integrating ux in to a growth digital agency

UXAndrew Shanley

@ a n d y s h a na n d y @ a n d r e w s h a n l e y. c o . u k

Integrating

In to a Growth Digital Agency

A n d r e w S h a n l e y@ a n d y s h a n

What's coming up...


The Growth Digital Agency (GDA) Challenges

Introduction to UX

Why UX matters / ROI

Current and future issues

The Working UX team

UX Vs IA

Where UX fi ts in to the development cycle

What service we provide, and when (Engagement model)

What's coming up


The Growth Digital Agency (GDA)- Challenges


A Growth Digital Agency is an agency that's growing fast! With this comes it's own challenges. Some common themes:

Cost: "UX is expensive - we can't afford it"

Importance: "UX will eats in to project time"

Agency size: "Do we need to a UX department?"

Understanding: "Clients don't get UX.. WE don't get UX"

Is it really being practised? : "We already do wireframes!"

Challenges


So why do UX in the first place?


h t t p : / / w w w. n n g r o u p . c o m / a b o u t /h t t p : / / w w w. u x - l x . c o m / d o n n . h t m lh t t p : / / w w w. i x d s t u d i o . c o m / b l o g / 8 - t h i n g s - e v e r y - u i - d e s i g n e r - s h o u l d - k n o w /h t t p : / / u x d e s i g n . s m a s h i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m / 2 010 / 10 / 0 5 / w h a t - i s - u s e r - e x p e r i e n c e - d e s i g n - o v e r v i e w - t o o l s - a n d - r e s o u r c e s /

Coined by Dr. Donald Norman*, 'user experience' (UX) is "design centered on the user’s wants and needs – an experience that gets beyond business

goals and digs into users’ goals" (circa 1993)

UX is the notion that not only design but strategic decisions should be based on the needs and wants of users.

*Nor man is a cognit ive sc ience researcher, co- founder of Nielsen Nor man Group and for mer vice-president of Apple .

A definition


In a commercial context

R A Z O R B R A N D I N G ™ : B R A N D I N G T O U C H P O I N T S : h t t p : / / w w w. t h e r u s s o g r o u p . c o m / b r a n d i n g - t o u c h p o i n t s /

UX design is driven by consideration of the moments of engagement, or touchpoints, between people and brands, and

the ideas, emotions, and memories that these moments create.


The product The experience

A better definitionCLIENT

needs

USERneeds

USERneeds

CLIENTneeds

Moment of engagement

strategy


Why UX matters


The ROI of UX

Reduced COST

Increased PRODUCTIVITY

Increased SALES

Increased BRAND LOYALTY

Increased BRAND ADVOCACY

User centred product + increased client buy-in+ user testing at earlier stages =Fewer latter-stage iterations and code-rewrites

Users can fulfi l their tasks faster, less effort required

Pain points reduced, reduced barrier to sales( h t t p : / / w w w. u i e . c o m / a r t i c l e s / t h r e e _ h u n d _ m i l l i o n _ b u t t o n / )

Pleasant emotions and memories associated with product and brand.. .

. .tell all your friends about it!

U X B a s i c s & T h e R O I O f U X : h t t p : / / w w w. s l i d e s h a r e . n e t / a l g o r h y t h m / u x - b a s i c s - t h e - r o i - o f - u x


The ROI of UX

Reduced COST

Increased PRODUCTIVITY

Increased SALES

Increased BRAND LOYALTY

Increased BRAND ADVOCACY

User centred product + increased client buy-in+ user testing at earlier stages =Fewer latter-stage iterations and code-rewrites

Users can fulfi l their tasks faster, less effort required

Pain points reduced, reduced barrier to sales( h t t p : / / w w w. u i e . c o m / a r t i c l e s / t h r e e _ h u n d _ m i l l i o n _ b u t t o n / )

Pleasant emotions and memories associated with product and brand.. .

. .tell all your friends about it!

U X B a s i c s & T h e R O I O f U X : h t t p : / / w w w. s l i d e s h a r e . n e t / a l g o r h y t h m / u x - b a s i c s - t h e - r o i - o f - u x

Or, rather than increased brand advocacy, could the measure be a

reduction in brand opposition ?


