the shift: ux designer as business consultant (2016)
TRANSCRIPT
THE SHIFT UX DESIGNER AS
BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Davide ‘Folletto’ Casali
Manifesto Ibridi F E L L O W
UX REDIRECTOR
NIGHT.EU
ADVISOR
@Folletto
Who here already have a seat at the CxO / VP / MD table?
Frame Canvas BrushesENVIRONMENT PROJECT TOOLS
WHAT SHIFTS?INTRODUCTION
Inertia and resistance to
change
Lack of senior-level
client sponsor for UX
Client doesn’t
understand UX
processes
Client lack of vision,
strategy & business-
case
Lack of resources
Lack of time
Lack of budget
Lack of commitment
to UXDriven by
technology & constraints
Consultant & agency attitudes
Consultant skills &
experience
Politics & organizational
silos
Client doesn’t
measure or understand the
value of UX
Low stakeholder engagement
Ineffective communication & persuasion
BARRIERS TO MAKE UX HAPPEN SURVEY
Thanks to Jason MesutSource: Making UX Happen survey of top 3 barriers (94 respondents)
Micro management
Client unwilling to
learn
Cultural differences
Low design sensibility
Working with
someone not right
Politics
Process issues
Comm. Gaps
Unclear Vision
Lack of Trust
Everyone is a designer
Politics & organizational
silos
Lack of Time
Too Many Stakeholders
Bad Expectations
Source: UXHK 2015 Workshop
Project Management
BARRIERS TO MAKE UX HAPPEN UXHK 2015 WORKSHOP
My Client Does Not Understand Me
My Boss Does Not Understand Me
My ____ Does Not Understand Me
A story— a european telco 4 weeks projectovertimeoverbudgetfrustration
Solved with a 3 hour workshop
We love our craft, often more than results.
Anger. Frustration. Long days.
Misunderstandings.
HUGE EGO
IMPOSTOR SYNDROME
DIFFERENT REASONS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE
(hope you’re not here)
Early Red Flag: Any empty criticism against the client.
A design that doesn't get used is a failed design by definition
THE SHIFTUse the core skills of designers
on a different objective.
ProductDesigner
Organization ProductDesigner
CONWAY’S LAWAny organization that designs a system
will produce a design whose structure is a copy of the organization's communication structure.
Are you designing the ideal organization to craft the final product?
FRAMEPART I
A story— cross-country team for USA client KPI re-alignment projectno objective statedmiddlemenyes-men
Counter-pitched with a new approach
ROI (abbr.)1. Return On Investment The earning power of assets measured as the ratio of the net income (profit less depreciation) to the average capital employed (or equity capital) in a company or project.Expressed usually as a percentage, return on investment is a measure of profitability that indicates whether or not a company is using its resources in an efficient manner. For example, if the long-term return on investment of a company is lower than its cost-of-capital, then the company will be better off by liquidating its assets and depositing the proceeds in a bank. Also called rate of return, or yield.
Budget (noun)An estimate of costs, revenues, and resources over a specified period, reflecting a reading of future financial conditions and goals.One of the most important administrative tools, a budget serves also as a (1) plan of action for achieving quantified objectives, (2) standard for measuring performance, and (3) device for coping with foreseeable adverse situations.
Bottom Line (def.)1. Net Income After Tax 2. What is left after all is said and done.
Risk Analysis (def.)1. Corporate: As a component of risk management, it consists of (1) Identification of possible negative external and internal conditions, events, or situations, (2) Determination of cause-and-effect (causal) relationships between probable happenings, their magnitude, and likely outcomes, (3) Evaluation of various outcomes under different assumptions, and under different probabilities that each outcome will take place, (4) Application of qualitative and quantitative techniques to reduce uncertainty of the outcomes and associated costs, liabilities, or losses.
Scope Creep (def.)Small changes in a plan or project that necessitate other changes which lead to still more changes ... and so on.
Learn Their Vocabulary
EDUCATECan you make the logo bigger?
I need the 12 pages designed by Tuesday.
Can you do your design stuff on this deck?
A week is enough right?
This is her idea and I just think it’s too brilliant to be bothered by rules.
It would save us a lot of trouble if we didn’t have to pay you.
SET EXPECTATIONSHere’s what you are going to get: ____
CANVASPART II
A story— a european bank 1+ years contractRFP identical to existing activitiesthey wanted to replace existing agencyinternal power struggle
We stepped out
Business NeedsTake the brief and identify the end-goal of the project in business terms.
Understand the Business ModelBusiness Model Canvas
Clients from Hell · January 14, 2014
CLIENTWe need you to design an app for our company.
ME Okay. What would you like the app to do?
CLIENTKeep me from losing my job.
Hidden RequestThe untold truth about the project: personal
interests, company politics, etc.
Business Needs
Who pays? Who gains? Who loses?
POLITICS
ImpactSystems
Maintenance
Workflows
Backoffice Work
Other units
Other projects
Campaigns
Brand perception
Agency
Marketing
Client
Development / IT
One Team
Other
Rhythm
do
observe
think
dotL OOP
The Dot Loop, the simplest process possible (2010)
BRUSHESPART III
by Enrico Baldetti
Visualize Everything
WRITE
Write everything. Summarize & send to check. Have a clear call to action. Go for yes/no replies.
If you use the text log against the client, you lost.
PLAN
1-WEEK ITERATIONS
DELIVERABLES DIFFERENT STREAMS
MILESTONESPHASESREVIEWS
A good project manager is your dearest friend.
Frame Canvas BrushesENVIRONMENT PROJECT TOOLS
The ShiftATTITUDE & ORGANIZATION
Is something missing? Let’s have a chat. ;)
“
”Bruno Munari
To complicate is easy, to simplify is hard. To complicate, just add,
everyone is able to complicate. Few are able to simplify.
