people, not process

PEOPLE, NOT PROCESSIan Fenn

Twitter : @ifenn

16 JUNE 1989

1991

1997

๏ producer

๏ assistant producer

๏ production assistant

๏ graphic designer

๏ web developer

๏ perl developer

A SMALL TEAM

๏ collaboratively

๏ iteratively

๏ job titles didn’t matter

๏ documentation was light

๏ we were user-centred

WE WORKED...

FENN UX?

๏ collaboratively

๏ iteratively

๏ job titles didn’t matter

๏ documentation was light

WE WORKED...

LEAN UX?

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

2012

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

“YES,” SHE SAID.

“WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE?”

“C, C#, C++, AND VISUAL BASIC”

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

A DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS WITHIN A SET OF CONSTRAINTS.Mike Monteiro

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

Ian Fenn

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

Ian Fenn

1. START WITH PEOPLE, NOT PROCESS.

YOU GOT HIRED. WHY?

๏ enthusiasm

๏ total confusion

๏ disillusionment

๏ search for the guilty

๏ punishment of the innocent

๏ reward and promotion of the non-participants

UNFORTUNATELY FOR US,WE CARE

1. Be armed with knowledge

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrobelleza/4705301278/

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.

2. Arrive dressed for success.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebitmanky/424680015/

3. MEET THE PROJECT SPONSOR

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)

๏ 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?

๏ 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

๏ 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?

4. MEET THE TEAM MEMBERS

http://bit.ly/war-developers

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

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?

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

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

DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS

๏ Involved them early on

๏ Share your work or collaborate often

๏ Understand their constraints

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner

(Hat tip to Giles Colborne for directing me to this book.)

Task focus

Relationship focus

Passive Aggressive

Task focus

Relationship focus

Passive Aggressive

TankWhiner

Think they know it all

Yes person

Task focus

Relationship focus

Passive Aggressive

TankWhiner

Think they know it all

Yes person

Task focus

Relationship focus

Passive Aggressive

Get it doneGet it right

Get appreciatedGet along

CULTURAL ISSUES

๏ Brits may be understated

CULTURAL ISSUES

๏ Japanese won’t want to say anything negative

CULTURAL ISSUES

๏ Chinese will be concerned about loss of face

CULTURAL ISSUES

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

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...”

๏ know what you know

๏ find out what you don’t know

๏ ask what you need to know now

๏ tell others what you now know

WELL DONE. NOW YOU CAN THINK ABOUT PROCESS

LAST NOVEMBER I RECEIVED AN EMAIL...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

NOTICE ANYTHING MISSING?

2. MAKE TIME TO THINK

A TECHNIQUE FOR

PRODUCING IDEAS

James Webb Young

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

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.

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.

KING BED

3. SET YOUR IDEAS FREE

BE PREPARED - FOR CHANGE

THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, QUESTION EVERYTHING.

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

BE PREPARED TO BE WRONG

HOW TO STAY SANE

PHILIPPA PERRY

SELF-OBSERVATION

๏ What am I feeling now?

๏ What am I thinking now?

๏ What am I doing at this moment?

๏ How am I breathing?

ONE LAST THING...

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/

GOOD LUCK... ...AND THANK YOU.

Twitter : @ifenn