People, not processIan Fenn

Twitter : @ifenn

MOST FREQUENT REASON USABILITY ISSUES GO UNFIXED.

http://www.slideshare.net/cjforms/why-do-usability-problems-go-unfixed-13865768

Two friends of mine, Caroline Jarrett and Steve Krug, did a survey and talk last year that examined why usability issues go unfixed. The most popular answer they received in their survey is at the top - the issue conflicted with a decision maker’s belief or opinion.

The fact is that we talk a lot about process and tools in the UX community. Agile vs. waterfall. Personas. Scenarios. User journeys. What we rarely talk about is dealing with people, yet it’s clearly central to our success. After all, the best design in the world means nothing unless it’s implemented.

Communication and influence are just as important as a

well-thought out prototype.

I think the first thing we need to do is to communicate what it is we actually do. I have a story which illustrates my point.

2012

Last year I was at Silicon Milkroundabout... a jobs and recruitment fair for UX people in London. I was helping my client find UX designers when a potential candidate came up to the stand. “Are you interested in a UX ROLE?” I asked.

“YES,” she said.

“What experience do you have?” I asked.

“C, C#, C++, and visual basic”

Nobody really knows what we do. Now, anyone who follows me on twitter knows that I do not like designing the damn thing. Every time the Americans get wound up on this, I’m there with my pitchfork.

A designer solves problems within

a set of constraints.

Mike Monteiro

But here’s one of the best definitions I’ve found - from Mike Monteiro of Mule Design. However, I thought it was incomplete.

A designer solves problems they often have to help identify within a set of ever-changing constraints.

Ian Fenn

Here’s my updated version, indicating that we often have to help identify the problem we solve within a set of ever-changing constraints. Hang on, there’s something missing.

A designer solves problems they often have to help identify within a set of ever-changing constraints. Without authority.

Ian Fenn

Yes, that’s better. As indicated by Caroline and Steve’s survey earlier on, we rarely have the final word on the design implemented. Let’s unpick that.

THE EXPECTATIONS PYRAMIDSucceeding the Project Management Jungle (Doug Russell)

http://www.amazon.com/Succeeding-Project-Management-Jungle-Projects/dp/0814416152/

While we designers like to think of ourselves as advocating for end users, we’re ultimately responsible for helping our employers or clients achieve certain organizational goals. Put another way, we have to meet management, team and customer expectations too. Let’s take a look at a typical project - it’s said they have six phases...

๏ enthusiasm

๏ total confusion

๏ disillusionment

๏ search for the guilty

๏ punishment of the innocent

๏ reward and promotion of the non-participants

THE SIX PROJECT PHASES

Unfortunately for us,we care

Unfortunately, we’re not very good at being non-participants. So, what do we do? Well, our plan of action must start before we even arrive.

You got hired. Why?

When you start on a new project, quickly identify why you are there. Are you there to design the best possible solution? Are you damage limitation? Or just someone to blame?

ARRIVE ARMED WITH KNOWLEDGE

๏ Read the usual suspects - Jared Spool, Jakob Nielsen, Johnny Holland, Boxes and arrows, UX magazine...

๏ Familiarize yourself with the high traffic websites that people visit - how are they shaping user behaviour?

๏ Question everything around you. Why are things the way they are?

๏ Is there a formal project brief? If so, ask for a copy in advance. Print it off. Scribble questions on it.

Arrive armed with knowledge, both specific and general. In the UK, the BBC, Google, Facebook, and Amazon influence user behaviour and expectations, so be aware of what they’re doing. Read - and observe - as much as you can.

Be dressed for success.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebitmanky/424680015/

Arrive dressed for success. Consider the dress code of the organisation. Look just that little bit smarter. Stand tall. If you wear spectacles occasionally, wear them more often. People will think you’re smart. At least, that’s what research in the UK and USA reveals.

Meeting the project sponsor

I mentioned that nobody really knows what we do. Chances are your project sponsor knows they have a problem and they hope you can help. Get the project sponsor’s view of the project. How do you do that? Here’s something I found useful...

I keep six honest serving-men(They taught me all I knew);Their names are What and

Why and WhenAnd How and Where and

Who.

- Rudyard Kipling in his "Just So Stories" (1902)

The five Ws as it’s known is a long-established journalistic technique to get the full story... Here’s how I apply it with projects...

