keeping the vision alive: ux leadership in long-term projects
DESCRIPTION
Lisa Battle and Laura Chessman Presentation at User Focus, the UXPA DC Chapter conference, Washington, D.C. – October 17, 2014 For long-term projects, it can be challenging to sustain the overall vision of the product through all the compromises and implementation decisions. This presentation offers some of our approaches for executives, project managers and developers.TRANSCRIPT
Lisa Ba'le President [email protected]
Laura Chessman Principal Consultant [email protected]
Keeping the Vision Alive USER FOCUS CONFERENCE • 17 October, 2014
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 2
© Design for Context
Presenters
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER Understand user needs and tasks. Design applicaFons that work the way people expect them to.
Lisa Ba'le
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT Untangling the complex problems in user experience design.
Laura Chessman
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 3
© Design for Context
VISION
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 4
© Design for Context
A user-‐centered design process leads to
creaFng a vision for a major redesign, a
new product, a strategically important
next generaFon of a product suite.
USER-‐CENTERED DESIGN
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 5
© Design for Context
VISIONARY PROTOTYPE
Provides a holisPc view of what the experience will be like when the future product is complete, used as a constant reference point.
Clickable Prototype Watch videos
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 6
© Design for Context
ParFcularly when projects extend over a long
period, challenges come up: technical
constraints, scope changes, new feature
requests, poliFcs, changes in leadership…
CHALLENGES
h'p://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/24376371/2/stock-‐photo-‐24376371-‐business-‐people-‐talking-‐on-‐conference-‐call
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 7
© Design for Context
APer facilitaFng the creaFon of a vision
for a redesign or new product, the UX
team oPen becomes responsible for
keeping the vision alive.
KEEPERS OF THE VISION
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 8
© Design for Context
COMMUNICATING THE VISION
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 9
© Design for Context
ExecuPves
Project Leads
Development Team
WE COMMUNICATE THE VISION TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES…
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 10
© Design for Context
Project Leads
Development Team
WE COMMUNICATE THE VISION TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES…
Early Middle Late
ExecuPves
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 11
© Design for Context
Project Leads
Development Team
WE COMMUNICATE THE VISION TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES…
Early Middle Late
What is the vision?
How is it be'er than what we had before?
How much have we accomplished so far?
What is our roadmap to achieve it?
ExecuJves
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 12
© Design for Context
VISUALIZATION OF PROCESS AND PAIN POINTS
Allow decision makers to visualize pain points in a current process and show how the vision is simpler and cleaner.
Customer DB
Sales Leads
External /Manual Processes
Mark as prospect
Customer found?
Open report in Excel
Remove duplicates
Yes
No
View customer
info
Run prospect report, export
Search for customer in sales system
Create record in sales system
Review customer record
Mark record as new prospect, add notes
Valid new prospect?
Current System
Send to Sales Team
Open Prospect
Spreadsheet
Customer Service Team
Sales Team
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 13
© Design for Context
VISUALIZATION OF PROCESS AND PAIN POINTS
Allow decision makers to visualize pain points in a current process and show how the vision is simpler and cleaner.
Full CRM
External /Manual Processes
Mark as prospect
View customer
info
Open Prospects
List
Review customer record
Mark record as ready for contact
Valid new prospect?
Future System
No external or manual processing
Customer Service Team
Sales Team
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 14
© Design for Context
ROADMAP IdenPfy feature groups and explain what will be done for each of them in the short term, mid term, and long term.
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
1. People (Customer/Prospect DB)
2. CommunicaPons
3. Workflow
4. Knowledge Base
5. Issue Tracking
6. Sales Leads
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 15
© Design for Context
ROADMAP Over Pme, track the feature groups and show which ones are done, which are in progress, which have not started yet.
Group Short Term Mid-‐Term Long-‐Term Framework Clarify structure,
navigaPon Streamline look and feel
Streamline access levels
Expand access for external users
Establish interacPon model between elements
Enhance interacPons between element
Define complex interacPons elements
Customer/Prospect DB
Consolidated data Develop base view Enhanced, context sensiPve views and access points
Develop responsive view
Further develop tools and views
IdenPfy views and access points
Support history tracking dependencies
CommunicaJons IdenPfy types and prioriPes
Integrated views independent of mechanism
Clarify views and relaPonships
Support history tracking dependencies
Automate response opPons
Define model with person and issues
Integrate with 3rd party tools
Workflow IdenPfy rules and user interacPons
Build rules engine Define work management opPons
Enhance noPficaPon and access points
Establish interacPon model
Build base noPficaPons and access points
Build work management opPons
Completed In progress At risk
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 16
© Design for Context
PROJECT GOALS Build towards goals, not features. Understanding goals and keeping a focus on them throughout a project is essenPal.
Decrease call Pme
Increase conversion rate
Faster idenPficaPon of
each caller
More personalized
offers
Offer incenPves
Quick answers to most common
quesPons
Feature
Feature
Feature
Feature
GOAL (WHY) HOW WHAT (FEATURE SETS)
Sub feature
Feature Sub feature
Sub feature
Sub feature
Sub feature
Sub feature
Sub feature
Sub feature
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 17
© Design for Context
PROJECT TIMELINE
A Pmeline that looks back over the project history and points out key milestones, phases and achievements—showing what’s been done so far and what’s sPll coming.
