design studio: the user experience practitioner’s secret weapon
DESCRIPTION
We all want the best , but often other priorities get in the way: “Bob from Marketing wants it to…”, “The developers don’t like that approach...”, “That feature is a ‘nice to have’”. This slide deck will walk you through a design studio and how it can be a great tool to align product owners, developers and UX teams on an approach that balances user and business needs.TRANSCRIPT
The Design Studio: The User Experience Practitioner’s Secret WeaponJohn Whalen, PhD Principal, Strategy & User Experience [email protected] brilliantexperience.com @brlexp
Agenda
‣ Introductions
‣ Introduce Brilliant Experience & Methodology
‣ UX Methodology - More than UX
‣ Detail the Design Studio and Its Origins
‣ Introduce Today’s Problem
‣ Work Through Design Studio
‣ Summary Design Studio as Secret Weapon
Introducing Brilliant Experience
Research
Stakeholder Interviews Field Research Competitor Reviews Expert Reviews
Strategy and Ideation
Strategy Workshop Design Studio Rapid Prototyping Iterative Refinement
UX and Design
IA & Flow Interaction Design Concept Realization Visual Design & Branding
Fast Facts
‣ Boutique user experience consultancy
‣ Founded 2011
‣ Founders 15+ years experience in the field
‣ Approximately 1/2 clients large enterprise, 1/2 funded startups
‣ Self-funded, profitable since inception
‣ Annual revenue doubling since founding
Types of Clients
1. Enterprises seeking innovation renewal
- Seek more user research
- Want strategy and ideation guidance
- Need help motivating team
2. Startups seeking professional UX
- Need help getting product to launch
- Want a more professional user experience
Sample Clients
Meet Our Specialists
user experience
usability
designerdeveloper
Innovation Challenge
The world around us is changing faster than ever
Leading companies can falter faster than ever if they fail to innovate.
Having a great brand is not enough.
Having a great brand is not enough.
We support Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs by leading mission-critical UX innovation projects.
How do we “cross the chasm”?
User InsightsGreat Experience,
Successful Product
InsertMagicalProcess
Here
Not recommended
Hard to find
Brilliant’s Methodology
To help you understand what “this” is, let’s play ‘Name that Methodology’
User Stories
1
Design & Develop
2
Feedback
3
User Stories
1
Design & Develop
2
Feedback
3
Agile
Build
1
Measure
2
Learn
3
Build
1
Measure
2
Learn
3
Lean Startup
Lean Startup
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1 2 3 4
Empathize with the audience you are designing for.
Brainstorm possible designs
Build a representation of one or more of your ideas
PrototypeIdeateResearch
Test your ideas for feedback
Test
Copyright © 2012-2013 Brilliant Experience
Empathize with the audience you are designing for.
Brainstorm possible designs
Build a representation of one or more of your ideas
PrototypeIdeateResearch
Test your ideas for feedback
Test
Design Thinking
1 2 3 4
Design Thinking
Design Thinking
Check out IDEO, or as we like to say:
“Brilliant Experience of the west”
A couple books by IDEO founders:
Brilliant’s Agile/Lean/DT Experience
Brilliant’s Methodology Mix
‣ market research (probing individual psyches for needs/desires)
‣ user-centered design
‣ design thinking / innovation techniques
‣ lean startup / agile UX
‣ behavioral economics / persuasive design
!
Plus some: management consulting
UX success lies beyond UX
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
Exploration of solution space Intensive training
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
Exploration of solution space Intensive training
Partner designers / developers Support UX team
Examples
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
What do they say? do? think?
Consumer! Lawyer! Banker!
Neuroscien2st! VAD7Nurse! Drug7Researcher!
Farmer! Federal7Administrator! Mom7/7Chauffeur!
Stakeholder Alignment
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Baseline Testing
UX Lead Technical Lead
User Researcher
Usability Expert
Front-End Developer
Front-End Developer
Interaction Designer
‣ Majority of large organizations use hybrid employee/consultant teams
‣ Provides specialized capabilities when needed
‣ Helps to kick start internal team growth
‣ Allows company to determine which roles should be in house
UX Strategist
consultant
employee
Evaluate The Team
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
CEO: I know you had an agenda, but let’s just sketch our ideas anyway...