๏ Why are we doing this? (Business needs)

๏ What do the users need? (User needs)

๏ Where do they want it? (Environment/Device)

๏ Who is doing it? (Team)

๏ When do we have to get it done by? (Time available)

๏ How will we measure success?

Ask your sponsor these questions. Write them into a checklist or form... write your own mini brief... If you already have a brief, validate it.

MORE QUESTIONS

๏ What do they expect?

๏ What’s in it for them?

๏ What challenges do they face?

๏ How will they know the project has been successful?

๏ Who else should you meet?

Also ask the project sponsor more informal, personal but important questions... Your aim is to encourage open discussion that digs into the company culture as much as it does the project itself.

JIM KALBACH’S PROJECT CANVAS

http://uxtogo.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/the-project-canvas-defining-your-project-visually/

A tool you may wish to look at is the project canvas, created by Jim Kalbach, and available from uxtogo.wordpress.com. It captures participants, goals, users, user benefits, activities, deliverables, risks, milestones, constraints, and scope - everything you need to know.

Meeting team members

Next, meet the team members. I prefer to do this on an individual basis. It’s normally where the fun begins.

http://bit.ly/war-developers

You may have seen this from August 2011. Developers see project managers as people in suits who do nothing... Project managers see developers as factory workers... Designers see project managers as demolition experts... Project managers see designers as painters. Project managers see themselves as big important men in suits running the show, developers see themselves as scientists who are changing the world, and designers see themselves as pure makers of beauty. Developers see designers as babies with a paintbrush and designers see developers as fat guys tinkering with white boxes. As UX designers, it’s important we step above this… and really understand our fellow team members.

MEET TEAM MEMBERS

๏ What’s their history?

๏ How do they work?

๏ What has been useful in the past?

๏ What has annoyed them?

๏ What are their expectations?

๏ How do they like to communicate?

How do they want to be involved? What form of documentation do they need? Analyse the love each person requires. Establish trust. Here’s some specific advice on job roles...

PRODUCT MANAGERS

๏ Some are ux-focused, others are business or technical

๏ None of them will be short of an opinion

๏ Support your work with evidence where you can

๏ Share it often

Product managers should know about the business case, the mandate for the product or service, and customer characteristics.

PROJECT MANAGERS

๏ Treat as you would a project sponsor

๏ Be honest about timings and try to stick with them

๏ Keep them informed

๏ Ask them to coordinate feedback

Project managers can be your best friend - they’re there to support you, not just to constantly rework a gantt chart.

DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS

๏ Involve them early on

๏ Share your work or collaborate often

๏ Understand their constraints

Developers should know any system or development constraints. Designers will understand what the brand means and how it’s evolving. They’ll know where brand guidelines can be bent. Is it really this simple?

NO.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the USA comedian Bill Cosby. I’m equally sure you’ve also had days like this, where communication just seems, well, difficult.

Bill Cosby hosting the quiz game ‘You bet your life’. The fact of the matter is that communicating and managing human relationships is hard. Luckily, we have research to draw on.

Personal styles and effective performance

David W. Merrill

In 1981, psychologist David W. Merrill published this book, which describes a social style model that has been used as the basis of most books on communication, influence and persuasion ever since.

DriverAnalytical

ExpressiveAmiable

More

More

Less

Less More

Merrill’s model, which is now 50 years old, says that there are four basic human social styles... The driver - Fast, intense, formal, risk-taker, likes to be in charge. Expressive - Animated, impatient, creative, focus of attention, funny, back-slapper. Amiable - Slow, easy-going, quiet, friendly and inviting, forgiving. Analytical - Slow, quiet thoughtful, prefers to be on their own - In short, this model suggests that three quarters of the population have a behavioural style different to yours... no wonder working together isn’t easy. It’s important to say though - that no social style is better than the other...

DRIVER(FAST, INTENSE, FORMAL, RISK-TAKER, LIKES TO BE IN CHARGE)

๏ Focus on the present

๏ Get to the bottom line

๏ Speak in terms of short-term concrete results

๏ Give them options

๏ Don’t get too personal

๏ Don’t get into a control contest

๏ However, don’t back down if you believe you are right

http://www.softed.com/resources/Docs/SSW0.4.pdf

So, what should you do when you meet someone with a different social style... Let’s look at Drivers first.. Remember: Drivers are fast, intense, and formal. They’re risk-takers and like to be in charge.... So... Focus...

