Jess Huang: Best practices in designing and developing for the human experience

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqGfKNhyknE

Speaker: Jess Huang is a self-taught Product/UX Designer based in San Francisco, CA. Jess has over seven years of experience in user experience design in industries ranging from consumer electronics to mobile game development to mission-driven philanthropic tech. Prior to her career in design, Jess worked as a front-end developer and CSS/HTML specialist, which allows her to use her knowledge of the software development ecosystem to guide her day-to-day work with her developer counterparts. Jess is also dedicated to teaching and mentoring up-and-coming designers through Andreessen Horowitz's Gen.D program and part-time teaching at General Assembly.

Abstract:
Learn the basic tenets of User Experience Design
Explore the role of software developers in UX Design — and how they can make or break an experience
Discover some tips for incorporating the user experience into the developer's everyday work, and interfacing with designers (without growing to hate each other!)

Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/lianhua

Transcript

1. BEST PRACTICES IN DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING FOR THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE jess huang, product designer @ degreed
2. I’M JESS HUANG. ➤ UX/Product Designer for 7 years ➤ currently at Degreed ➤ formerly at HandUp, GoPro, Playhaven, VMware (Socialcast) ➤ Former front-end developer (CSS/ HTML specialist) ➤ Yellowpages.com (AT&T) ➤ UX Design Instructor at General Assembly ➤ UX Design Mentor for Andreessen- Horowitz’s Gen.D Program ➤ Spoke at MWDevCon in 2015 about the UX of Wearables
3. WHAT IS UX? And why should you care?
4. “UX is “the design of anything independent of medium or across media, with human experience as an explicit outcome and human engagement as an explicit goal.” - Jesse James Garrett, @jjg 
 (cofounder of Adaptive Path, 
 author of The Elements of User Experience, 
 guy with cool hair)
5. LET’S BREAK THAT DOWN A LITTLE ➤ “User Experience” encompasses a user’s interactions with all aspects of a product or service ➤ If a person doesn't interact with it, or it doesn't affect them while they're interacting, it doesn't count ➤ Code doesn't usually count… unless, say, the speed of the experience is impacted ➤ The idea of UX is very broad and always evolving, just like the technology that is supporting it
6. When the user asks, “Does this website give me value? 
 Is it easy to use? Is it pleasant to use?” User Experience Design is all about striving 
 to make them answer “Yes.”
7. BUT IF IT LOOKS GOOD, ISN’T THAT ENOUGH? (hint: no…)
8. User Research Information Architecture Content Strategy Interaction Design Visual Design Usability THE UX ICEBERG PLEASANT EASY VALUABLE
9. A NOTE ON JOB TITLES ➤ Generalists ➤ Product Designer ➤ UX Designer ➤ UX/UI Designer ➤ Specialists ➤ Visual Designer ➤ Content Strategist ➤ User Researcher ➤ Prototyper ➤ Copywriter ➤ Information Architect ➤ UI Designer ➤ Interaction/Motion Designer
10. SO, WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? +14.4% customers’ 
 willingness to pay +16.6% likelihood of 
 recommending a product -15.8% likeliness of 
 switching brands
11. BONUS: 
 A GOOD EXPERIENCE MAKES YOU LOOK GOOD (Better design = better product = better reputation for the developers who’ve built it!)
12. UX BEST PRACTICES And how you can help
13. DESIGN IS BOTH IN & AHEAD OF THE SPRINT ➤ In the current sprint, UXD is supporting development ➤ Answering questions, designing for edge cases, etc ➤ For future sprints, UXD is designing upcoming work
14. DESIGN INVOLVES 
 DEVELOPMENT ➤ Sprint kickoff should NEVER be the first time developers learn about a project ➤ Designers should: ➤ bounce ideas off of at least tech leads/lead devs ➤ participate in sprint ceremonies (and give updates) ➤ participate in the same systems (e.g. file bugs in the right place)
15. EAT YOUR OWN DOG FOOD ➤ Try to incorporate your product into your life ➤ Employees are the first line of defense when it comes to UX ➤ We know how the product is supposed to be, so we can identify when it’s not
16. USER RESEARCH/TESTING SHOULD BE CONSTANT ➤ Research & testing should happen all throughout the process ➤ Upfront research ➤ Prototype acceptance testing ➤ Usability testing ➤ “Test early and often!” ➤ Developers should be involved, included and aware!
17. DEVELOP A STYLE GUIDE ➤ Keeps everyone’s sanity ➤ Establishes norms and defaults ➤ Lets each side focus on the “cool” part — designing and developing new things ➤ No need to reinvent the wheel every sprint!
18. ALWAYS BE IMPROVING (DESIGN FOR CHANGE) ➤ Pivots are inevitable! ➤ Products change ➤ Companies grow ➤ Target audiences shift ➤ UX should be flexible and adaptive ➤ Don’t paint yourself into a corner!
19. WORKING WITH DESIGNERS without killing each other
20. How the web seems to think of us - nothing but skinny jeans and cargo pants…
21. DON’T LET LABELS COME BETWEEN US especially outdated ones like “web designer” and “web developer”
22. WE’RE NOT SO DIFFERENT, YOU AND I…
23. WE ARE ALL WORKING TOWARD THE SAME GOAL ➤ Why do you care ➤ …if your app is fast? ➤ …if your tests pass? ➤ …if your app never crashes? ➤ …if your users’ data is safe? ➤ Because you care about the user experience. (just like me!)
24. COMMUNICATION IS KEY ➤ Check in often ➤ Include design in sprint ceremonies ➤ Ask questions about design decisions ➤ Give constructive feedback (but don’t expect all of it to be incorporated) ➤ Remember (and sometimes remind the designers!) that you are on the same team
25. MAKE USE OF TOOLS FOR BRIDGING THE GAP ➤ Zeplin.io ➤ Invision Inspect
26. Q&A like an AMA, but a little more professional
27. HOW TO LEARN MORE (FROM ME) ➤ Find me on Degreed! ➤ degreed.com/jess.m.huang ➤ Find me on Twitter! ➤ @lianhua ➤ Send me an email! ➤ jess.m.huang@gmail.com
28. HOW TO LEARN MORE (FROM OTHERS) ➤ I promise I won’t be offended. ➤ Check out my “UX Design for Developers” Pathway on Degreed ➤ Talk to your designer(s) ➤ Take a class/workshop ➤ General Assembly has weekly workshops and bootcamps in SF & SJ 
 (No, they didn’t tell me to tell you that.)
29. THANK YOU, MWDCON! see you next year????