User experience is no longer just the remit of designers. Everything from server infrastructure, to API design, to page load time can affect the experience of the things we design and build. With so many variables affecting the outcome, how can UX designers truly design that experience?
The truth is that the most effective designers have strong leadership qualities. An effective leader is positive, empathetic, a good listener and an efficient communicator. A great leader is able to motivate the team, create cohesion, and set direction for an organisation or project.
Lily will talk about the leadership qualities designers need to work with complex projects in multidisciplinary teams. She’ll show that many designers already have the building blocks of these qualities, and what can happen when we design without applying leadership thinking.
6. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
Experience
A series of interactions
Invoking an emotion
A coherent journey
7. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
A series of interactions
Invoking an emotion
A relationship
A coherent journey
Experience
27. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
Design principles
Designing for “users”
Designing for audiences
Designing for experience
28. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
Design principles
Designing for “users”
Designing for audiences
Designing for experience
36. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
Too many people view management as leadership.
It's not. Leadership comes from influence, and
influence can come from anyone at any level and in
any role.”
Kurt Uhlir
“
39. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
EmpathyEmpathy
Getting groups of people excited about an idea
requires understanding what motivates them. ”
Bryan Zmijewski
“
42. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They understand our individual needs
They listen to our expertise
>
>
A good leader is empathetic
43. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They understand our individual needs
They listen to our expertise
They listen to, and prioritise, our concerns
>
>
>
A good leader is empathetic
44. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
When there is no empathy, you get:
Lack of commitment
to decisions
45. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“I decided not
to it that way”
When there is no empathy, you get:
Lack of commitment
to decisions
46. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“I decided not
to it that way”
“The developer didn’t
follow my design”
When there is no empathy, you get:
Lack of commitment
to decisions
47. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“I told the designer we
couldn’t do that”
“I decided not
to it that way”
“The developer didn’t
follow my design”
When there is no empathy, you get:
Lack of commitment
to decisions
48. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“I thought someone
else was doing that?”
“I decided not
to it that way”
Lack of commitment
to decisions
“The developer didn’t
follow my design”
“I told the designer we
couldn’t do that”
When there is no empathy, you get:
50. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They can put themselves in a users shoes>
A good designer is empathetic
51. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They can put themselves in a users shoes
They are good at understanding human behaviour
>
>
A good designer is empathetic
52. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They can put themselves in a users shoes
They are good at understanding human behaviour
They can prioritise the needs of others
>
>
>
A good designer is empathetic
53. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Use empathy to connect with colleagues
To avoid lack of commitment
54. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Understand what motivates them>
Use empathy to connect with colleagues
To avoid lack of commitment
55. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Understand what motivates them
Take time to understand their concerns
>
>
Use empathy to connect with colleagues
To avoid lack of commitment
56. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Understand what motivates them
Take time to understand their concerns
Consider colleagues needs as you would users need
>
>
>
Use empathy to connect with colleagues
To avoid lack of commitment
57. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Understand what motivates them
Take time to understand their concerns
Consider colleagues needs as you would users need
>
>
>
Use empathy to connect with colleagues
To avoid lack of commitment
58. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Direction and focus
The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing
people around a shared vision”
Ken Blanchard
“
60. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They communicate goals, not details>
A good leader sets direction and focus
61. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They communicate goals, not details
They explain why those goals are important
>
>
A good leader sets direction and focus
62. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They communicate goals, not details
They explain why those goals are important
Open to change when change is necessary
>
>
>
A good leader sets direction and focus
63. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
When there is no direction and focus, you get:
Conflict
64. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
When there is no direction and focus, you get:
Conflict
“The current
trend is…”
65. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“This is best practice”
When there is no direction and focus, you get:
Conflict
“The current
trend is…”
66. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“This is best practice”
When there is no direction and focus, you get:
“Because I’ve been doing
this for 10 years”
Conflict
“The current
trend is…”
67. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“This is best practice”
When there is no direction and focus, you get:
Conflict
“Because I’ve been doing
this for 10 years”
“The current
trend is…”
68. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“The current
trend is…”
“Won’t work because
of the flux capacitor”
“This is best practice”
When t
Conflict
“Because I’ve been doing
this for 10 years”
70. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They keep designs goal focused>
A good designer promotes direction and focus
71. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They keep designs goal focused
They make design decisions with intent
>
>
A good designer promotes direction and focus
72. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They keep designs goal focused
They make design decisions with intent
They are keen to measure and improve
>
>
>
A good designer promotes direction and focus
74. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
> Don’t wait for someone else to define those goals
Set goals for your work
To avoid conflict
75. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
Set goals for your work
Don’t wait for someone else to define those goals
Define metrics to measure your success
To avoid conflict
76. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
If something isn’t working, change it
>
>
>
Set goals for your work
Don’t wait for someone else to define those goals
Define metrics to measure your success
To avoid conflict
77. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
If something isn’t working, change it
>
>
>
Set goals for your work
Don’t wait for someone else to define those goals
Define metrics to measure your success
To avoid conflict
78. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“
Collaboration
Individual commitment to a group effort -
that is what makes a team work.”