Elevator Pitch
Business Needs
Personas
Scenarios
Customer Experience Journey
Early Ideation
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
Exploration of solution space Intensive training
Sketching & Prototyping
Design Iterations
Iterative TestingPRESS GANEY Welcome Lidia | My Account | Customize
Clinical Performer
detail
Volume By Service Line
detail detail detail
detail
detail
Southwest
ORTHOPEDICS
PediatricsEmergency
Surgery
Cardiology
Neurology
Oncology
Hospital Acquired Infection
916%
Physical Restraint Accidental OverdosagesAdverse Blood Reactions
24%
1 2 450% 12%
Complications
24%
2.7%
Mortality
Core MeasuresReadmissions
16%24%
85%24%
1.2%24%
detail
detail
RevenuePerformanceView:Date Range: 1m 3m 1yr YTD Custom Division/Service Linequick Links:
Performance > System Wide
Intensive Training
Summary
Two TracksProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
Exploration of solution space Intensive training
Partner designers / developers Support UX team
PayPalResearch, Strategy, and Redesign
Design Studio in Detail: Origins and Evolution
Design Studio Origins
‣ Design school
- Intensive group critique of work
- Learn through criticism
- Take chances and learn through experimentation
- Everyone learns through design.
Design Studio Evolution
‣ Goals of Design Studio for UX
- Rapidly align team on:
- Internal business goals of project
- Prioritized audiences
- Audience goals and scenarios
- Relationship between business and audience needs
- Rapidly form ideas around
- Possible solutions space
- Early concepts
Design Studio: Components
Elevator Pitch
Business Needs Prioritization
Persona Prioritization & Build
Scenarios
Customer Experience Journey
Early Ideation
Sketching & Prototyping
Design Iterations
Introducing a Design Studio
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Introduction
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Today, we will create the foundation for a winning web strategy and design direction through a strategy workshop & design studio.
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Introduce the design studio process, our goals and activities.
Prioritize business goals. Ensure we are aligned on IRS’ goals for the project and desired outcomes.
Prioritize your audiences, define them create the scenarios in which they would use this product.
Audience NeedsEnterprise NeedsIntroduction
Flesh out best ideas. Get the team to agree on promising conceptual directions through presenting concepts to the team.
Design Studio
The Process
1 2 3 4
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Schedule - Day 1Time Activity & Description
12:30 – 1:00 Kickoff & Introduction
1:00 - 2:00 Elevator Pitch
2:00 - 2:10 Brief Break
2:10 - 3:00 Prioritize Business Objectives
3:00 – 3:20 Prioritize Site Audiences
2:30 - 2:45 Brief Break
3:30 – 4:30 Create & Present User Personas
4:30 - 5:00 Summary & Wrap Up
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Schedule - Day 2
Time Activity & Description
8:00 - 8:20 Day 2 Kickoff
8:20 - 8:30 Stakeholder Comments on Day 1 Findings
8:30 – 9:20 Create & Present User Scenarios
9:20 - 9:30 Brief Break, Design Studio Setup
9:30 – 9:45 Feature Brainstorming Session
9:45- 10:00 Introduction to Conceptual Design & Design Studio
10:00 – 11:15 Homepage Design Sprints
11:15 – 11:45 Group Presentations of Designs
11:45 – 12:00 Wrap up
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Goals
‣ Collaborate
‣ Generate ideas
‣ End up with several good ideas
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Guidelines for the next two days.
1. Minimal phones, tablets, or laptops - we need to focus on the project
- We will give you breaks to get your fix
2. We must generate a lot of ideas quickly
- We will have deadlines to get things done
3. We are not in the idea- or ego-squashing business
- We succeed through a breadth of perspectives
Today’s Workshop Challenge
Problem Statement:
Meet the Lemieux’s, “speak English little bit”
Lemieux’s plan for Washington DC
Meet the Washington Metro
Qu’est-ce que c’est???!!!
Excusé moi?
Will it take my children away from me?
Are there any signs?
Challenge: !
Use design studio to figure out how to make it easier to get a family through the Washington Metro using their mobile phone(s).
