1. Selling Design To Human
Beings
13 Communication Anti Patterns That Kill Good Proposals
UPA Conference, Las Vegas, 5 June 2012
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

2. Hello.
@polaroidgrrl
www.polaroidgrrl.com
Martina
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

3. Hello.
@sparrk
sparrk.tumblr.com
James
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

4. Why anti-patterns?
13 anti-patterns
The game
Q&A
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

5. Why anti-patterns?
13 anti-patterns
The game
Q&A
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

6. What is a bad idea?
“Ideas are a matter of taste. What is a good idea to
some is a boring or bad idea to others.
A good idea is a clever solution to a problem, one
that I have never seen before.
But if an idea is not taken up and used as a
solution to a problem, it has no value. It becomes a
non-idea.
Lying in a drawer it is useless. Worse than useless,
it’s a complete waste of space.” ~ Paul Arden
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

8. Why anti-patterns?
13 anti-patterns
The game
Q&A
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

9. 13 Anti-patterns
#1 Speaking different
languages
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

10. 1
#1

11. 13 Anti-patterns
#2 No consistent design
language
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

12. 2
#3
Selling Design to Human Beings - UPA Conference 2012 @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

13. 2

14. 13 Anti-patterns
#3 Creating silos
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

15. 3

16. 13 Anti-patterns
#4 Having different KPIs
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

17. 4

18. 13 Anti-patterns
#5 Not embracing
everyone’s goals
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

19. 5
#5

20. 13 Anti-patterns
#6 Responding to how
they say it, not what
they’re saying
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

21. 6

22. 13 Anti-patterns
#7 Living in the deliverables
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

23. 7

24. 13 Anti-patterns
#8 Insisting on perfection
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

25. 8

26. 13 Anti-patterns
#9 Presenting without
contextualising
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

27. 9

28. 13 Anti-patterns
#10 Throwing deliverables
over the fence
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

29. 10
#10

30. 13 Anti-patterns
#11 Assuming others
‘don’t get design’
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

31. 11

32. 11

33. 11

34. Not-Invented-Here Bias:
We fall in love with our
own ideas.
~ Dan Ariely
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

35. The Toothbrush Theory
Everybody
wants/needs/has
one, no one
wants to use any
body else’s.
~ Dan Ariely
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

36. 11

37. 13 Anti-patterns
#12 Being overly defensive
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

38. 12

39. 13 Anti-patterns
#13 Not being defensive
enough
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

40. 13 Anti-patterns
13
#12

41. “Good design begins with
honesty, asks tough
questions, comes from
collaboration and from
trusting your intuition.”
~ Freeman Thomas
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

42. Why anti-patterns?
13 anti-patterns
The game
Q&A
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

43. Game set-up
Groups of 6 people
1 set of cards per group
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

44. Game goals
Escort the Idea of Wonder
from conception to production
Winner: first to defeat the Big
Bad challenge
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

45. Organise your cards
after 3+ defeat
1x 1x rounds BIG BAD
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

46. Winning a challenge
Character Tactic Challenge
>
+ =
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

47. Game set-up
15:00
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

48. Game rules
Pick a character + tactic each
Then pick up a challenge
Swap tactics to defeat challenge
If not, put the card back
First to accumulate tactics to defeat
the big bad challenge wins
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

49. Why anti-patterns?
13 anti-patterns
The game
Q&A
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

50. References / Further reading
Dan Ariely. Predictably irrational: The hidden forces that shape our decisions. 2009
Dan Ariely. The upside of irrationality: The unexpected benefits of defying logic at work and at
home. 2011
Dr Meredith Belbin. The Belbin Team Inventory. belbin.com
Skott Berkun. Wildfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds. 2011
Eric Fernandez. Royal Society of Account Planning - A Visual Study Guide to Cognitive Biases.
2010
Noah Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, Robert B. Cialdini. Yes! 50 secrets from the science of persuasion.
2007
Jeff Gothelf. Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience. 2012
Michael Lopp. Managing Humans. 2007
Niccolò Macchiavelli. The Prince. 1532
Marty Neumeier. The Designful Company. 2008
C Northcote Parkinson. Parkinson’s Law. 1961
Tom Rachman. The Imperfectionists. 2011
Daniel Sobol. Innovation Is About Arguing, Not Brainstorming. Here’s How To Argue Productively.
fastcodesign.com. 2012
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

51. Photo credits
#2 © Polaroidgrrl #24 © nick in exilio on Flickr
#6 © Pet_r on Flickr #26 © from tvguide.com, Bridezillas Season 7, WE tv
#9 © Polaroidgrrl #28 © the justified sinner on Flickr
#11 © [nancy] on Flickr #30 © Kevin H on Flickr
#12 © Zake Naio on Flickr #32 © Polaroidgrrl
#14 © Polaroidgrrl #33 © Polaroidgrrl
#16 © kelly vandellen, JanGlas on Flickr #36 © digitalnative on Flickr
#18 © Polaroidgrrl #39 © VixensEmpire on Etsy
#22 © MFessides on Flickr #41 © Booknick on Etsy
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk

52. Thanks!
Slides & game at: design-antipatterns.com
Martina Schell James O’Brien
@polaroidgrrl @sparrk
polaroidgrrl@gmail.com james@sparrk.co.uk
#UPA2012 - Selling Design to Human Beings @polaroidgrrl @sparrk