Linda Luu presented on Agile Design at Agile East 2011. Some key points: 1) Traditional design places user feedback late in the process, while Agile design engages users early and often with prototyping for rapid feedback. 2) Agile design uses a framework of short iterative cycles of concept creation, design, testing, and building to deliver concepts. 3) Benefits include the ability to respond to change, continuous feedback, avoiding rework, and implementing a validated design.

1. Linda Luu • Agile East 2011
!"#$#%&'#(%)*+,-'%.%,#/'$012%#&%3#"0(0%%

2. Financial Services + Product Development + Design
Sydney → Atlanta → Calgary → Seattle

3. WHAT IS AGILE DESIGN?

4. ‘Traditionally” user feedback is late
in the delivery process...
Delivery
Concept % Envisioning Iteration 0 Iteration 1 % Release
Process
Customer
Engagement %

5. Agile design engages users
early and often
Delivery
Concept % Envisioning Iteration 0 Iteration 1 % Release
Process
Customer
Engagement %

6. And prototyping for fast,
rapid feedback with users & stakeholders

7. How?

8. A framework
Concept Delivery
Inception
Ideas > Test Ideas › Test Ideas › Test Design › Test › Build Design › Test › Build Design › Test › Build Design ›
Part 1 Part 2
Create the concepts Deliver the concepts

9. Part 1: Creating the concepts
Research Ideas Test & evaluate

10. “If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses.”
— Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company

11. Case Study

12. Checkpoint: Project Inception
Concept Delivery
Inception
Ideas > Test Ideas › Test Ideas › Test Design › Test › Build Design › Test › Build Design › Test › Build Design ›
Business + Design + BA + Tech Lead + Developers
Delivery Focus
Business Focus
Strategy + Design + BA + Tech Lead / Architect

13. Are you ready to ramp up your delivery team?
So we’re all agreed then!

14. Part 2: Short cycles of design, test, build
Concept Delivery
Inception
Ideas > Test Ideas › Test Ideas › Test Design › Test › Build Design › Test › Build Design › Test › Build Design ›
Business + Design + BA + Tech Lead + Developers
Delivery Focus
Business Focus
Strategy + Design + BA + Tech Lead / Architect

15. 10
– tried & tested techniques –
TO GET YOU
UNSTUCK

16. 1
Ramp up your dev team
when you have a concept
agreed and tested.

17. 2
Design for
everyone and you
design for no one

18. 3
People design better
together.

19. 4
Successful
solutions
live here
Will customers buy it?
Is it feasible? Is it viable?

20. 5
Keep it visual.

21. 6Greenhouse.
Never sh*!house.

22. 7
Stay ahead, but not too far ahead.
“The developers are chomping
on our h!ls again!”

23. 8
Focus on the minimum
viable prototype.

24. 9
The software is
the deliverable.

25. 10 The design
is never finished.

26. How is this different?
! Just enough of a concept, tested with users, to begin
development
! Designers imbedded in project teams
! Short, iterative cycles of design, test, build
! Cross-functional teams (full-time)
! Team collaboration space & wall
! Just enough design (low fidelity)
! Just enough research
! Focus on working software as the deliverable

27. The benefits
! Ability respond to change
! Customer focused culture
! Avoiding rework of obvious usability issues
! Implementing a design that is true to concept
! Continuous feedback loop
! Clarity of investment at governance level
! Seed funding to further explore concepts
outside annual funding process

28. “Fail early and often,
in order to succeed sooner.”
— Tom Kelley, IDEO

29. I’d love to hear from you!
linda.luu@thoughtworks.com