how to build a powerful ux team

How to BuildA Powerful UX Team

Darren HoodManager, User Experience | BoschAdjunct Instructor | Kent State University

Source: ChaiOne & Stecklein, 2004

How to Build a Powerful UX TeamDarren Hood | April 2016

Source: Jeneanne Rae



The Bermuda triangle and today’s world of UX have something in common…..

Unexplained accidents, disorientation, the inability to maintain a sense of direction, turbulence, disappearing travellers, etc.

Today, my hope is to share info to help you overcome associated pitfalls.

List of known Bermuda Triangle accidents: http://www.unp.me/f8/list-of-all-known-bermuda-triangle-accidents-108289/

Agenda.

Changing Landscapeof Skill Assessment Optimal Hiring Strategies Key Dos and Don’ts


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CHANGING LANDSCAPE OFSKILL ASSESSMENT


Human-Computer Interaction/HMI

Information architecture

User interface design

Yesteryear, identifying and assessing skills was very simple.

Skill sets were minimal and identifying key contributors was relatively cut and dry.


NomenclatureWayfinding

Taxonomies

Visual design

Aesthetics

Design pattern libraries

Informationmanagement

Information foraging

Color psychology

Accessibility

System analysis

Value sensitive design Ethnography

User testing

Pictorial realism

Heuristic analysis

Usability

Common convention

Error handling

Cognition

Readability

Scannability FindabilityIntuition.

System/Real world match

Consistency

Minimalism.Site maps

Style guides

Iconography

Today, with the expanding world of technology and the growing spectrum of mental models with users and UX encompassing multiple disciplines, things are quite different…..

Stakes are higher, but there is an evaluatory skill deficit.


UXUser interface design

Visual design

Aesthetics

Color psychology

Accessibility

Information architecture

Nomenclature

Wayfinding

Taxonomies

Design pattern libraries

Informationmanagement

Information foraging

Human-Computer Interaction/HMI

System analysis

Value sensitive design

Ethnography

User testing

Pictorial realism

Heuristic analysis

Usability

Common convention

Error handling

Mobile designResponsive design

Cognition

Readability

Scannability FindabilityIntuition.

System/Real world match

Consistency

Minimalism.

Wireframing

Prototyping

E-Commerce

Persuasive design

Task flows/analysis

Needs analysis

UX strategy

Storyboarding

Journey mapping

Scenarios

Site maps

Style guides

Iconography

Ergonomics

Sound design

Augmented reality

Virtual reality

Risk mitigation

Typography

Copywriting

Customer experience (CX)

Brand experience (BX)Lean UX

Agile methodologies

Email marketingOnline advertising

Interactive TV

Web analyticsData analysis

Data synehesis

Risk mitigationInstructional design

Blended learning

Competitive analysisFocus group moderation

Remote user testing

Vendor management

guerilla research

Don’t Forget AboutSoft Skills. Many people are hired for

what they know and then

release for their lack of soft

skills. In addition, soft skills

draw a “line in the sand”

when it comes to identifying

truly top talent. Query

candidates to confirm their

aptitude in such areas.

Collaboration

Interpersonal communication

Excellent listener

Emotional intelligence

Mediation

Interpersonal communication

Excellent listener

Excelling at collaboration

Emotional intelligence

Skillful mediator


But Wait….There’s More! In addition to soft skills, there

are several other skills related

to the world of UX that are

extremely valuable. Evaluate

what said skills would do for

your team and gauge

candidates’ levels of skills and

knowledge in these areas.

Storytelling

Lean/Agile

System analysis

Emerging technologies

Education/Evangelism

Lean and agile knowledge

System analysis

Storytelling

Emerging technologies

Education/Evangelism


Remember UXSkill Levels. Entry Level

Early-to-Mid

Senior7+ years of experience

May be multi-skilled

Capable of mentoring all levels

2-7 years of experience

May require supervision at times

Capable of mentoring junior UXers

0 - 2 years of experience

Able to grow, coachable

Qualified retrofits*

2

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May be multi-skilled

Skilled at multitasking

Excellent multitasker

Can provide educational support

Interns

Requires supervision

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OPTIMAL HIRING STRATEGIES


ConceptualizersAnalyzing and synthesizing data

ImplementersEnsuring things get done andexcellent at creating plans

InnovatorsComing up with new ideas

OptimizersDriving efficiency


Strategy #1The Problem Solver Grid.

Strategy #2CompletingThe Team Puzzle.A blend of skills makes for a more diverse team.

Hiring the RIGHT person or persons paves the

way for greater levels of innovation and greater

capabilities to advocate for users.

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Strategy #2CompletingThe Team Puzzle.A blend of skills makes for a more diverse team.

Hiring the RIGHT person or persons paves the

way for greater levels of innovation and greater

capabilities to advocate for users.

HM

I / R

esea

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Strategy #3Gauging the Team Spectrum.

What is your team’s power

level before a hire? What’s

its potential afterwards.

Gauge your team’s status

and potential to help you

identify the best candidates.

