Mentoring Collaborative User Centred Design

OzCHI, AdelaideNovember 2007

Patrick Kennedy, Step Two Designs

Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au)

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User Centred Design can be hard enough, but

what if you and your team have no experience?

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Case study: government agency who did not have

the skills to fix a website that was out of control

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Mentoring has many advantages and a mentor is

an extremely valuable asset for any team

Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au)

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Mentoring hit the spot in terms of achieving

project objectives within present constraints

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More than just training, mentors provide guidance

and help point the team in the right direction

Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au)

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Mentoring does have some constraints but with

some juggling they can be overcome

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There are several ‘tips of the trade’ for those

considering mentoring in this type of situation

Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au)

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The issue of time

How much of the mentor’s time is taken up? 5% of the working week, up to approx 90% peak

Overall increase in project time If team inexperienced this will be substantial

But mentoring is quicker than training before starting

Delays due to mentor unavailability This is an issue, especially if the mentor is not in-house

But can be beneficial, forces team to stretch themselves

and build confidence

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Feedback after the project

Consequences of up-skilling “It’s unusual that the organisation would want to build up

the skills of the team”

“Yeah but the problem is that once you train them up, they

will leave and get an IA job”

Yes, but not an exclusive issue for mentoring

Long term sustainability “How sustainable is it? Have the mentorees become

mentors and champions of UCD?”

Yes (‘train the trainer’ ripple effect)

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Conclusion Mentoring can be a superior alternative to outsourcing,

using contractors and up-front training It’s often more cost effective Allows immediate progress while ensuring quality Builds internal skills and ensures long-term capability

Perfect for inexperienced teams with limited time/budget Flexible solution, allowing many different activities Guidance and direction are key roles of a mentor Face-to-face is best, but workarounds can be found Demands on mentor’s time is not excessive

Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au)

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Thank you

Original paper is on the conference proceedings CD

Your feedback is most welcome

Patrick Kennedy

patrick@steptwo.com.au

Blog: www.gurtle.com/ppov/

Website: www.steptwo.com.au

Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au)

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So why are they so unpopular?