don't feed the board monkeys
DESCRIPTION
Board Monkeys. We’ve all worked with them. They’re the ones who make one design after another without a shred of imagination or defensible logic, bringing solutions that 7,500 other designers could have thought of. They’re frustrating as hell. But we’ve also worked with genius. Designers who bring unique value. Who inspire us. Who make us see things differently. Who balance the needs of users, clients, partners and teammates with ease. Design leaders who are clearly the smartest people in the room, and make great work. But what traits differentiate the former from the latter? How do you avoid being a board monkey? Or, as a manager, what should you look for to make sure you’re getting what you need? Whether at a big agency or a tiny startup, the answer doesn’t change. This talk will look at 13 attributes to consider, with discrete examples that illustrate how each has translated to better work for us, and could for you.TRANSCRIPT
WELCOME
• Founded in 1988.
• 1,200+ peeps, 400 dedicated to digital.
• Six factories: Boulder, Miami, LA, Toronto, Gothenburg, and London.
• Part of MDC Partners: “Where Great Talent Lives”.
• “A Holding Company For Smart People”.
A BIT ABOUT CP+B
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OUR ROLEProvide value to clients and consumers through the design of delightful, intelligent and rewarding products, experiences and relationships, both at the micro and macro level.
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Industrial Design
Information Architecture
Game Design
Visual Design
Sonic Design
ArchitectureVirtual Worlds
Retail Design
Are you or is someone you know a “Board Monkey”?
Um.What the hell is a “Board Monkey”?
Story Time.
VIDEO TITLE (1:52)Video description goes here and is really interesting and insightful.
“So how do I avoid Board Monkeys at my workplace?”
-- or perhaps --
“Damn, I think I may be a board monkey.”
The CP+B UX 13
THE CP+B UX 13
1. Passion
PassionCONSIDER:
• Do they excite you?
• Are they cutting you off?
• The “bounce test”.
• Life beyond work.
• Can they control it?
• Relentless pursuit of perfection.
AFFECTS:
• Just a job or loves the journey?
• Willingness to settle for mediocrity.
• Potential to elevate entire team.
THE CP+B UX 13
2. Mental Quickness
Mental QuicknessCONSIDER:
• How long until they could finish your sentence?
• Speed to intelligent answer when put on spot.
• Contextual questions.
• Eye Contact.
• Speed chess.
AFFECTS:
• Approximate Learning Curve.
• Likelihood of being viewed as the smartest person in the room.
THE CP+B UX 13
3. Creative Vision
Creative VisionCONSIDER:
• Can they bring a solution that 7500 other designers couldn’t have thought of?
• Do they hide?
• Picking battles.
• Design Challenge.
AFFECTS:
• How good the work will be.
• How seriously they’ll be taken by other creatives.
• Movement from production shop to creative shop.
WHAT IF…
THE CP+B UX 13
4. Strategic Acumen
Strategic AcumenCONSIDER:
• Can they balance creative aspirations with business realities.
• “In a sentence” challenge.
• Can they defend their decisions?
• “MBA Talk”
AFFECTS:
• Potential for delivering business results.
• Client-facing readiness.
• How seriously they’ll be taken by company and account leadership.
THE CP+B UX 13
5. The Fundamentals
The FundamentalsCONSIDER:
• Can they communicate their vision thru documentation?
• Portfolio.
• Design Challenge(s).
• “What’s wrong with this picture?” challenge.
AFFECTS:
• Working Speed.
• Quality of Deliverables.
• Trust / Need to micro-manage.
• Credibility with teammates.
THE CP+B UX 13
6. Attention To Detail
Attention To DetailCONSIDER:
• Asking questions they haven’t thought of yet.
• Visual polish of their documents.
• Giving you more than you asked for.
• Spelling Mistakes.
AFFECTS:
• Credibility with teammates + clients.
• Quality of Deliverables.
• Trust / Need to micro-manage.
