Are you riding the UX Strategy wave to Maturity?

Is UX Strategy a buzz word or is it a real thing? Does it make sense for your organization? Does it matter? Is it role specific, something that a senior UX practitioner does or for the entire team? Are there some best practices? Where do I start?

Do you have all these questions about UX Strategy? We do. Join us as Pradeep sparks a conversation based on his thoughts, experience and ideas on where UX Strategy is today and where he thinks it's going.

Transcript

1. ARE YOU RIDING THE STRATEGY WAVE TO MATURITY? Pradeep Nayar @designonmymind August 26, 2015 @ Fuzzy Math
2. WHO AM I?
10. THE 
 BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT TODAY…
12. IT’S A GOOD TIME TO BE A UX PERSON :-)
14. WHAT IS UX STRATEGY?
15. WHAT IS UX STRATEGY? I’m sure you folks know this!
16. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? TOPICS WE WILL COVER TODAY • What is your organization’s maturity? • What is your UX adoption maturity? • Where do we go from here? 15
17. WHAT IS YOUR ORGANIZATION’S MATURITY?
18. STORY# 1 Why I’m talking here today….
19. ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A METABOLIC RATE
20. ORGANIZATIONS = HUMANS
21. ORGANIZATIONS EVOLVE Just like humans, organizations have evolved.
22. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL A simple ten-stage corporate life cycle model that helps us understand the typical life-cycle stages that many organizations go through. Created by Dr. Ichak Adizes, a renowned business guru and theorist. 21 Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ COURTSHIP INFANCY GO-GO ADOLESCENCE PRIME THE FALL ARISTOCRACY RECRIMINATION BUREAUCRACY DEATH
23. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 COURTSHIP COURTSHIP It exists as an idea in the Founder’s head. The focus is on dreams and possibilities. The primary goal of this stage is to build the Founder’s enthusiasm and commitment to making this dream a reality. Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/
24. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 INFANCY Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ INFANCY The Founder quits her day job and focuses on moving from ideas to action. The time for talking is over; it is time to get to work and produce results (sales and cash.) There is usually a lack of attention to paperwork, process, systems and sleep!
25. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 GO-GO Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ GO-GO This is a rapid growth stage with strong sales and cash flow. The founder believes they can do no wrong and sees everything as an opportunity. The company is organized around people rather than functions; capable employees wear many hats.
26. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 ADOLESCENCE Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ ADOLESCENCE During this stage the company is forced to take a new form. This second birth is an emotional time where the company must find a life apart from that provided by its Founder. With so many internal conflicts the company suffer a temporary loss of vision.
27. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 PRIME Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ PRIME This is the optimal position on the lifecycle, where the organization finally achieves a balance between control and flexibility. There is an enterprise- wide focus on customers and earning their long-term satisfaction. Priorities are clear. The organization knows what to do, and what not to do.
28. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 THE FALL Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ THE FALL Companies that are in the Fall phase have started to lose their vitality and are aging. They are still financially strong, but without the eagerness of their earlier stages. They welcome new ideas but with less excitement than they did during the growing stages. Companies in the Fall stage are often cash rich and have strong financial statements.
29. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 ARISTOCRACY Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ ARISTOCRACY The company neglected to pursue long-term opportunities, the focus becomes increasingly short-term. Companies acquire businesses rather than incubate start-ups. Company leaders rely on the past to carry them into the future.
30. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 RECRIMINATION Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ RECRIMINATION The good-old-buddy days of the Aristocracy are gone, and the witch-hunts begin. Executives fight to protect their turf, isolating themselves from their fellow executives. The focus is on who caused the problems, rather than on what to do about it.
31. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 BUREAUCRACY Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ BUREAUCRACY Although it should be dead, the company in Bureaucracy is kept alive by artificial financial life support. Procedure manuals thicken, paper work abounds, and rules and policies choke innovation and creativity.
32. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 DEATH Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/ DEATH Death occurs when no one remains committed to sustaining the organization. This final stage may creep up over several years, or it may arrive suddenly, with one massive blow.
33. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE LIFE CYCLE MODEL (EXPLAINED) 22 COURTSHIP INFANCY GO-GO ADOLESCENCE PRIME THE FALL ARISTOCRACY RECRIMINATION BUREAUCRACY DEATH Reference: http://www.adizes.com/lifecycle/
34. Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? @designonmymind FOOD FOR THOUGHT Where is your organization in this corporate life cycle model? If Prime is the optimal phase of the life cycle is it ideal for UX or does it start before that? Please note: Unlike the lifecycle of human beings, organizations are not required to eventually die 23 COURTSHIP INFANCY GO-GO ADOLESCENCE PRIME THE FALL ARISTOCRACY RECRIMINATION BUREAUCRACY DEATH
35. Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? @designonmymind FOOD FOR THOUGHT Where is your organization in this corporate life cycle model? If Prime is the optimal phase of the life cycle is it ideal for UX or does it start before that? Please note: Unlike the lifecycle of human beings, organizations are not required to eventually die 23 COURTSHIP INFANCY GO-GO ADOLESCENCE PRIME THE FALL ARISTOCRACY RECRIMINATION BUREAUCRACY DEATH Is this ideal for UX?
36. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? FORMING STORMING 
 NORMING PERFORMING MODEL 24 FORMING Learning about each other STORMING Challenging each other NORMING Working with each other PERFORMING Working as one Performing model of group development by Bruce Tuckman (1965)
37. IS THERE… A MISSION A VISION A SHARED PURPOSE AND A CLEAR STRATEGY TO GET THERE…
40. WHAT IS YOUR UX ADOPTION MATURITY?
41. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL As every organization evolves in its maturity around user experience, their understanding and appreciation of the field goes through defined phases of maturity. Created by Jacob Nielsen back in 2006. 29 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget STAGE 5: Managed Usability STAGE 6: Systematic Usability Process STAGE 7: Integrated User-Centered Design STAGE 8: User-Driven Corporation Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/
42. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 1 Developers simply don't want to hear about users or their needs Humans are irrelevant. They’re “told” to use the system. Usability issues are user errors. You can forget about promoting user experience!
43. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 2 Design team relies on its own intuition about what constitutes good user experience. At stage 2, people care about usability. You will hear that UX is important for the organization but there is no actually funding for usability work.
44. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 3 Despite all the barriers, at this stage, a few groups within the company will initiate small UX efforts. All UX activities and user research are ad- hoc and driven by user advocates hidden within the company.
45. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 4 UX activities are planned for in the same way as other quality processes. UX staff is scattered around the company and doesn't have any systematic processes in place.
46. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget STAGE 5: Managed Usability Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 5 There's an official usability group, led by a UX manager who has the charter to "own" UX and usability. The UX manager spends all his time increasing organizational maturity and leveraging existing UX staff for more strategic purposes.
47. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget STAGE 5: Managed Usability STAGE 6: Systematic Usability Process Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 6 The company has recognized the need for an actual user- centered design process, with multiple activities and milestones. There will be a process in place for tracking user experience quality across projects and releases.
48. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget STAGE 5: Managed Usability STAGE 6: Systematic Usability Process STAGE 7: Integrated User-Centered Design Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 7 The company often tracks quality at stage 7 through quantitative usability metrics. Each project has defined usability goals that these measurements must surpass for the design to be green lit for release.
49. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? CORPORATE UX MATURITY MODEL (EXPLAINED) 30 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget STAGE 5: Managed Usability STAGE 6: Systematic Usability Process STAGE 7: Integrated User-Centered Design Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 8: User-Driven Corporation STAGE 8 User data doesn’t just define individual projects in stage 8, it determines what types of projects the company should fund. The concept of total user experience is extended beyond the screen to other forms of customer.
50. Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? @designonmymind TIME TO PROGRESS Stage 1
 A company can remain hostile toward usability for decades. Stage 2 to 4
 Companies often spend 2 to 3 years in each of these stages. Stage 5 to 7
 A company will often spend 6 to 7 years each in stages 5 and 6. Stage 8
 In most cases, it's 
 20 years! 31 STAGE 1: Hostility Toward Usability STAGE 2: Developer-Centered User Experience STAGE 3: Skunkworks User Experience STAGE 4: Dedicated UX Budget STAGE 5: Managed Usability STAGE 6: Systematic Usability Process STAGE 7: Integrated User-Centered Design Reference: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-1-4/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-maturity-stages-5-8/ STAGE 8: User-Driven Corporation
51. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? This is where I rant!
52. DO YOU HAVE A (C-SUITE) SPONSOR?
53. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DEFINITION SEPERATE FROM EXECUTION? 34
54. HOW DOES 
 UX STRATEGY FIT IN THE TEAM?
55. HOW DOES 
 UX STRATEGY FIT IN THE TEAM? It depends…
56. Vs Team of Generalists Team of Specialists
57. Vs Separate Group Within a group
58. “IT’S NOT ABOUT DELIVERABLES, IT’S ABOUT DELIVERY!” - Andy Budd
59. UI/UX
60. UI/UX
61. UX STRATEGY WILL EVOLVE TO EXPERIENCE STRATEGY Let’s ditch the word UX so that we don’t have anything to do with UX/UI
62. WE ARE SO SPECIAL
63. WE’RE NOT! Think about technology adoption in organizations over the last 20 years
64. WE’RE DEALING WITH ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT But we’re screwed cause we make things look easy. Everyone can do UX!
65. WHAT IS YOUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY?
66. WHAT IS YOUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY? Quiet honestly, it doesn’t matter. You just need the right people.
67. @designonmymind Are you riding the strategy wave to maturity? IN SUMMARY • Organizations have a metabolic rate. Does your’s match? • What is overall maturity of your organization? • What is your stage of UX adoption? • Do you have a C-suite sponsor? • Are you talking strategy? • Do you have the right team structure for it? • We we really need to own a deliverable? • We’re going through organizational change management. • Ultimately, it’s having the right people that matter. 45
68. THANK YOU. Questions, comments & feedback Please contact @designonmymind Special Thanks to Amazing Photographers who put their work in the creative commons Amazing Illustrators at the Noun Project Alexander Blagochevsky Dan Hetteix Jaime Carrion Jakob Vogel Jeremy J Bristol Juan Pablo Bravo Krisada Lil Squid Marco Hernandez Melissa Hendricks Mike Ashley Gifted Friends Dan Boysen Daran Redenbaugh