working better with clients - digital pond - feb 2014

HELLO.I’m Matt @duckymatt

CLIENTS

CLIENTSWORKING WITH

BETTER

UX?SO, HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO

Spent days putting this awesome design together and just got client feedback. Looks like I'll be spending the next few days ruining it!!

Gah. Working w/ a client who doesn't get this. Making my head explode. They don't care about UX.

When you push forward a client design request that you both know is a terrible idea.

http://www.sharpsuits.net/

http://www.sharpsuits.net/

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK

I CLIENT WORK

The design process is weird and complicated because it involves people… !

…who are weird and complicated.

MARK BOULTON

Photo credit: Anton Peck: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26545827@N00/5691825327/ http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/where-theres-muck-theres-brass-mark-boulton-at-smashing-conference/

CLIENT WORK IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

THREE KEY FACETS

EMPATHY

TRUST

COMMUNICATION

EMPATHY

PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CLIENT’S SHOES THEY HIRED YOU TO SOLVE A PROBLEM THAT THEY CANNOT ALONE

CLIENTS WANT TO BE GUIDEDCLEARLY DEFINE THE ROLES OF

THE CLIENT RELATIONSHIP.

ONE ON ONE INTERVIEWShttp://goodkickoffmeetings.com/2010/04/stakeholder-frontloading/

The turning point in many interviews is when the interviewee gets up and closes the office door and lowers their voice.

PAUL BOAG

Photo credit: Andreas Øverland: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreasoverland/4954194732/ http://boagworld.com/business-strategy/how-to-improve-your-site-using-stakeholder-interviews/

AGREE ON PROJECT GOALS

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2000-11-05/

TRUST

INTEGRITY

RELIABILITY

TRANSPARENCY

RESPECT

HONESTYDON’T OVER-PROMISEAND UNDER-DELIVER

GIVE UPDATESEVEN IF THERE ISN’T MUCH TO REPORT

BE RELIABLEDELIVER WHEN YOU SAY YOU WILL

This is the extraordinary thing about creativity: If you just keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious… !

…If you've put in the pondering time in first.

JOHN CLEESE

John Cleese on Creativity - Watch every second of it, you won’t regret it, I guarantee it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU5x1Ea7NjQ

TRANSPARENCYINVOLVE YOUR CLIENT

THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS

TAKE THE CLIENT ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU

SURPRISES SUCK

WORKSHOPS ARE A DESIGNER’S BEST FRIEND

EXPOSE YOUR CLIENTSTO RESEARCH DIRECTLY

There is a direct correlation between this exposure and the improvements we see in the designs that team produces.

JARED SPOOL

Photo credit: Jeffrey Zeldman: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeldman/8614173005/

http://www.uie.com/articles/user_exposure_hours/

TOO MUCH RESPECT

BEING THE NO GUY, DAVE

FIND BALANCEBE PATIENT AND TALK TO

YOUR CLIENT AS AN EQUAL

Your ego is a bad designer

CHRISTOPHER BUTLER

http://www.newfangled.com/your_ego_is_a_bad_designer

UNCOVER THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMGET THE CLIENT TO FOCUS ON PROBLEMS RATHER THAN SOLUTIONS.

STAY POSITIVE MEANS YOU CAN SAY NO WITHOUT BEING THE ‘NO’ PERSON

COMMUNICATION

FORK HANDLES OR FOUR CANDLES?ACTIVELY AVOID MISINTERPRETATION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz2-ukrd2VQ

When you're struggling to write a sensitive email, stop trying. Pick up the phone and call instead.

CARL SMITH

http://devianthippie.com/

PRESENT DESIGNS, DON’T JUST EMAIL THEM

RWD

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?” IS THE ENEMY OF CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

DESIGN FEEDBACK CHINESE WHISPERS

KEEP DESIGN CRITIQUES GOAL ORIENTED

SKETCH

PROTOTYPE

PROTOTYPEPATTERN LIBRARIEShttp://styletil.es/

TEST

BE PREPARED TO BACK UP YOUR ARGUMENTS

EMPATHY

TRUST

COMMUNICATION

SO NEXT TIME

THINK: WHAT COULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?

COULD YOU HAVE DEFINED THE ROLES BETTER?

DID YOU SET AND MANAGE THEIR EXPECTATIONS?

DID YOU COLLABORATE AND INVOLVE THEM AS AN EQUAL?

DID YOU STRUCTURE FEEDBACK APPROPRIATELY?

SOMETIMES…

No matter how much you try, you can’t stop people from

sticking beans up their nose.

JARED SPOOL

MORE OFTEN…

LEARN

AND DO BETTER

THANK YOU@duckymatt #UXPOND