• Likelihood of problems during development.
Prepared for:Cripsin Porter + Boguvsky
THE CP+B UX 13
7. Zoom Control
“The lens through which leaders view the world can help or hinder their ability to make good strategic decisions, especially during crises. Zoom in, and get a close look at select details—perhaps too close to make sense of them. Zoom out, and see the big picture—but perhaps miss some subtleties and nuances…
… Some people prefer to see things up close, others from afar. Both perspectives—worm’s-eye and bird’s-eye—have virtues and pathologies. But they should be vantage points, not fixed positions. Leaders need multiple perspectives to get a complete picture. Effective leaders zoom in and zoom out.”
Rosabeth Moss KanterMarch 2011
Zoom ControlCONSIDER:
• Can they speak to both the micro and the macro strategies and implications of their past projects?
• How high and low can they go?
• Breadth of design challenge solution.
AFFECTS:
• UX team leadership abilities.
• Ability and willingness to get their hands “dirty”.
• Likelihood of Tunnel Vision.
THE CP+B UX 13
8. Comfort In Numbers
Comfort In NumbersCONSIDER:
• Knowledge of digital metrics / analytic systems.
• Their Past Clients.
• Ability to clearly articulate past project performance.
• Design by numbers?
• Education.
AFFECTS:
• Performance and quality of work.
• Defensibility of recommendations.
• Ability to effectively argue with Creatives and Clients.
THE CP+B UX 13
9. Translation Skills
Translation SkillsCONSIDER:
• Can they mold their narratives to each audience?
• “What do they care about” test.
• Do they have backgrounds in any other field?
• Their reading list / blog roll.
AFFECTS:
• Number of rounds for deliverables.
• Ability to sell an idea thru.
• Diversity of perspective when ideating.
TECHNOLOGISTS
DESIGNERSCREA
TIVE
D
IREC
TORS
COPYWRITERS
METRICS
ACCOUNT
PARTNERSCLIENTS
DAY TO DAYC-LEVEL
THE CP+B UX 13
10. Awareness + Inspiration
Awareness + InspirationCONSIDER:
• Blog roll call.
• Inspiration beyond Marketing.
• Ability to abstract.
• Ability to communicate out to others.
AFFECTS:
• Will they stay ahead of the curve?
• Are they content being a “fast follower”
• Will they know more than the client?
• Will they make the whole team better / more inspired?
“Anyone who’s looking for inspiration from other advertisers is in the wrong company.”Alex BoguskyFounding Partner, CP+B
THE CP+B UX 13
11. Platform Jumping
Platform JumpingCONSIDER:
• Understanding of the nuances of designing for each platform.
• Ability to abstract experience design principles from one to the next.
• Ability to push a platform.
AFFECTS:
• Their obsolescence, or not.
• Ability to develop holistic ecosystem strategies.
• Uniqueness of experiences on each platform.
• Number of Dead Ends.
THE CP+B UX 13
12. Lessons Learned
Lessons LearnedCONSIDER:
• Their biggest failures and their responses, both as an individual and as a team.
• Their biggest weakness personally.
• Intangible knowledge acquired during their journey.
AFFECTS:
• Approximate learning curve.
• Teamwork in adversity.
• How quickly they get back up.
• Likelihood for us to repeat the same mistakes.
THE CP+B UX 13
13. People Skills
People SkillsCONSIDER:
• Would you want to grab a beer with this person?
• Do they make the people around them look good?
• Do they know the line?
AFFECTS:
• Will people like them and want to work with them?
• Will the client want to work with them?
• Will they make the work place fun?
1. Passion2. Mental Quickness3. Creative Vision4. Strategic Acumen5. The Fundamentals6. Attention To Detail7. Zoom Control8. Comfort In Numbers9. Translation Skills10. Awareness + Inspiration11. Platform Jumping12. Lessons Learned13. People Skills
THE CP+B
UX 13