Responsive

Mobile

Information Architecture

Content Strategy

55%

15%20%

10%


55%

20%

15%

10%

KEY DOS & DON’TS


DO …..engage in a little UX Potpourri.


DON’T….. hire or promote in your own image. It is foolish to replicate your strength and idiotic to replicate your weakness.

~Dee W. Hock


DO….. make sure your recruiters have at least a basic understanding of UX and UX professionals.


DON’T ….. let unskilled people interview yourUX candidates.


DO ….. check for knowledge of evolutionary UX elements (e.g., CX and BX).


DON’T ….. give psychological tests.


DO….. demonstrate an understanding of a UX professional’s persona in interviews. Knowledge of the discipline isn’t enough.


DON’T….. discount a UXer’s value (e.g., thinking the work doesn’t take any effort). Skilled UXers will recognize the trait and withdraw from consideration or depart the company.


DO….. a resilience check. Perform an inquiry to find out how candidates rebounded from failure or disappointment. The “never say die” attitude is quintessential for members of powerful teams.


DON’T ….. play fraternal games.


DO ….. exalt balance over smarts.


DON’T ….. hinder growth.


DO ….. consider interns.


DON’T….. assume that lower salaries are equivalent to savings. You get what you pay for. And paying someone less will be reflected in the final products — resulting in losses.


DO

….. identify candidates who possess “infectious” energy and knowledge levels. Knowledgeable team members who are willing to share can build confidence in stakeholders and broaden a team’s impact, especially on teams engaging in the institutionalization of UX within the organization.


DON’T

….. insist on being the smartest person on the team. According to Liz Wiseman, as the leader, focusing on your own intelligence and your resolve to be the smartest person in the room has a diminishing effect on everyone else. You actually hurt the team and siphon its power.


DO….. seek TRUE team players. As Patrick Lencioni (author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team) states, “Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”


DON’T ….. fudge the facts when assessing the team.


DO ….. be a multiplier.


DON’T….. take the cheap route by trying to combine multiple roles into one person. There is NO SUCH THING as a UX developer. And UX professionals, by trade, are NOT responsible for providing assets for the presentation layer.


WRAPPING UP


• Have you been hiring all specialists? If so, start considering what Arnie Lund calls “tweeners” (i.e., people with multiple UX skill sets).

• Don’t reject a candidate because you consider him or her to be “weak.” Could be a diamond in the rough. Evaluate a person’s coachability and proceed accordingly. A person’s weaknesses don’t matter if they can be coached.

• Picture your current UXers as a construction team. Based on the current aptitudes and skills, what can they accomplish today? Identify the skills that would take them to the next level and search accordingly.

Closing Notes.


• Passion is a fuel — a fuel that can energize your team and have tremendous impact upon your organization. Always make sure to gauge a candidate’s passion level AND where its limits are.

• Avoid the “cloak of nepotism.” Some people are so void of the ability to properly evaluate skill and envision scenarios that they only hire people they or someone they know knows. In so doing, they potentially cripple their teams and operations. Don’t be one of them.

• Every dollar invested in UX brings a return of up to $200, but ONLY if skilled people are hired.

Closing Notes.


• One’s ability to create wireframes and prototypes, conduct remote or ethnographical research, or construct the best information architecture in the world WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT supersede one’s ability to manage clients, advocate for users, or mediate between politically-driven and egotistical clients.

• The key to selecting candidates to strengthen YOUR UX team isn’t about the candidate as much as it is about YOUR ability to properly evaluate and identify what each candidate brings to the table and what it means to your operation.

• Lastly, when deciding between candidates, always ask yourself…. Which candidate(s) will benefit our users most?

Closing Notes.


• Remember…. there is no such thing as a UX Developer. Beware of an “opportunity” where the job description says something like “Strong knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript/JQuery, ObjectiveC (iOS), C++.”

• Many companies and managers (still) believe that UX = UI, instead of seeing UI as a subset of UX. In addition, they (still) think that any and every UX professional is capable of providing presentation layer support. This simply isn’t true. You could end up in the “Bermuda Triangle.”

• On another “Bermuda Triangle” note, don’t be starstruck by a company’s reputation. When interviewing, make sure you understand what a UX team’s org chart looks like and gauge UX knowledge of leadership before accepting any offers.

Closing Notesfor Job Seekers.


by Liz Wiseman with Greg McKeown ISBN: 978-0061964398

MultipliersHBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence

by Arnie Lund ISBN: 000-0123854962

User Experience Management: Essential Skills

for Leading Effective UX Teams

by Richard Canfield ISBN: 978-1491929209

Design Leadership: How Top Design Leaders Build and

Grow Successful Organizations

by Patrick Lencioni ISBN: 978-0787960759

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

by Leah Buley ASIN: B011T78LBM

The User Experience Team of One


RESOURCES

by Harvard Business Review (compilation) ISBN: 978-1633690196

Thank you!Questions?!@darrenhood !@uxpulse