EXPRESSIVE(ANIMATED, IMPATIENT, CREATIVE, FOCUS OF ATTENTION, FUNNY, BACK-SLAPPER)

๏ Focus on the future and the big picture

๏ Illustrate concepts with stories

๏ Seek their ideas, input

๏ Show personal interest and involvement

๏ Stimulate their creative impulse

๏ Compliment them

๏ Don’t dwell on details

๏ Don’t be too serious

๏ Don’t talk down to them

http://www.softed.com/resources/Docs/SSW0.4.pdf

With Expressives… those animated, impatient, creative, focus of attention, funny, back-slapping people… you’ll want to...

AMIABLE(SLOW, EASY-GOING, QUIET, FRIENDLY AND INVITING, FORGIVING)

๏ Be flexible

๏ Be easy and informal

๏ Be personal and personable

๏ Emphasize a team approach

๏ Don’t push for too much detail

๏ Don’t hurry them

๏ Don’t confront them

๏ Don’t attack

๏ Don’t be dictatorial or autocratic

http://www.softed.com/resources/Docs/SSW0.4.pdf

Ah. The Amiable. Slow, easy-going, quiet, friendly and inviting, forgiving...

ANALYTICAL(SLOW, QUIET THOUGHTFUL, PREFERS TO BE ON THEIR OWN)

๏ Focus on past, present and future

๏ Talk facts

๏ Focus on detail and accuracy

๏ Be logical, well-organized, and serious

๏ Tell them exactly what you will do and when

๏ Don’t rush things

๏ Don’t be too personal

๏ Don’t be overly casual

http://www.softed.com/resources/Docs/SSW0.4.pdf

Last but not least, the analytical. Slow, quiet and thoughtful, prefers to be on their own. [Pause]

CLIFFORD NASS

This is another academic, Clifford Nass. He’s a professor at Stanford, the renowned USA university. I think we can say he’s one of us, working in Human-Computer-Interaction. However, what Clifford has done is to produce guidelines for effective human relationships by researching how we interact with computers. You heard me right. We can learn how to work better with other humans by looking at how humans work with computers. It seems for social science experiments, the computer is the perfect confederate. Here’s Clifford Nass.

So - the point is that humans treat computers and other devices like people: we empathize with them, argue with them, and form bonds with them. We even lie to them in order to protect their feelings. For an insight into Clifford’s methodology, here’s how he investigated whether modesty and self-criticism was a good idea.

So, it seems you can be considered intelligent, but unfriendly or friendly but dumb - but not both. More seriously, modesty might win you friends, but will also be believed, so only criticise yourself when it is accurate and constructive to do so. Here are some of the other guidelines that Clifford’s research has unearthed...

PRAISE

๏ Praise others freely, frequently, and at any time, regardless of accuracy.

๏ Emphasize effort over innate abilities.

The Man Who Lies to His Laptop (Clifford Nass with Corina Yen)

Praise others (but not yourself) freely, frequently, and at any time, regardless of accuracy. Emphasize effort over innate abilities. In other words, praise for taking initiative, completing a difficult task, learning new skills, and acting on criticism. This is growth-minded feedback, and it encourages people to grow and advance.

CRITICISM

๏ Criticise others with caution, keeping it brief and specific, and always with clear follow-up actions

๏ Present ways to improve and resolve the criticism, and emphasize the importance of effort for success.

๏ Afterward, give people time to respond when they are ready.

The Man Who Lies to His Laptop (Clifford Nass with Corina Yen)

Focus on what needs to happen... the steps required to make things right. Don’t place emphasis on the criticism.

MIXING PRAISE WITH CRITICISM

๏ Broad praise

๏ Brief criticism focused on specific steps toward improvement - go deep, not broad

๏ Lengthy and detailed positive remarks

The Man Who Lies to His Laptop (Clifford Nass with Corina Yen)

Avoid the so-called criticism sandwich: Specific negative comments sandwiched between specific positive comments and an overarching positive remark. The idea is that you make the criticism palatable by bracketing the negative remarks with positive ones. It doesn’t work. People think hard about the criticism and forget the rest. Instead, try this. (Give someone specific steps.)

