You want your design team to have greater influence? Start from within: elevate your designers’ tools, capabilities, and stature by developing a UX Lead program. This is not theoretical; you will see how this has been done and you will learn how to do it yourself.

1. Developing a UX Lead Program
Enable a successful user experience from
ideation to deployment

2. Before we get started, let’s welcome
a new team member
2

3. How‟s that feel?
We call this the Noise
& Confusion problem.
It‟s rampant even among
senior, experienced people.
3

4. What we hear in our trainings…
“I‟ve been here
for five years, and
Sr. Interaction Designer
I‟ve felt that way
In-house (F100) the whole time.”
Seasoned, well respected
4

5. What we tell them…
It makes perfectly good sense to be confused. This is a massive
organization with years of history. Groups organize and re-organize.
There are different processes. Different legacy systems. Different
people. The list goes on and on.
Remember
• You‟re not alone (or dumb, or lazy, or…)
• Don‟t try to understand it all - just the important stuff
• The UX Lead program (with a guide, checklists, materials, and trainings) will help you
figure out what‟s important
5

6. WHAT IS A UX LEAD
PROGRAM?
6

7. What exactly is a UX Lead Program?
A set of tools, expectations and ways
of being (for key UX team members
to serve as “Leads” on projects).
7

8. In their own words: What is a UX Lead Program?
“It‟s what I do anyway; it‟s just a process to work with
partners and manage your co-workers and your
contributors.”
“Before, it wasn‟t always clear who would do what. Now
it‟s clear.”
“Having a Lead frees up people‟s energy and time to
come up with tactical solutions.”
8

9. TODAY’S AGENDA
9

10. What we’ll cover today
•Definition, pain points, context
•Components
•Process of making it happen
•Nuts & bolts, questions
10

11. Our intention is for this to be
actionable, not theoretical.
We‟ll provide time throughout the day
to reflect and help each other figure out
how this might work in your real life.
11

12. First, let’s see who’s in the room.
12

13. INTRODUCTIONS
13

14. • Richard hearts complexity
• It‟s all about successful delivery
• PMI, CSDP
• Adaptability, Flexibility
Richard Charette • Equisoft
Program / Project Manager • Software engineering background
Delivery Manager • Royal Highland Regiment (Black Watch)
Producer of Canada
14

15. • Craig hearts complexity
• Awasu Design
• Bolt | Peters User Experience (now fb)
• Time for a new era of consultancies
Craig Peters • CHI „09 Panel (Figuring out the “One
CEO Thing” that will Move UX into a Position of
Advocate / Coach / Mentor Strategic Relevance)
• IA Summit „09 workshop (Strategies for
Enabling UX to Play a More Strategic
Role: What Will Work Where You Work?)
• CHI ‟11 workshop (Leading Innovation
Workshops)
• Sociology & Education Background
15

16. Let‟s take a step back.
What does UX
Leadership mean?
What is UX Leadership relative to
the rest of the organization?
16

17. CONTEXT
17

18. Product development has been
around for a while.
While user experience is
relatively new.
18

19. UX Leadership is about more
influence and strategic impact.
People have been talking
about this for a few years…
19

20. Louis Rosenfeld (2002 blog post)
Evangelizing User Experience Design on Ten Dollars a Day
•The ROI Case
•Going to the videotape (of frustrated users)
•Telling stories
•Therapy
•Consumer Sensitivity Boot Camp
•Logs
•Keeping up with the Jonses
http://louisrosenfeld.com/home/bloug_archive/000131.html 20

21. 21

22. Five approaches
• Document and evangelize UX work
• Calculate ROI
• Conduct ethnographic research
• Determine best ownership of UX
• Position UX strategically in the organization
22

23. The Business of Customer Experience:
Lessons I Learned at Wells Fargo
Secil Watson
SVP, Channel Strategy
Wells Fargo
23

24. 24

25. Four approaches
• Facilitate partnerships
• Invest in a highly visible success
• Deliver results quickly
• Improve the day-to-day effectiveness and execution of UX
personnel
25

