what the f**k is an experience architect?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

A story in 137 slides and 2 diagrams

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

But the answer’s obvious, right?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience = Customer experience !

Architect = The guy who does the blueprint

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Therefore... an experience architect creates a blueprint

of the ideal customer experience for the rest of the team to build

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

There’s some truth to this

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Personas capture and summarize customer needs and expectations

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Wireframes are like an architect's blueprints - all "boxes and arrows"

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Functional specifications often read like a development contract

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

But it misunderstands our role

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

It underestimates the need to understand the business...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... and the technology

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

It undervalues the creative input of designers and developers

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

I’ll attempt a better description

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience Architects are problem designers

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Who build a shared understanding of value

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

By doing research, analysis and construction

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< /refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Say wha...?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience Architects are problem designers

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Who build a shared understanding of value

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

By doing research, analysis and construction

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< /refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Let’s break that down

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

What do I mean: “problem design”?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Anytime a brief is written, a problem is being articulated

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

There are better and worse ways of articulating a problem

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

“What are we trying to do here?”

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

“Are you building the right thing?”

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

The target audience just won’t care

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Designing a problem isn't always hard

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience architects aren't the only ones who can do this

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

But experience architects are good at designing complex problems

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

A well-designed problem has clear criteria for evaluating solutions

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Two kinds of criteria...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Objectives & Constraints

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Your objective is your focus; it is the point of the exercise

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

The objective is where the value is

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Poorly designed problems tend to focus on the effort, or the features

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

They focus on output, rather than outcomes

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

“We need a better sign up form” vs

“We need more people to sign up”

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Badly-designed problems presuppose solutions

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience architects try to focus on customer-centred outcomes

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Allowing people to... Encouraging people to...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

This is why I go on about User Stories

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

As a... I want to... So that...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

As a... someone I want to... do something

So that... something good happens

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

If you can’t say what the something good is, the story is fictional

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Articulating outcomes as user stories helps build a shared understanding of

where the value is for users

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

What about constraints?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Constraints are the conditions under which a solution holds it value

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...for the business !

(“is it sustainable?”)

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...for the team !

(“is it achievable?”)

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Constraints are the difference between design and art

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience architects help articulate constraints

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience architects help turn problems into design problems

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

By articulating constraints, we build a shared understanding of value for a project team and their stakeholders

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

<rant>

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Usability is not an objective

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...because it is not a reason for doing anything

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Usability is a constraint

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Usability = the conditions under which someone

can extract some value from your site

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

You can’t make a site “usable in general”

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

A site is usable for someone

who is trying to do something

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

</rant>

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience Architects are problem designers

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Who build a shared understanding of value

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

By doing research, analysis and construction

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< /refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

3 bags of tricks (in no particular order)

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Bag #1: Research

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Research = asking pointed questions

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... of the business

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... of consumers

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... of the team

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

(At Profero...)

The point of research is not to gather information

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

The point of research is 1) to uncover hidden constraints

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

The point of research is 2) to test assumptions about value

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Because every brief and every design contains a theory

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...about what users want

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...how they behave

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...what the business can offer

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...and what’s technically feasible

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Bag #2: Analysis

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Analysis = interpreting patterns (in the performance team)

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Analysis = digging up metaphors (in the UX team)

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Metaphors are pictures we use as a shorthand for reality

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

They always conceal forgotten assumptions

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Metaphors get buried ...inside requirements

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...inside designs

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...even inside databases

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience architects dig up buried metaphors to ensure

they are actually fit for the job

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

and build better metaphors as required

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Because a bad metaphor is like a bad smell

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

It’s very hard to track down, and makes everything seem just

a little bit... off

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

But a good metaphor can make the next step obvious

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...and helps everyone make better compromises

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Bag #3: Construction

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

I don’t mean building things

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

I’m thinking about geometry

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Constructions are visual thought-experiments

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Constructions are a way of stress-testing problems

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... to reveal a way of simplifying them

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

...to break them down into smaller, more digestible parts

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... or, at worst, to get a handle on the kind and level of complexity

we’re dealing with

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Most of the time, wireframes are constructions in this sense

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

That’s why wireframes are not like blueprints

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

What’s important is the act of wireframing, or explaining the

wireframes.

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Because that’s how we clarify and articulate the problem

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Ok, last bit...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Experience Architects are problem designers

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Who build a shared understanding of value

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

By doing research, analysis and construction

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

< /refrain >

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

So... What’s the point of all those

deliverables?

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Research Plans Recommendations

Roadmaps Personas

User Stories Site Structures

Navigation Patterns Wireframes Prototypes

Functional Specifications Usability Tests

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Sometimes these deliverables do end up defining the solution

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Because, often, expressing a problem is finding the solution

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

But that’s not their purpose

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

We make them to share our understanding of the problem and

the value trapped within it

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

The more these deliverables dominate the design process, the less creative that process can be

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

and the less room there is for other creative members of the

team (incl. the client)

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

Ideally, these deliverables are more like scaffolding...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... supports for creative engineering.

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

But no less important...

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... because, without a shared understanding of the problem

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

... you can’t even begin to find a solution worth having.

¨© Justin Tauber, Head of Platforms, Profero Sydney 2013What the f**k is an Experience Architect?

</thanks>