UX Strategy and Organizational Synergy

Jon Innes Liam Friedland UX Strat 2013 11 September 2013

@innes_jon @liamfriedland

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Strategy & The Learning Organization

Strategic planning perspective:

• Will be?

• Should be?

• New?

• Abandon?

To endure an organization must learn and adapt

The Learning

Organization

Group learning

Mentoring (1 to 1)

Individual learning

From “Management: Tasks, Responsibilities and Practices” by Peter Drucker

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Impediment: Organizational Tribalism Developers Designers PM QA

Developers As seen by

Designers As seen by

PM As seen by

QA As seen by

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Collaboration: The Key

•Step outside of your office

•Big picture perspective

•Define strategy for influencing

•How do you work with other groups in your company?

•Cultivate allies

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New relationships that don’t yet exist

Core

Adjacent

10%

Expanding from existing relationships into new

ones

Optimizing relationships with current

partners

Serving existing relationships within the business

Serve adjacent relationships within the business

Outsiders: New ideas and ways of working

Strategically Investing in Relationships

30% 60%

Transformational

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Pathway to Collaboration

Stakeholder Role

• Individual, group, committee? • Approves or supports the change?

Needs & Reactions

• Active, passive, fence-sitter, in opposition? • Expectations, red flags, hot buttons?

Goals & Plans

• Visible support, part of the change? • Directly or indirectly involved?

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Questions Defining UX Strategy

Formative

• What is the problem? • Who is the user?

Ideation

• What are the possible solutions? • How exactly might these solutions work?

Summative

• Does the solution meet users expectations? • How do we measure success?

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Systems Thinking Defines UX Strategy

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX

Formative

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Systems Thinking Defines UX Strategy

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX Ideation

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Systems Thinking Defines UX Strategy

Summative

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX

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Organizing for Innovation

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX

Market Research

Quality Assurance

Domain Experts

Engineering Advertising

Support Brand Strategy

Sales & Marketing

Content Experts

Product Owners

Project Management

Defining the User Experience Function: Organizing for Innovation. Interactions Magazine, 2007

HCI Researchers

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Tactic: Collaborate to Define Backlog

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX

1. Conduct user interviews 2. Draft initial user stories 3. Create initial site map 4. Develop initial wireframes

Work with Product Owner to define requirements

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Tactic: Testing Minimum Viable Prototype

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX

Work with Agile team to test MVP 1. Develop mockups 2. Create prototype 3. Validate with users

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Tactic: Concept Pitch to VCs or Execs

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX 1. Gather scenarios 2. Wireframe key screens 3. Make ’em pretty 4. Build a click thru

Work with entrepreneurs to develop a new product concept or service

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Tactic: Re-Architect a Product

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX 1. Re-imagine direction 2. Build mockups 3. Test designs 4. Create visual language

Work with VP products to reinvent a product category

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Tactic: Integrate Acquired Products

1. Understand usage 2. Leverage & extend

existing patterns 3. Develop new patterns 4. Skin it

Work with product teams to integrate acquired products onto a platform

Formative Research

Summative Research

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Visual Design

Concept Prototyping

UX

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Strategy For Success

• Right people—right time

• Formal & informal channels

• Effective give and take relationships

• Understand perspectives of others

• Know when to fight and when to compromise

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Summary

• Function as a “change agent”

• Partner tactically to achieve strategic goals

• Influence others as part of your “foreign policy”

• Develop cross-org synergies

• Adjust deliverables to align with strategy