So, we need to sellthis approach ( ) back in to the client

There is much value

to be had.. ..in designing around user needs

USERneeds

CLIENTneeds


UX Scope: where UX gets involved


UXers sit further toward the ‘person’ end of the scale, focusing on understanding end users, stakeholders, and what is going to work well for them as a wholistic experience.

The GDA's UX team should work closer with the Insights, analytics and research departments

The GDA's UX teams' aim is to add strategic value to project teams.

The Elements of User Experience (2002)J e s s e J a m e s G a r r e t t h t t p : / / w w w. j j g . n e t / e l e m e n t s /

The User Experience strategy


GDA UX team touchpoints: bridging disciplines

User researchContent strategy

Information architecture

Interaction design

Usability

Visual design

T h e U X U m b r e l l a [ a d a p t e d ] , D a n W i l l i s ( @ u x c r a n k ) 2 011

strategy

dev.

Bridging UX with those assoc iated d isc ip l ines , on

e i ther s ide , in other areas o f the companyUX


GDA UX team touchpoints: information architecture


Visual design

T h e U X U m b r e l l a [ a d a p t e d ] , D a n W i l l i s ( @ u x c r a n k ) 2 011

strategy

dev.


Interaction design

Usability

Information architecture Bridging UX with those assoc iated d isc ip l ines , on



GDA UX team touchpoints: test iteratively


Visual design

strategy

dev.


Interaction design

UsabilityBridging UX with those assoc iated d isc ip l ines , on



Testhypothesis

Testhypothesis

Testhypothesis

Testhypothesis


GDA team and structure


UX

F o c u s e s i n g a t h e r i n g i n s i g h t sa b o u t t h e u s e r s f r o m s o c i a l n e t w o r k s ,

s u r v e y s , i n t e r v i e w s a n d w o r k s h o p s . C r e a t e s p e r s o n a s t o s y m b o l i c a l ly

r e p r e s e n t e n d - u s e r g r o u p i n g s

GDA UX Team

User Researcher Information Architect User TesterC r e a t e s hy p o t h e s e s , r e s e a r c h e s h o l i s t i c a n d

c o mp e t i t o r e n v i r o n e m n t s , w o r k s w i t h p e r s o n a s a n d u s e r r e s e a r c h t a k e - aw ay s t o

c r e a t e n av i g a t i o n a n d h i e r a r c h i c a l s t r u c t u r e s ( fl o w d i a g r a m s , s i t e m a p s ,

c o n t e n t m a p s , w i r e f r a m e s , s t o r y b o a r d s , e t c )

T e s t s hy p o t h e s e s . C r e a t e s w a l k - t h r o u g h s u s i n g A x u r e , o r

I n v i s i o n A p p .


GDA UX competency levels

Information Architect (IA) UX Senior UX

Junior Mid-weight Senior

IA concer ns str uctureEmphasis on del iverablesVer y hands onBAU: Business as usual workAspire to g row in to UX role

User Experience concer ns emotionEmphasis on faci l i tating engagement

Bridging research and design teamsTraining IA and mid-weights

Brief / RFP interpretation

Title

Competency

Emphasis


Issues identified


What we've heard you say (account managers)...

"Let's just do some wireframes"The poor mans designer

"This needs to be UX'd"The buzz word

"We've done this design, it's not quite working, can you look at it?"

[on a new project]

The afterthought (usability audit)

= We know UX needs to be applied, but we don't quite get the where, when and how.. .


Why? Because UX is not UI - It's much more...

StrategyUser needs

Client / product objectives

ScopeFunctional specs

Content requirements

StructureInteraction design


SkeletonInterface design

Navigation design

Information design

SurfaceVisual design

I c e b e r g o f I A , P e t e r M o r v i l l e 2 0 0 0


Why? Because UX is not UI - It's much more...


How we can make this even better


Design

UX is not (only) about design or wireframes, nor is it solely about creating and handing off design deliverables.