Individual Activities
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Elevator Pitch
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Warm Up
‣ The Elevator Pitch
- Work independently
- Present to the group
- One Post-It note per space
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Elevator Pitch
‣ The elevator pitch is a quick assessment of team alignment. The goal is to briefly describe your new product as if you were in an elevator pitching it to a key stakeholder.
‣ We want each individual to describe its audience, their need, the product’s category and biggest benefit, and how it uniquely serves your audience.
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Elevator Pitch
‣ For
‣ who have
‣ _______________ is a
‣ that
‣ Unlike
‣ ______________
(target customer),
(customer need),
(market category)
(one key benefit).
(less efficient option),
(unique differentiator).
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Elevator Pitch - Discussion
‣ Benefits
‣ Time duration
‣ Getting clarity on direction
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Prioritize Enterprise Goals
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Enterprise Goals
‣ List out, group and prioritize all the goals you have as an enterprise.
‣ Goal: Ensure we are all aligned on goals and directions.
‣ Ensure we understand how to create success criteria.
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Enterprise Goals - Discussion
‣ Importance of voting and procedure there.
‣ What if senior stakeholder wants to pull rank?
‣ Demonstrates difference between business goal (I want more people to sign up) and a user goal (they don’t necessarily want to sign up)
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Prioritizing Site Audiences
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Prioritizing Site Audiences
‣ We want to be able to think like your target audience(s)
‣ Create personas that will help us relate to that person and anticipate their action
‣ Steps:
1. Brainstorm to create all the major audiences for the site.
2.Prioritize the audiences
12:30 - 1:15
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Create Personas
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Create Personas
‣ We want to be able to think like your target audience(s) and create personas that will help us relate to that person and anticipate their actions
‣ Team up for this task and provide:
- Name
- Picture
- Description
- Goals & Needs
- Technologies
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Personas - Discussion
‣ What do you like to include in personas?
‣ Are these the right level of fidelity for you?
‣ Have you ever made these with senior folks, developers, marketers and UXers in the same room? What happens if you do?
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User Scenarios
‣ Create the scenarios in which your persona would be using the tool
- Describe the situation and goal of your persona
- How would they use this tool?
- What are they trying to accomplish?
- What information are they seeking?
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User Scenarios - Discussion
‣ Benefits?
‣ How do you do this differently?
‣ What happens when the marketers make one of these (sometimes)?
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Introducing the Design Studio
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Quantity over visual quality. The more ideas the better.
Sell your concept to the group.
Using prioritized user scenarios and business needs.
CritiquePresentIdeate
Creatively based on feedback.
Refine
The Design Studio Process
1 2 3 42 3
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Goals
‣ Collaborate
‣ Generate ideas
‣ End up with several good ideas
Copyright © 2012-2013 Brilliant Experience
Guidelines for the next two days.
1. Minimal phones, tablets, or laptops - we need to focus on the project
- We will give you breaks to get your fix
2. We must generate a lot of ideas quickly
- We will have deadlines to get things done
3. We are not in the idea- or ego-squashing business
- We succeed through a breadth of perspectives
Copyright © 2012-2013 Brilliant Experience
Design Studio Critique
‣ Present, critique, and prioritize interesting ideas
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Concepts & Ideation
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Concepts and Ideation
‣ Use the 8-square page.
‣ Sketch unique ways that the tool might work.
‣ Produce as many as possible. Be creative!
‣ Work independently.
‣ Be prepared to present your work to the group when you are done.
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Concepts and Ideation - Discussion
‣ What do senior executives say when we ask them to do this?
‣ What do we say in response?
!
‣ What are ways this would be hard for you to do at your organization?
!
‣ How is this culture aligned with your organization?
‣ Is there anything else you might do to introduce the concept.
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Detailed Design
‣ Use the 1-square sketching page
‣ Provide more detail about what is on the page and how it would work
‣ You can use sticky notes to annotate the features and functionality
‣ Work in teams
‣ At the end of the session you will present your work to the group
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Detailed Design - Discussion
‣ How many sprints are typically recommended here?
‣ How long should users take for designs?
‣ What happens when they work on teams? Is that an issue?
‣ What outcome are we looking for? (Finished designs?)
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Review Our Work & Shared Understanding
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Review our work
‣ Recognize priorities, top audience needs, promising design possibilities.
