPIC: INSIGHTS FROM YOUR RECENT TRIP TO ADAPTIVE PATH'S UX INTENSIVE.
58. 12.00 – ATTEND ANOTHER WORKSHOP, THIS TIME FOR YOUR OTHER CLIENT, HOSTED BY THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR ON THE ACCOUNT. THE OBJECTIVE: SKETCH A FEW USER JOURNEYS TO SHOW HOW CONTENT CAN BE SHARED ACROSS A CAMPAIGN SITE, MOBILE AND TABLET DEVICES.
59. 1.30 – PICK UP A FEW LUNCH BUDDIES FOR A WALK THROUGH THE LOCAL AREA AND A SANDWICH FROM A NEARBY CAFE.
60. 2.30 – ATTEND A USER TESTING SESSION IN OUR IN-HOUSE LAB.
61. 3.45 – MEET WITH YOUR TEAM TO GO THROUGH THE DETAIL OF NEW WIREFRAMES IN AXURE. RUN THE WIREFRAMES THROUGH THE PERSONAS AND STRESS-TEST THEM WITH EXPERIENCE PRINCIPLES.
62. 5.15 – GET DEBRIEFED ON A PITCH YOU'LL BE HELPING OUT WITH NEXT WEEK. THE PROSPECT: A HIGH FASHION BRAND WHO WANT TO RE-ENERGISE THEIR ONLINE PRESENCE.
63. 6.15 – WIND DOWN WITH A GAME OF TABLE TENNIS AND A BEER IN THE COMPANY BAR.
64. NOTICE ANYTHING MISSING?
65. 2. MAKE TIME TO THINK
66. A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING James Webb Young
67. A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING IDEAS ๏ An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements ๏ The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships
68. A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING IDEAS ๏ First, gather raw materials - both the materials of your immediate problem and the materials from your rich store of general knowledge. ๏ Second, work over those materials in your mind and try to identify patterns.
69. A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING IDEAS ๏ Third, go for a walk in the park. This is the incubating stage, where you let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis. ๏ Fourth, an idea will be born, often when you least expect it. ๏ Fifth, shape and develop an idea to practical usefulness.
71. KING BED
76. 3. SET YOUR IDEAS FREE
77. BE PREPARED - FOR CHANGE
78. THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, QUESTION EVERYTHING.
79. BE WILLING TO CHANGE TOOLS AND PROCESS IF YOU NEED TO.
80. BE PREPARED TO BE WRONG
81. HOW TO STAY SANE PHILIPPA PERRY
82. SELF-OBSERVATION ๏ What am I feeling now? ๏ What am I thinking now? ๏ What am I doing at this moment? ๏ How am I breathing?
83. ONE LAST THING...
84. FIRST RULE OF CONSULTING:
    NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY, YOU CAN’T STOP PEOPLE FROM STICKING BEANS UP THEIR NOSE. Jared Spool - http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2011/07/08/
85. GOOD LUCK...
    ...AND THANK YOU. Twitter: @ifenn http://chopstixmedia.com/