26. This is the heart of a UX Lead program
• Facilitate partnerships
• Improve the day-to-day effectiveness and execution of UX
personnel
26

27. But wait…
It‟s not just the UX‟ers
who are confused.
Who else is involved in a product
development lifecycle?
27

28. NOISE & CONFUSION 2
28

29. Activity • Pick one of the roles
listed on the wall and put
What do non-UX‟ers yourself in their shoes.
think about?
• Write down what‟s top of
(What‟s top of mind mind for them; their main
for them as they do responsibilities. (60 sec)
their jobs?)
• We‟ll report out to the
whole room.
29

30. “Tell me again the
difference
between a
Project Manager wireframe and a
mockup.”
(non-UX)
30

31. “What am I
v looking at?”
Sponsor
(Line of Business) “Why does it cost
this much?”
31

32. 32

33. 33

34. PAIN POINTS
34

35. 35

36. Activity • Think about pain points
What‟s your pain?
at your organization that
could be addressed by a
(Why did you decide better UX practice.
to come to this
tutorial?) • Use a marker and write
one pain point per strip of
paper. (2 min)
• We‟ll put them on the
wall.
36

37. Pain points we’ve observed
•Inconsistent engagement
•UX Mgrs doing too much
•UX contributors overworked & overwhelmed
•Project details slipping through the cracks
•Product solutions not as good as they could be – not
innovative enough
•Business units look to outside agencies for the “creative”
or “innovative” projects
37

38. Pain points we’ve observed
•UX team members not equipped with the language of the
business and project management, therefore can‟t
advocate and lead as effectively
•Other groups have difficulty translating UX into traditional
project management process
•Difficulty estimating UX scope on projects
38

40. UCD STEPS
40

41. Sample User Centered Design Process
Unfortunately, our business partners are not experts in user centered design.
I’m still not sure what UX is
doing. Something about a
task flow… wireframes…?
Why are we doing this
activity?
Am I supposed to be
doing something?
Business Partner
41

42. 42

43. Foundational Pieces of UX Lead Program
•(User Centered Design Toolkit)
•UX Brief
•One Sheeters
•UX Lead Guide / manual / online resource
•Training
•Continuation Systems
43

44. Foundational Pieces of UX Lead Program
UCD Toolkit
UX Brief One-
Sheeters
Training Continuation
Systems
UX Lead
Guide
44

45. UX Brief One-
Sheeters
45

46. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
The old way (risky business)
We‟ve got this project
that needs design
support. Are you
available?
Yes, we‟re here to help.
Tell us when and where the
meetings are and we‟ll be there.
Business
UX’er
Partner
46

47. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
The new way (as UX Lead)
We‟ve got this project
that needs design
support. Are you
available?
How can we respond?
(role play)
Business
UX Lead
Partner
47

48. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
What did we just hear?
Why do we care?
Benefits?
Concerns?
48

49. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
Project Overview
Hi there, I‟ve read through the resource request form and the
attached background PPT. I also talked this over with some
folks here in UX. I understand you want to improve the social
sharing experience because customers don‟t seem to be aware
of them - or at least they‟re not aware of the benefits.
UX Lead
49

50. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
Approach/High-Level UCD Plan
Here‟s how we can help. First, we‟ll need to understand the
customer more. To do that, we‟ll interview you and other key
stakeholders, then we‟ll dig into the background research,
creating a “Social Sharing Landscape” document that captures
our understanding.
Next, we‟ll also model the experience to get in the customer‟s
head more. We‟ll be working with you and your team UX Lead
throughout.
50

51. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
Approach/High-Level UCD Plan (continued)
At this point we‟ll have a defined strategy for the design and
content decisions. This is where the fun part begins: designing
task flows and wireframes; writing content; developing a
prototype and seeing how it works with real users. You and your
team will be part of each stage. Most people find it an enjoyable
process to be a part of.
UX Lead
51

52. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
Resources
I‟ll be serving as the Interaction Designer on the project and
also the Lead on the project. We‟ll also have a content
strategist, a visual designer, a front-end developer for the
prototyping stage, and a user researcher who will manage the
usability testing portion.
UX Lead
52

53. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
Assumptions & Risks
One more thing, it‟s really important that this is a collaborative
effort and to that point, there are a number of activities and
steps that will require your team to work with us. So, they‟ll
have to make time in their calendars for this to work. Otherwise
we risk not having the benefit of all your knowledge, could end
up spinning our wheels, not having buy in when it comes time to
approve designs, etc.
UX Lead
Also, we noticed that voice recognition was mentioned in one of
your background documents. From what we saw in the project
request form, we‟re assuming that full integration of voice
recognition out of scope for this project. Is that correct?
53

54. UX Brief – Starting a Project Right
Table of Contents for a Brief
•Project Overview
•Project Approach
•High-Level Plan
•Resources
•Assumptions & Risks
54

55. Preparing the Brief for a very simple project
Manager forwards Request
Resource Request Form
UX lead recaps the call over email
UX Lead checks Thanks for the phone call today. Just to recap,
Straightforward, right? we‟re changing the copy of [that one page].
with Manager to
make sure she‟s
not missing I‟m going to change that one thing to the way we
something talked on the phone. I‟ll be doing the majority of
the work, with John chiming in for a quick review.
UX Lead UX Manager We should have something for you on Friday.
I understand that you‟ve already checked with
UX Lead calls [key stakeholder] and got their blessing.
Hi Hi
Partner
Thank you for double-checking if Jane‟s team
feels that this impacts them. If you hear anything
about that, please let me know.
UX Lead Partner
Talk to you soon,
UX Lead clarifies Your UX Lead
?? ~~
things with Partner
UX Lead Partner
55

56. Preparing the Brief for larger projects
Manager talks to partner Partner sends PPT Mgr asks for resource request Manager looks it over
PPT
Request
Form
UX Manager Partner UX Manager Partner
Manager assigns UX Lead Lead looks it over Lead meets Partner Checks with other UXers
Hi Hi
PPT
Request
Form
UX Manager UX Lead UX Lead Partner
Clarifies with Partner Checks w/ research group Checks in with Partner Checks previous Briefs
? ~ ~ ~
Brief
Brief
UX Lead Partner UX Lead Research UX Lead Partner
Talks to Mgr Re: exec Checks in with Checks w/ UX Producer Iterates Brief w/ Partner
review Partner
~ ~
Brief
UX Lead UX Manager UX Lead Partner UX Lead Producer UX Lead Partner
56

57. UX Brief as email UX Brief as document
Thanks for the phone call today. Just to
recap, we‟re changing the copy of [that one
page].
I‟m going to change that one thing to the
way we talked on the phone. I‟ll be doing the
majority of the work, with John chiming in for
a quick review. We should have something
for you on Friday.
I understand that you‟ve already checked
with [key stakeholder] and got their blessing.
Thank you for double checking if Jane‟s
team feels that this impacts them. If you
hear anything about that, please let me
know.
Talk to you soon,
Your UX Lead
• Project Overview
• UX Approach
• High-Level Plan
• Resources
• Assumptions & Risks
57

58. I got the UX Brief, but I‟m still
not sure what a site map is.
Why are we doing
this activity?
What do I do at
UX this stage?
Brief
Business
Partner
58

59. ONE-SHEETERS
59

60. One-Sheeters
Put simply, the One-Sheeters are one-page
representations of a UCD activity or tool. They
answer the questions who, what, where, when,
why, and how.
60

61. THE PLANNING STAGE
61

62. Most UCD Processes involve these stages
The UX Lead program adds a deliberate stage to set
the project up for success. This is where the UX
Lead works on the UX Brief.
This stage can go by many names:
• Planning stage • Project set up • Understand the project • Prep
62

63. Stage 0 – Project Set Up
UX Brief One-
…
Sheeters
…
The UX Brief marks the end of this stage
63

64. UX STRATEGY
64

65. What it Means to be a Consultative Partner
The old way (a few weeks into the project)
Define Key Scenarios
Complete a
Content
Analyze Data Inventory
Design Wireframes
and page flows
Attend Kickoff
Conduct Whew, we‟ve
Competitive Analysis been busy.
UX’ers
65

