This is the updated version of my successful Interaction 14 talk: http://www.slideshare.net/folletto/the-shift-ux-designers-as-business-consultants
UX is a broad field and designers are increasingly playing a strategic role in many companies. Be that designer.
Businesses are increasingly adopting user-centered approaches to create experiences, moving UX design to be one of the core activities driving the company strategy and operations.
This is an incredibly valuable opportunity that we designers can take to step up and contribute to create the great experiences and services they envision, taking our vision, tools and understanding to a different level. But we need to learn the new skills to play at this table, a table that's often speaking a different language with a lot of politics and different stakeholders.
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The Shift: UX Designer as Business Consultant (2016)
8. 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 Mesut
Source: Making UX Happen survey of top 3 barriers (94 respondents)
26. A story—
cross-country team for USA client
KPI re-alignment project
no objective stated
middlemen
yes-men
Counter-pitched with a new approach
27. 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
28. EDUCATE
Can 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.
31. A story—
a european bank
1+ years contract
RFP identical to existing activities
they wanted to replace existing agency
internal power struggle
We stepped out
34. Clients from Hell · January 14, 2014
CLIENT
We need you to design an app for our company.
ME
Okay. What would you like the app to do?
CLIENT
Keep me from losing my job.
35. Hidden Request
The untold truth about the project: personal
interests, company politics, etc.
Business Needs
43. 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.