PERSUASION

๏ Your persuasiveness comes down to whether people perceive you as an expert and trustworthy

๏ Being labeled an ‘expert’ or a ‘specialist’ grant you all the persuasive power that actual experts have.

๏ Trustworthiness is generally more persuasive that expertise.

๏ Inconsistency makes you less persuasive.The Man Who Lies to His Laptop (Clifford Nass with Corina Yen)

Your persuasiveness comes down to whether people perceive you as an expert (are you worth listening to) and trustworthy (should you be listened to). Being labeled an ‘expert’ or a ‘specialist’ grant you all the persuasive power that actual experts have.

Body language

Of course, one thing that computer’s don’t have to worry about is body language... Here’s a clip from the current series of The Big Bang Theory. To set the scene, Sheldon is recording his web hit ‘Fun with Flags’.

I think we all know the basics of body language: Smile!, Look interested and attentive, and avoid intense, dominant eye contact. But have you considered micro-inequities? Here’s Micro Messaging author Stephen Young in interview with Canadian television.

Micro message and avoiding Micro inequities may seem challenging, but Stephen says ten simple guidelines will set you on the road to success...

MICRO MESSAGING

๏ Actively solicit opinions

๏ Connect on a personal level

๏ Constantly ask questions

๏ Attribute/credit ideas

๏ Monitor your facial expressions

MICRO MESSAGING

๏ Actively listen to all

๏ Draw in participation

๏ Monitor personal greetings

๏ Respond constructively to disagreements

๏ Limit interruptions

Micro Messaging (Stephen Young)

USEFUL PHRASES๏ ...... (Silence: Beg for forgiveness, not for permission.)

๏ “Do you mind me asking - are you looking for solutions or do you just want to get things off your chest?”

๏ “Which of the solutions you mentioned would you choose?”

๏ “If we were going to meet the delivery date, how could we make that happen?”

๏ “How could we find out...”

Stephen mentioned active listening and asking questions. Whoever you’re working with, here are some useful, constructive, phrases... Pop them at the back of your Moleskine.

EVEN MORE USEFUL PHRASES

๏ “What we might do is...”

๏ “We could do...”

๏ “Would you...”

๏ “I appreciate it when you...”

๏ “I agree with some of what you’re saying, but here’s what I would like to see changed...”

And here are some others, from Dale Carnegie of ‘How to win friends and influence people” fame. [Pause]

SHOW YOUR HRT (HEART)

๏ Humility - you are not center of the universe

๏ Respect - you genuinely care about others you work with

๏ Trust - you believe others are competent and will do the right thing

Team Geek (Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman)http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920018025.do

If I have a message, it’s that we should constantly recognise that software development is a team sport - and to make the most of the team, we need emotional intelligence. ‘Team Geek’ authors Brian W. Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman argue that ‘Almost every social conflict can ultimately be traced back to a lack of humility, respect, or trust.’ So, show your HRT (or Heart)

Staying sane

๏ What am I feeling now?

๏ What am I thinking now?

๏ What am I doing at this moment?

๏ How am I breathing?

Philippa Perry, author of How to Stay Sane, recommends this simple emotional intelligence exercise as the route to sanity... Of course, things don’t always go well. On those days, remember the first rule of consulting.

First Rule of Consulting: No matter how much you try, you can’t stop people from sticking beans up their nose.

Jared Spool - http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/

You might also want to adopt the approach of UK stand-up comedian Sarah Millican...

http://sarahmillican.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-11-o-clock-rule.html

Millican’s Law“This is Millican's Law. If you have a hard gig, quiet, a death, a struggle, whatever, you can only be mad and frustrated and gutted until 11am the next day. Then you must draw a line under it and forget about it. As going into the next gig thinking you are shit will mean you will die.”

“Equally, if you nail it, slam it, destroy it, whatever, you can only be smug about it until 11am the next day (in the past, I have set an alarm so I could get up and gloat for an extra half hour) as if you go into the next gig thinking you are God's gift to comedy, you will die. That is Millican's Law and it totally works. It means you move on quickly.”

After listening to me talk, you may be asking whether all this hard work is worth it. That’s a personal question with a personal answer. My own view is best summed up by a recent documentary film... not about a UX designer, but about an 85-year-old sushi chef. The film is Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI

It’s a wonderful film. Do watch it.

Dziekuje......and good luck

Twitter : @ifenn