66. What it Means to be a Consultative Partner
The old way (it might go smoothly)
Here are the wireframes,
Overall, I like it a lot.
page flows, and a start on
I‟ve just got a couple
the copy. What do you
questions…
think?
Great, let‟s do it.
UX’ers
Business
• Wireframes
Partner
• Research
• Page Flow
66

67. What it Means to be a Consultative Partner
The old way (it might not go so well)
Hmmm. I don‟t know...
Here are the Why don‟t we do it like this.
wireframes, page flows, and
a start on the copy. What do
you think?
UX’ers Business Partner
I used to work here and
it was good.
67

68. So, what went wrong?
The business partners But they still weren‟t on the
received a Brief and same page when the designs
One Sheeters at the were presented.
end of the planning
stage.
A common problem is that the UX
team went through the Discovery
Phase without getting alignment
from the project team. This is where
the UX Strategy comes into play.
68

69. 69

70. UX GUIDE
70

71. The guide covers:
UX Lead • Company history
Guide • How the organization is structured
• Groups throughout the organization
• Roles throughout the organization
• Processes and how UX processes fit in
• Types of projects
• Deep dive into the UX team structure and roles
• What the UX Lead role is
• Techniques for effective consulting
• UX stages of engagements
• Description of UCD activities & Lead considerations
• Checklists
• Anything else that‟s useful to your UX Leads
71

72. CHECKLISTS
72

73. Everyone loves checklists
You will have to decide which tasks and
processes make sense to structure with a
checklist. What follows are some
examples.
73

74. Example checklists:
UX Lead
Guide • Receive Assignment
• Create Relationships
• Question, Listen, & Learn
•Iterate UX Brief w/ UX Producer &
Business Partner
74

75. TRAINING
75

76. Considerations for Training
• Who to train
• When to train
• Trainings as co-creation of the program (participation
versus presentation)
• Re-training
• Training the trainers
76

78. STAGES FOR DEVELOPING
A UX LEAD PROGRAM
78

79. Remember, every situation is
different.
Some of these stages will
apply to you…
and some of them won‟t. The key
is to focus on the goal and spirit of
the stages.
79

80. Stages to Developing a UX Lead Program
1. Discover (assess & understand the problem)
2. Plan (refine problem statement and scope)
3. Create (processes, materials, programs)
4. Iterate (pilot, field test, improve)
5. Launch (roll out solutions, assign ownership)
6. Improve (assess, adjust, and iterate)
80

81. Discovery Stage
Main goal
• Understand what needs to be done. What‟s working? Not
working? What‟s wanted?
Additional goals
• Generate buy-in and ownership.
• Set the stage for piloting and field testing.
81

82. Discovery Stage
•Identify key people to involve
•Gather and analyze data
•Conduct interviews
82

83. Discovery Stage
A big part of the discovery phase
involves interviews.
As many people as possible.
One-on-one and group.
Let them know their input
shapes the solution.
Include people inside and
outside the UX group.
(See the appendix for interview reminders) 83

84. Who We’ve Interviewed
Within the UX team Beyond the UX team
• Individual Contributors and • Business Analysts
Managers • Product Managers
• UX/UI/IA Designers • Project / Program Managers
• Visual Designers • Engineers
• Front-end Developers • Marketing
• Delivery Managers • Legal & Compliance
• Content Strategists • Business Unit Project Sponsors
• User Researchers
84

85. Activity • Write down the people
Who to interview?
who would be most
appropriate to involve at
(In your situation, your organization.
who are the key
people to interview • We‟ll report out to the
in discovery?) room.
85

86. What We’ve Learned
• In most cases, the UX team members are professional,
well meaning, conscientious, and hard working.
• Solutions need to make their job easier, not harder.
Simple, logistical solutions like checklists and templates
are good.
• They‟re weary of additional procedures / bureaucracy.
86

87. Stages to Developing a UX Lead Program
1. Discover (assess & understand the problem)
2. Plan (refine problem statement and scope)
3. Create (processes, materials, programs)
4. Iterate (pilot, field test, improve)
5. Launch (roll out solutions, assign ownership)
6. Improve (assess, adjust, and iterate)
87