Q3 2013 Q4 2013 Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015
Business Process Re-‐engineering
Focus Groups and Surveys
Visionary Prototypes
Build for Beta TesPng Build for Extended Pilot Build for Full Release
Framework
People
CommunicaPons
Workflow
Issue Tracking
Knowledge Management
Sales Leads
Design direc+on agreed on by stakeholders (Dec ‘14)
Demo to Board (May ‘14)
Release for Beta (July ‘14)
Demo to Board (planned Nov ‘14)
Release for Pilot users (planned Jan ‘14)
Today! (Oct ‘14)
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 18
© Design for Context
ExecuPves
Development Team
WE COMMUNICATE THE VISION TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES…
Early Middle Late
What is in scope? What are the prioriPes?
What goes into development next?
Where can we scale back?
Project Leads
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 19
© Design for Context
VISION WALL Surround the project team with arPfacts that express the goals and success criteria.
Image of a team room with flip charts showing goals, criteria for success, user research findings
Challenge: Distributed teams do not have a shared workspace
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 20
© Design for Context
PROJECT MULTI-‐TRACK OVERVIEW
Keeping different parts of the project in synch and focused on how they can work together towards a vision.
Q4 2013 Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015
Fram
ework
Custom
er/Prospect
DB
Commun
icaP
ons
Workflow
1.1 EvaluaPon and Feedback
1.2 IteraPve Design and Development: Base Element
1.3 IteraPve Design and Development: Overall look and feel
3.1 Data modeling
2.1 Data modeling
4.2 Build rules engine
2.2 IteraPve Design and Development: Customer/Prospect InformaPon
3.2 3rd Party IntegraPon R&D
4.1 IdenPfy business rules
2.3 History Tracking
3.3 IteraPve Design and Development: CommunicaPons
3.3 IteraPve Design and Development: Workflow InteracPons
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 21
© Design for Context
FEATURE SUMMARY
Create digesPble summaries of features, explaining what it is and why it helps. Discuss which features have been built so far…
To Do This Week Cases prioriPzed automaPcally for each user.
Tasks and AcJviJes Non-‐case work is listed in the same area as case related work so users have just one place to look.
DASHBOARD A single star=ng point for planning the user’s work and finding any cases that are wai=ng for the user’s ac=on.
Quick Access to ReporJng and Search Users can quickly find their reports and saved searches.
2014 VERSION
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 22
© Design for Context
FEATURE SUMMARY
… and which features are sPll coming in the future.
DASHBOARD Addi=onal tools will be integrated into the dashboard to give users more visibility on their produc=vity and help them plan ahead, including what-‐if scenarios. FUTURE FEATURES
Credit Calculator Users will see credits earned and credits needed to meet their goals
ProducJvity Data and Tools Views of producPvity data allow users to see their historical performance
Upcoming Work Planning tools allow users to make be'er decisions today
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 23
© Design for Context
USER STORY OVERVIEW
A quick overview of user stories in a process flow, to help the team visualize the relaPonships between user stories.
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
SER
VICE
REPRE
SENTA
TIVE
Epic #21: Process a service request
Request a service
Customer found?
Epic #15: Create new customer
Find available services
Service available?
Address valid?
Receive new service request
US #1032 Find
customer record
US #1041
Verify address
US #1016 US #1017
Edit address
US #1018
Browse services
US #1058
Search services
US #1059
Preview a service
US #1060 View
recommendaPons
US #1061 Submit service request
US #1035 US #1033
Receive confirmaPon
US #1036
US #1042
US #1034
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 24
© Design for Context
USER STORY SPREADSHEET WITH GRAPHS
Extend the user story list to show status of stories.
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 25
© Design for Context
ExecuPves
Project Leads
Development Team
WE COMMUNICATE THE VISION TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES…
Early Middle Late
How does __ feature fit in?
What alternaPves are there?
Is this a short term or a long term design?
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 26
© Design for Context
ELABORATION OF DESIGN
Over Pme, parts of the original visionary prototype are elaborated in more detailed wireframes.
Vision prototype
Wireframes
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 27
© Design for Context
SHOW FEATURES IN CONTEXT
Within a user story, provide a “big picture” wireframe and idenPfy areas that aren’t in scope for the current story.
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 28
© Design for Context
USER STORY SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM VERSIONS
SomePmes a short-‐term design soluPon differs from the intended design. When possible, signpost this.
@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive User Focus 2014 29
© Design for Context
● Not geung too far ahead of development
● Needing new, more granular prototypes that demonstrate the evoluPon of the vision (evoluPon in Pme and depth)
CONSIDERATIONS
Lisa Ba'le President [email protected]
Laura Chessman Principal Consultant [email protected]
Keeping the Vision Alive
30
USER FOCUS 2014
Thanks!
@ Copyright Design for Content – add copyright statement unless it’s not appropriate
PresentaFon is on Slideshare – Go to www.designforcontext.com/publicaFons