Since so many ask so often, I will finally share my #UX process (a thread):
1) Get clear on why this app, site or system exists, who needs it and what they expect to be able to do with it.
2) Assess the current state of the app, site or system and map out how people use it.
3) Determine where and how the product (and the company) is falling short and what the consequences of each of those instances are, for users and for the business (existing or new research).
4) Prioritize and rank those failure areas: how bad and how often?
7) Be willing to completely blow all of this up and do something else entirely depending on the company, the team, the users, customers, constraints, etc.
8) Never introduce *anything* that forces teams to alter their current processes, because (a) that requires change across the ENTIRE organization and its infrastructure, which isn't gonna happen and (b) no one's gonna be willing to do more work than they're doing now.
And finally...
9) Don't make a ridiculous fucking diagram of the process that grossly overcomplicates any/all of the above for no good reason.
I was in a meeting once where there was a religious argument between groups of developers, database folks, product owners and executive managers.
The topic: why a certain report screen was taking so long to load.
(1/12)
It was a report clients were asking for; they log in, enter their credentials, enter a date range, set some filters — and then the system would literally take up to three full minutes to fully load the report.
You literally got a blank screen for several minutes.
(2/12)
The database folks are barking: "our infrastructure prevents us from doing this any other way, dev needs to do things differently." #Developers fire back: "it's a needlessly complex data structure." #UX folks are angry with both groups: "we TOLD you this would happen."
A significantly large number of companies and organizations share three specific traits when it comes to #UX improvement and #ProductDesign in general:
1 - They don’t really know what their users or customers actually want.
(1/13)
2 - They’re under the mistaken assumption that surveys or their NPS scores tell them what the value of their product/service is to those users.
3 - They’re not willing to allow you to talk to those users to find out what they actually need or hope to accomplish.
(2/13)
I get enough emails and DMs every day to tell me that this is reality for most of you. And the question folks ask me is always the same:
What the hell do I DO?
My answer tends to ruffle some feathers, but here it is.
Them: "We never have enough time to do proper user interviews."
Me: "How much time do you have?"
Them: "a week."
Me: "Let me tell you a story..."
And the story, #UX and #design friends, goes like this:
(1/11)
I was consulting with an organization, whose team needed to do some research; interviews specifically. They said "well, we have 24 hours based on our schedule…but we have to get to this other work to make deadline and right now it's all hands on deck."
(2/11)
So the team can't spare the manpower or the people and there were lots of reasons why that date couldn't move. In the end, we got eight hours.
Eight hours to talk to users and get some sense of what's going on here.
I will be 54 this year. I have helped product design and development teams and individuals in startups, mid sized orgs and global Fortune 100 orgs in 23 U.S. states and six countries in almost every industry you can think of for thirty (30) years.
(1/11)
And across that span and across all those companies and industries, I have seen the same patterns and the same situations over and over and over again when it comes to the power, autonomy and authority far too many people assume #UX and #UI Designers have.
(2/11)
The common thread over every experience across that time is that the majority of organizations still operate in command-and-control fashion when it comes to Design + UX.
The marginalization, devaluing + disempowering of UX and Design folks isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.
Ever wonder why executives and bosses are often so resistant to doing #UX work?
Why they seem to become personally offended at the very mention of user research or #IA or prototyping, in a way as if you were suggesting a diabolical plot to overthrow the government?
(1/9)
From "we don’t have time for that," to "we know what our customers want," to "just make the #UI better looking," the wall of rejection is thrown up fast and furious.
Where does this come from, and more importantly, how do you deal with it?
(2/9)
Let’s start here: most people in management or executive positions can’t truly see what’s broken, because they’re usually only looking at the side that’s working.
To me, EVERY meeting is a working meeting. So the very first time I speak to a room of stakeholders during a consulting gig, I am absolutely not doing the dog-and-pony show of presenting with slides.
(1/12)
I am here to do one thing and one thing only: make an IMPACT.
Leave a firm, lasting impression that they will not ever meet another consultant cares as much about helping them succeed as I do.
Which means I’m here to talk about *them.*
(2/12)
What they need. What they’re struggling with. What they think is wrong and what needs to be made right.
This also means that even if I don't have the gig yet, instead of sitting politely + taking turns, we’re going to dive in together + interact. Trade ideas.