88. Plan
It‟s only after discovery that you can
really know what the solution can be.
Work with stakeholders and
implementers to create the
plan and scope.
Remind key people that all plans change
as you learn more. A plan is a starting
point.
88

89. Stages to Developing a UX Lead Program
1. Discover (assess & understand the problem)
2. Plan (refine problem statement and scope)
3. Create (processes, materials, programs)
4. Iterate (pilot, field test, improve)
5. Launch (roll out solutions, assign ownership)
6. Improve (assess, adjust, and iterate)
89

90. Create
Create simple solutions with key people.
Remember to keep the solutions
simple. You don‟t want to add
extra work or bureaucracy.
90

91. Stages to Developing a UX Lead Program
1. Discover (assess & understand the problem)
2. Plan (refine problem statement and scope)
3. Create (processes, materials, programs)
4. Iterate (pilot, field test, improve)
5. Launch (roll out solutions, assign ownership)
6. Improve (assess, adjust, and iterate)
91

92. Iterate
Test out materials with a couple key
people both in and outside the UX team.
Gather feedback from UX
people and also from those
outside of the UX team.
Iterate and then expand (nail it before
you scale it).
92

93. Stages to Developing a UX Lead Program
1. Discover (assess & understand the problem)
2. Plan (refine problem statement and scope)
3. Create (processes, materials, programs)
4. Iterate (pilot, field test, improve)
5. Launch (roll out solutions, assign ownership)
6. Improve (assess, adjust, and iterate)
93

94. Launch
If you‟ve incrementally piloted and iterated, the
“launch” will be less disruptive.
Launch often involves a training
where you introduce the pieces.
Involve others as much as possible in the launch
(those who have piloted, for example).
Assign ownership before the
launch as much as possible.
94

95. Stages to Developing a UX Lead Program
1. Discover (assess & understand the problem)
2. Plan (refine problem statement and scope)
3. Create (processes, materials, programs)
4. Iterate (pilot, field test, improve)
5. Launch (roll out solutions, assign ownership)
6. Improve (assess, adjust, and iterate)
95

96. Improve
Position the “launch” as just a
starting point.
Assign a program manager.
Plan for managers to work with team
members on the new program.
Actively solicit feedback and
offer support.
96

97. CONTINUATION SYSTEMS
97

98. Keeping the Program Going
• Communicate outwardly as road show or organic
• Managers working with direct reports during roll out
• Program manager for the UX Lead program
• Assigning ownership to individual pieces
• Pivoting
• Solicit feedback in many ways (one-on-one, surveys, etc.)
98

100. WHO SHOULD BE A LEAD?
100

101. This question must be answered by each
organization. Some organizations have
designers serve dual purpose on a
project: lead and design. Others designate
a particular role as a Lead. That person
might not do any design.
101

102. UX Producer (Delivery Manager)
Many organizations have a role in the User Experience
team that focuses on managing the successful delivery of
the UX engagement. Sometimes this person is called a UX
Producer, Delivery Manager, or Project Manager.
102

103. Activity • What would work best for
What would work
your organization:
best at your – A team member that
organization? serves as Lead on a
project-by-project basis?
– A dedicated Lead role?
– UX Producer?
– Some other arrangement?
• We‟ll report out to the
room.
103

104. WAYS OF BEING
104

105. UX Lead as Facilitator & Educator
UX personnel juggle many The UX Lead facilitates
moving parts: collaboration between different
people:
• Business goals
The UX Lead also educates the
• Many different people
project team about each individual
• Technical limitations
design activity, deliverable, and
• Design best practices process.
• Product development processes
• Research results The UX Lead program materials –
• Accessibility guidelines Guide, Training, etc. – should
• Legal and compliance reviews explicitly address and develop these
• And so on… skills among the Leads.
105

106. UX Lead as Facilitator & Educator
Typical Technical Skills for UX: Facilitation & Educational Skills:
• Persona development • Set context for UX process
• Information architecture • Negotiate tradeoffs
• User research • Explain value of UCD
• Interaction design • Involve partners in design decisions
• Visual design • Explain how to give feedback
• Prototyping • And so on…
• Competitive analysis
• And so on…
106

