People, not process - Speaker Deck

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PEOPLE, NOT PROCESS Ian Fenn Twitter: @ifenn

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16 JUNE 1989

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1991

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1997

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๏ producer ๏ assistant producer ๏ production assistant ๏ graphic designer ๏ web developer ๏ perl developer A SMALL TEAM

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๏ collaboratively ๏ iteratively ๏ job titles didn’t matter ๏ documentation was light ๏ we were user-centred WE WORKED...

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FENN UX?

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๏ collaboratively ๏ iteratively ๏ job titles didn’t matter ๏ documentation was light WE WORKED...

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LEAN UX?

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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

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2012

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“ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A UX ROLE?” I ASKED.

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“YES,” SHE SAID.

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“WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE?”

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“C, C#, C++, AND VISUAL BASIC”

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http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/6881496274

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A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS WITHIN A SET OF Mike Monteiro

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A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS THEY OFTEN HAVE TO HELP IDENTIFY WITHIN A SET OF EVER- CHANGING CONSTRAINTS. Ian Fenn

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A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS THEY OFTEN HAVE TO HELP IDENTIFY WITHIN A SET OF EVER- CHANGING CONSTRAINTS. WITH NO AUTHORITY. Ian Fenn

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1. START WITH PEOPLE, NOT PROCESS.

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YOU GOT HIRED. WHY?

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๏ enthusiasm ๏ total confusion ๏ disillusionment ๏ search for the guilty ๏ punishment of the innocent ๏ reward and promotion of the non-participants

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UNFORTUNATELY FOR US, WE CARE

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1. Be armed with knowledge http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/pedrobelleza/4705301278/

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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.

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2. Arrive dressed for success. http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/littlebitmanky/424680015/

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3. MEET THE PROJECT SPONSOR

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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)

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๏ 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?

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๏ 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

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๏ 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?

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4. MEET THE TEAM MEMBERS

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http://bit.ly/war-developers

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http://alextoul.posterous.com/the-war-between-developers-designers-project

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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?

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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

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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

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DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS ๏ Involved them early on ๏ Share your work or collaborate often ๏ Understand their constraints

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DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner (Hat tip to Giles Colborne   for directing me to this book.)

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Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive

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Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive Tank Whiner Think they know it all Yes person

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Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive Tank Whiner Think they know it all Yes person

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Task focus Relationship focus Passive Aggressive Get it done Get it right Get appreciated Get along

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CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Brits may be understated

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CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Japanese won’t want to say anything negative

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CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Chinese will be concerned about loss of face

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CULTURAL ISSUES ๏ Indians will say ‘yes’, even if it’s a no.

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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...”

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๏ know what you know ๏ ﬁnd out what you don’t know ๏ ask what you need to know now ๏ tell others what you now know

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WELL DONE. NOW YOU CAN THINK ABOUT PROCESS

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LAST NOVEMBER I RECEIVED AN EMAIL...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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1.30 – PICK UP A FEW LUNCH BUDDIES FOR A WALK THROUGH THE LOCAL AREA AND A SANDWICH FROM A NEARBY CAFE.

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2.30 – ATTEND A USER TESTING SESSION IN OUR IN-HOUSE LAB.

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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.

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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.

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6.15 – WIND DOWN WITH A GAME OF TABLE TENNIS AND A BEER IN THE COMPANY BAR.

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NOTICE ANYTHING MISSING?

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2. MAKE TIME TO THINK

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A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING James Webb Young

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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

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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.

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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.

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KING BED

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3. SET YOUR IDEAS FREE

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BE PREPARED - FOR CHANGE

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THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, QUESTION EVERYTHING.

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BE WILLING TO CHANGE TOOLS AND PROCESS IF YOU NEED TO.

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BE PREPARED TO BE WRONG

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HOW TO STAY SANE PHILIPPA PERRY

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SELF-OBSERVATION ๏ What am I feeling now? ๏ What am I thinking now? ๏ What am I doing at this moment? ๏ How am I breathing?

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ONE LAST THING...

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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/

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GOOD LUCK... ...AND THANK YOU. Twitter: @ifenn http://chopstixmedia.com/