the importance of design in enterprise software
TRANSCRIPT
D. KEITH ROBINSON • PRODUCT DESIGNER • ATLASSIAN • @DKR
The Importance of Design in Enterprise Software
A little bit about me
A little bit about Atlassian
Consumer + Enterprise
ConsumerEasy to use
Modern
Clear and focused
Fast
Fun
EnterpriseComplicated
Dated
Confusing
Slow
Boring
So, how does design help?
4. Building consistency with design systems
3. Understanding and reducing complexity
1. Promoting design thinking with inclusive design
2. Increasing knowledge and empathy with research & testing
Promoting design thinking with inclusive design
Inclusive design
Soft skillsLean teamwork
Design thinking
Essential “soft” skills for designers
Practice.
Practice.
Practice.
More: Beginner's Mind
Shoshin (beginner’s mind)
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s
mind there are few.” - Shunryu Suzuki
From: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Active listening
“Sometimes the most appropriate technological solution is a person
talking to another person.” - Robert Hoekman Jr
The Tweet from @rhjr: https://twitter.com/rhjr/status/464129645688799233
Asking questions
“Asking questions is at the heart of collaboration, more so than any project
management software or process. And if you want to truly collaborate, I’ve found you
need to allow yourself to be someone without the answers.” - Jason Santa Maria
From: https://the-pastry-box-project.net/jason-santa-maria/2014-march-15
Writing
Lean teamwork
Lean teams can run on two pizzas.
“If you can’t feed a team with two pizzas, it’s too large.”
- Jeff Bezos
“Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important
than getting the right idea.” - Creativity, Inc.
From Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull (co-founder of Pixar) and Amay Wallace
“Infinite diversity in infinite combinations...symbolizing the elements that
create truth and beauty.” - Commander Spock
The Triad
Design
Product management
Engineering
Design thinking
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Talk to your customers. Include everyone.
Synthesize and share. Again with everyone.
Sketch out ideas. Everyone can draw and volume is key.
Build something real.
Gather feedback, share and then iterate.
http://dschool.stanford.edu/dgift/
Increasing knowledge and empathy with research & testing
It’s a big topic
Empathy is job #1
Simple: talk to people
What can you do on (mostly) your own?
Talk to sales, support, etc.
intercom.io
Surveys
Interviews
Customer visits
optimizely.com
Understanding and reducing complexity
Understanding and reducing complexity
Understanding complexity and increasing clarity
Task complexity
Task complexity
“I can’t figure out how to give Emma permission to see this page.”
Navigation complexity
“I don’t know where to go to change people’s permissions.”
Navigation complexity
Concept complexity
“I don’t understand what page permissions are or how they work.”
Concept complexity
High frequency
Low frequency
Low pain High pain
More: Designing Products People Love by Scott Hurff
Scott Hurff’s Pain Matrix
High frequency
Low frequency
Low pain High pain
More: Designing Products People Love by Scott Hurff
Fear
Anxiety
Confusion
Self-doubt
Guilt
Procrastination
Dislike
Irritation
Boredom
Scott Hurff’s Pain Matrix
Things to try to clarify
Building consistency with design systems
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown buttonButtons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown buttonButtons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown buttonButtons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown buttonButtons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Buttons
Forms
Tables
Tabs
Dropdown button Dropdown button
Ali Baba & the forty dropdowns.
Atlassian’s Design Guidelineshttps://design.atlassian.com/latest/
Atlassian’s AUI Libraryhttps://docs.atlassian.com/aui/latest/
MailChimp UX patterns. Voice & Tone.http://ux.mailchimp.com/patterns & http://voiceandtone.com/
eBay’s Design Playbookhttps://designplaybook.ebay.com/
Salesforce Lightningwww.lightnightdesignsystem.com
So, what is a design system, exactly?
And more…
BrandUser interface
CodeCopy
Design principles.
Living design documentation.
What is a design system good for?
Increasing quality and consistency
Increasing speed and efficiency
Providing autonomy
Improving focus
How can I get started?
Declare a design czar.
Research, align and document.
Promote!
Iterate and plan for change.
And now for a few quick tips!
Start small
Show examples
Provide resources (assets & code)
Be explicit yet flexible
Respect your users and go slow
Make it public
Quick review
4. Building consistency with design systems
3. Understanding and reducing complexity
1. Promoting design thinking with inclusive design
2. Increasing knowledge and empathy with research & testing
Sláinte!
D. KEITH ROBINSON • PRODUCT DESIGNER • ATLASSIAN • @DKR