107. Don‟t underestimate how foreign user
experience activities are to people outside
the UX team.
107

108. Consulting Skills
Peter Block‟s work is instructive for UX Leads. We‟ll cover
three concepts here:
• Authenticity
• Contracting
• Attending to each stage
For more, see Peter Block‟s book, Flawless Consulting. 108

109. Ways of Engaging
• Engagement instead of mandate or persuasion
• Participation instead of presentation
• Difficult public exchanges
• Real choice
• New conversations for new culture
• Deliberate environment and meetings
For more, see Peter Block‟s book, Flawless Consulting. 109

110. Leading Internally and Externally
Within the UX team Beyond the UX team
• Motivate the team • Build relationships
• Collaborate w/ UX Producer • Understand business needs
• Represent UX vision • Attend to concerns
• Problem solve challenges • Educate
• Introduce new UX members • Advocate for designs
• Oversee quality of deliverables • Negotiate tradeoffs
• Determine need for reviews
110

111. One final takeaway:
Commitment is more important
than perfection
111

112. Remaining Questions?
Craig Peters
craig@awasudesign.com
@craigpeters
Richard Charette
richard.charette@awasudesign.com
112

113. APPENDIX
113

114. What internal consultants want from their boss
• A clear definition of the job before I am sent out on a project
• Access to the boss
• Assistance on the nontechnical and political elements of the project
• Don‟t overcommit me all the time
• Freedom to negotiate contracts based on the particulars of the
situation
• Minimum bias on how the project should turn out, what the
recommendations should look like
For more, see Peter Block’s book, Flawless Consulting. 114

115. What internal consultants want from their clients
• A clear definition of the job
• Access to the person who really represents the client organization, also
access to data
• Work the problem together – cooperation
• Commitment to the project
• Share the blame and glory
• To be wanted (to feel useful)
• No bias about the outcome
• Take care of physical needs to accomplish the job
• Openness and feedback
• Feedback on what happened after I left
For more, see Peter Block’s book, Flawless Consulting. 115

116. Reminders for your interviews
Your role
You might already have a relationship with them. Tell them
that for this engagement, you‟re just a researcher. You‟re
not evaluating their performance in any way.
116

117. Reminders for your interviews
Prior knowledge of the effort
If you‟re embarking on a UX Lead effort, it‟s likely they will
have heard about it. Have them explain what they know of
the effort. This warms them up to talking, surfaces
misperceptions, and generates ownership. Ask them what
the goals of the effort are and should be.
117

118. Reminders for your interviews
How projects happen today
You‟re looking for their understanding of the nuts and bolts
of how projects are assigned, handled, staffed, carried out,
etc. Have them describe how they get assigned to projects.
Who else is typically on a project? When is UX involved?
How are those decisions made? Etc.
118

119. Reminders for your interviews
Uncovering what is and isn’t working
You can ask directly: What’s working? What’s not working?
What would make your job easier? What parts of the job
are your least favorite?
Also ask indirectly. What was your favorite project? Your
least favorite? Why? Go into the details of those projects.
119

120. Reminders for your interviews
Other models
Oftentimes people‟s vision narrows when they work in one
environment. This is to open up their thinking.
Have you worked other places in a similar role? Did those
companies have set practices that you followed? How did
that work for you? What worked well? Not well?
120

121. Reminders for your interviews
Future look-back
This helps reveal what‟s truly important to them.
Imagine looking back on this effort a few months from now.
Hypothetically, how might you finish these statements:
I’m so glad we did this, because now ___.
This didn’t work out so well, because ___.
121

122. Other Pieces of UX Teams
• User Centered Design toolkit
• Project request process
• Design patterns
• UCD process
• Onboarding
• UX “Producing” (UX Project Managing)
• UX Scorecard
122

123. THANK YOU!
Craig Peters
craig@awasudesign.com
@craigpeters
Richard Charette
richard.charette@awasudesign.com
123