Vince Lombardi
80. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They make space for new ideas to be considered>
A good leader facilitates collaboration
81. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They make space for new ideas to be considered
They empower teams to make their own decisions
>
>
A good leader facilitates collaboration
82. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They make space for new ideas to be considered
They empower teams to make their own decisions
They don’t claim personal credit for successes
>
>
>
A good leader facilitates collaboration
83. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Blame
When there is no collaboration, you get:
84. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“The feature
description was unclear”
Blame
When there is no collaboration, you get:
85. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“The feature
description was unclear”
Blame
When there is no collaboration, you get:
“That wasn’t
the palette
I specified”
86. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“The feature
description was unclear”
Blame
When there is no collaboration, you get:
“The developer
implemented my
design badly”
“That wasn’t
the palette
I specified”
87. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
“The developer
implemented my
design badly”
“The feature
description was unclear”
“That wasn’t
the palette
I specified”
“The QA should
have checked that”
Blame
When there is no collaboration, you get:
89. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They are open to feedback and new ideas>
A good designer facilitates collaboration
90. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They are open to feedback and new ideas
They create assets that are easy to reuse
>
>
A good designer facilitates collaboration
91. @lily_dart
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
User experience design & user research
They are open to feedback and new ideas
They create assets that are easy to reuse
They present information in a way users can understand
>
>
>
A good designer facilitates collaboration
92. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Design for internal collaboration
To avoid blame
93. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Design for internal collaboration
> Consider your team your users when presenting ideas
To avoid blame
94. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
Design for internal collaboration
Consider your team your users when presenting ideas
Avoid using jargon others may not fully understand
To avoid blame
95. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
>
Design for internal collaboration
Consider your team your users when presenting ideas
Avoid using jargon others may not fully understand
Focus your communication on what is relevant to them
To avoid blame
96. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
>
Design for internal collaboration
Consider your team your users when presenting ideas
Avoid using jargon others may not fully understand
Focus your communication on what is relevant to them
To avoid blame
98. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
> Help colleagues to problem solve, don’t solve for them
Empower your colleagues to be design-led
99. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
Help colleagues to problem solve, don’t solve for them
Focus advice on value and impact, not “best practice”
Empower your colleagues to be design-led
100. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
>
Help colleagues to problem solve, don’t solve for them
Focus advice on value and impact, not “best practice”
Don’t be “the expert”, be the mentor
Empower your colleagues to be design-led
101. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
>
>
>
Help colleagues to problem solve, don’t solve for them
Focus advice on value and impact, not “best practice”
Don’t be “the expert”, be the mentor
Empower your colleagues to be design-led
102. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Empathy
Collaboration
Direction and focus
Mentoring
103. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Empathy
Collaboration
Direction and focus
Mentoring
104. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Empathy
Collaboration
Direction and focus
Mentoring
105. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Empathy
Collaboration
Direction and focus
Mentoring
106. @lily_dartUser experience design & user research
Applying Leadership Thinking to UX
Empathy
Collaboration
Direction and focus
Mentoring