organizational parkour: the negotiation game for designers
DESCRIPTION
At IAS09, Matt Milan gave a provocative talk on what he called "Innovation Parkour." Parkour is a way of moving from place to place as efficiently as possible by jumping, vaulting, or climbing around obstacles. His talk was a plea for us to practice our craft so great design can become a reflex in the face of challenge, much as parkour artists view the environment not as a hindrance to their sport but an aid. I believe the equivalent of the built environment in parkour is less the landscape of the design challenges we face than the structures, process, and culture of the organizations in which we do our work. Yes, design exercises make better designers - however, an IA/UXer who can solve wicked problems but who can't get her organization to implement her solutions needs also to be practicing complimentary disciplines: cultural diagnostics, relationship savvy, and communication and negotiation skills. Enter Organizational Parkour, a game where IA/UXers can practice these complimentary skills. The game pits teams against each other to complete deliverables, by role-playing and negotiating based on the tenets of Principled Negotiation. Game players are guided on how to use negotiation skills to manage sticky client issues and see great work to completion.TRANSCRIPT
Organizational ParkourThe Negotiation Game
IA Summit 2013
Joan VermetteExperience Design DirectorMad*Pow
What is parkour?
Georges Hebert
“Être fort pour être utile.”
What parkour looks like
“Parkour is the attainment of
“Parkour is the attainment of human freedom through the built environment”
“Built environment” = Organizations
Designers don’t kill designs:
Designers don’t kill designs:Organizations do
Organizations
OrganizationsCulture
OrganizationsCulture
Personalities
OrganizationsCulture
PersonalitiesKnowledge
But it’s all okay…
Because the difference between this…
And this…
I wouldn’t worry about it none. It was my own dream and they’re only in your head…
Attitude
Practice
You practice so you can invent.
Discipline? No…
The joy of practicing
leads you to the celebration
of the creation
Game
Role Playing Game
1A
Client Role
1B
UX Role
Story Game
The story of a project
Your parkour park
Negotiation
Principled Negotiation
Principled Negotiation Separate the people from the problem
Principled Negotiation Separate the people from the problem Focus on interests, not positions
Principled Negotiation Separate the people from the problem Focus on interests, not positions Invent multiple options looking for mutual gains before
deciding what to do
Principled Negotiation Separate the people from the problem Focus on interests, not positions Invent multiple options looking for mutual gains before
deciding what to do Insist that the result be based on some objective standard
Project brief
Project brief Modifying content and adding a new mini-application to an
existing web property for a large company
Project brief This is a pet project for the business sponsors - they've actually
been lobbying to add this app to their suite for over two years, and they finally got the funding for it - only to find that they didn't have any in-house resources available to do it.
Project brief Hence they've hired you - and rather hurriedly - before they
lose the funding. You've been chosen over three other firms - basically on word of mouth recommendations - and now you're engaged to do the work.
Project brief They have visual designers in house who'll apply their (rather
strict) brand standards and style guide, and the development team who will build the thing according to their coding standards and on their existing platform.
They’re providing the content, though you’ll be responsible for microtext in the application.
Statement of Work Upfront research, including
reviewing internal documents stakeholder interviews user interviews.
Design Studio workshop Wireframe initial key screens Detailed wireframes of all the flows
Project Brief
Game Mechanics
Teams Break up into teams of an even number of players
Roles and Turns Break up into roles
within teams: UX role Client role
Client Role
UX Role
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
2
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
2
3
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
2
4
3
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
2
4
5
3
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
2
4
6
5
3
Roles and Turns Turns should alternate
between the UX and Client roles.
Client Role
UX Role
1
6
The Cards The script of the story is on a deck of
cards. Each card is a part of the story in the process of creating a deliverable.
The object: create deliverables The object of the game is create
deliverables by playing cards in order.
You can play deliverables out of order within rounds.
Some of the cards the team needs are in the clients’ hands, some are in the UX team’s hands.
Dealing, drawing, discarding You’re dealt a hand of
cards from your role’s deck.
Dealing, drawing, discarding The remainder of the cards
becomes a draw pile with a discard pile.
If you can’t play a card in order, discard and pick up another from the draw pile. If you can’t play that, the turn goes to the other role.
NEGOTIATE All of these deliverables have at least one
‘hurdle’ – a point of conflict which will require the UX role players to negotiate.
You can’t finish a deliverable without negotiating. You don’t get points for deliverables you don’t finish.
Negotiation rules: Tip Cards When the UX Team negotiates,
they must do two things:
1. Pick up a “Tip Card” and read it aloud to the team.
2. Pay your client three chips. The Client team can decide, based on the skill of the negotiator, to pay back some, none, or all of the three chips.
Negotiation rules: Chips
Timing and Game Play The game is in three phases:
Discovery: Deliverables 1 – 4 Research and Design Studio Workshop: Deliverables 5 - 8 Design: Deliverables 9 - 10
We’ll take 15 minutes per phase – I’ll time you.
Ready? Let’s go!
Feedback Was the negotiation hard enough? Too hard? Why? Did you feel engaged enough with the story? What would
make you more engaged? Did you recognize the conflicts? What could be done to
enhance them? Did the tip cards make sense? Were they helpful? How could the game mechanics be improved?
Photo attributions Cover: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jb-london/8541822833/ Slide 3: http://vigoextreme.es/george-hebert-y-el-metodo-natural-de-cultura-fisica/ Slides 4 - 6: stills from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMppD-bUNWo Slides 10 - 11: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtefft/3776069630/ Slide 9, 12 - 15: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zustand/6027929617/ Slides 16 & 17, copyright Joan Vermette, 2004. Slide 19 : http://weheartit.com/entry/44839589 Slide 20: Photo: http://www.htbackdrops.com/v2/albums/userpics/11724/Cecil_Taylor_01.jpg Audio clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNXvQaBEByg Slide 23: http://www.flickr.com/photos/workandtumble/2547951156/sizes/z/in/photostream/ Slides 24 - 25: http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan/7700796738/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Slide 26: https://www.etsy.com/listing/91868368/getting-to-yes-negotiating-agreement Slide 38: http://www.flickr.com/photos/64498037@N00/4181289751/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Slide 54: copyright Joan Vermette, 2013.