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Thank you. Congratulate the team!
Design Studio: Procedural Details
Duration of Meeting
‣ How long have yours been?
- Mine: 1/2 day to 3 days
- 1/2 day - well defined app
- 2 days - typical for larger group that needs to achieve alignment
- 2 days enough to allow for true design studio - detailed design and critique
- Sometimes need longer when there is detailed information about the users available
Selecting Features
‣ Elevator Pitch
‣ Affinity Diagraming
‣ Business Priorities
‣ Prioritizing and building Personas
‣ Prioritizing and building Scenarios
‣ User Experience Mapping
‣ Brainstorm sketch concepts, revise concepts
!
‣ Why/When do any of this?
‣ What is missing?
Workshop Agenda - Day 1
Copyright © 2012-2013 Brilliant Experience
Schedule - Day 1 Time Activity & Description
9:00 - 9:30 Kickoff & Introduction
9:30 - 10:00 Elevator Pitch
10:00 - 10:10 Brief Break
10:10 - 11:30 Review Business Objectives
11:30 - 12:30 Lunch Break
12:30 - 1:15 Prioritizing Site Audiences
1:15 - 2:30 Create User Personas
2:30 - 2:45 Brief Break
2:45 - 3:30 Experience Journey Mapping
3:30 - 4:30 Creating User Scenarios
4:30 - 5:00 Summary & Wrap Up
Workshop Agenda - Day 2
Copyright © 2012-2013 Brilliant Experience
Schedule - Day 2 Time Activity & Description
9:00 - 9:20 Day 2 Kickoff
9:20 - 9:30 Stakeholder Comments on Day 1 Findings
9:30 - 9:40 Brief Break, Design Studio Setup
9:40 - 10:00 Introduction to Conceptual Design & Design Studio
10:00 - 12:00 Homepage Design Sprints
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch Break
1:00 - 3:00 Interior Page Design Sprints
3:00 - 3:15 Brief Break
3:15 - 4:30 Final Design Sprint & Presentation Preparation
4:30 - 5:30 Team Presentations
5:30 - 6:30 After Party
Who to Invite? When to get involved?
‣ Senior Executives / Executive Sponsor
‣ UX
‣ Design
‣ Marketing
‣ Development
‣ Operations
‣ Other channels (print, in-store, phone support)
‣ SMEs
!
‣ Others?
Who to Invite? When to get involved?
Tools You’ll Need
Worksheets, Posters
Elevator Pitch
Defining Characteristics:
Name:
persona sketch sheet
Age:
Gender:
Occupation:
picture description
other
goals & needs technologies
Design Studio in Agile Sprints
One Example from client
Design Studio as UX Secret Weapon
Design Studio - Side Benefits
‣ Understand team dynamics
- See the team working together
- Understand the personalities, roadblocks, willingness to learn, try new things
!
‣ Allow a safe environment to explore new ideas
- Get executive permission (demand) to change
- Give permission to brain storm possibilities
- Provide rare chance for cross discipline interaction (marketing, development, UX, design, sales)
- Align team on way forward, even if underspecified
Design Studio - Side Benefits
‣ Let other team members understand UX and Users
- Challenge other teams to think like the user
- Force prioritization of audiences
- Get those team members to role play as a user, develop empathy
- Demonstrate the challenges of UX design
- Get them to prioritize
- Allow other teams to empathize with the challenges and needs of the UX team
Design Studio - Side Benefits
‣ Get feeling of accomplishment
- Create immediate decisions and deliverables
- Ensure that the team have built something together, for once
- Create a pact between UX, Execs, Developers, Marketers (when does that happen otherwise?)
- Build team camaraderie
Just one piece of the UX puzzleProduct Development Team Development
Empathize with your audience Determine management alignment
Baseline measurement Evaluate the team
Design studio
Exploration of solution space Intensive training
Partner designers / developers Support UX team
Research
Stakeholder Interviews Field Research Competitor Reviews Expert Reviews
Strategy and Ideation
Strategy Workshop Design Studio Rapid Prototyping Iterative Refinement
UX and Design
IA & Flow Interaction Design Concept Realization Visual Design & Branding
Thank you! @brlexp | brilliantexperience.com