We must continue to avoid the user experience from becoming the final part of the equation


Deployment

Business as usual

(BAU)Strategy and

planning

Development Design

UX touches pretty much all stages of the project lifecycle

Requirements analysis and

user research


. .It's more like thisD e p l oy m e n t

B u s i n e s s a s u s u a l

( BAU )

Strategy and planning

DevelopmentDesign and

user testing

Requirements analysis and

user research

C l i m a t e / h o l i s t i c / b e s t o f b r e e d r e s e a r ch

C o l l e c t a n d i n t e r p r e t s o c i a l d a t a , a n a ly t i c s a n d s e a r ch d a t a

I n t e r p r e t i n g c l i e n t / s t a ke h o l d e r b r i e f

D e t e r m i n e u s e r s t o r i e s ,

Wo r k s h o p s , s u r ve y s a n d i n t e r v i e w s

W i r e f r a m i n g a n d s t o r y b o a r d i n g

P r o t o t y p i n g

C r e a t i n g a n d w o r k i n g o f f p e r s o n a s

P r e s e n t a t i o n s

Q u a l i t y a s s u r a n c e ( Q A )

Q u a l i t y a s s u r a n c e ( Q A )

A / B a n d c l i ck t e s t i n g

Put in to perspective

C o n t e n t a u d i t

P r o c e s s fl ow s / u s e r j o u r n e y s

C a r d s o r t - > S i t e m a p / c o n t e n t m a p


To be reviewed as UX team grows. If in doubtTalk with the Head of UX

Any budget, any size Smaller project with lesser budgets

Engagement model:On what scale should UX resource be used?

Websites, intranets, microsites

Channels[E.g. Youtube/other]

N/A - unless complex

Infographics and single Facebook pages

With a small team and a large amount of work coming in, how can we ensure only those projects requiring UX, get UX. Rule of thumb: UX to be used when the

following criteria is met (this will differ per GDA):


Deployment

Business as usual

(BAU)Strategy and

planning

Development

Requirements analysis

Design

Strategy and planning

Engagement model:At what point should UX be kicked off?

Head of UX is to work closely with producers and accounts to assist with:- Defi ning UX scope of work i .e. what UX process to use*- Timings- UX/IA resource allocation

*The scope o f UX required d i f fers pro ject to pro ject .

Some pro jects may require wireframes only.

Some may require fu l l research, surveys , interviews, s tor ies , s i te maps , jour neys , prototypes , wireframes .

Here


Integrating UX in to a largely tech-focused agile way of working (diffi cult, but can be done)

Getting UX and dev organised; establishing the relationship betweenProduct Owners and UX; getting UX work into the backlog; etc

Potential inner-departmental fi ghting for allocation of resourceUX wants MORE, Design wants MORE, Tech wants MORE…

New starter knowledge - particularly on account/producer team:Communicating the fundamentals

UX is a new area and the team is growing and evolving - how do we communicate changes?

More of these presentations every 3 / 6 months

Challenges


UX should be something a GDA sells to clients - it 's not 'added' value; it adds real strategic signifi cance. There is actual ROI - something to explore further

UX is not (only) about UI or wireframes. It 's about understanding a users emotional connections at various touch points with the brand or product

The core UX team of a GDA consists of a User Researcher, Information Architect, and a User Tester. Skills will sometimes overlap. Communication must always overlap.

Collaboration is key.

The role of an Information Architect is about the hands-on organisation of data and content i .e. the creation of site maps, wireframes and prototypes

The role of Head of UX is about defi ning the UX process per-project, working on briefs and RFP's, and bridging UX disciplines with associated disciplines in other areas of the company > strategy,

research, analytics, design

UX is to be kicked off at the strategic/onboarding stage

The UX process dif fers depending on client, budget, resource, timescales, scope

Takeaways

Thank you

Andrew Shanley@ a n d y s h a n

a n d y @ a n d r e w s h a n l e y. c o . u k

integrating ux in to a growth digital agency

Technology

d o n n

h u n d

n h t t p

n d y s h

e s t h r e e

i d e s h

s h i n g

n d r e w s h