This is the updated version of my successful Interaction 14 talk: http://www.slideshare.net/folletto/the-shift-ux-designers-as-business-consultants UX is a broad field and designers are increasingly playing a strategic role in many companies. Be that designer. Businesses are increasingly adopting user-centered approaches to create experiences, moving UX design to be one of the core activities driving the company strategy and operations. This is an incredibly valuable opportunity that we designers can take to step up and contribute to create the great experiences and services they envision, taking our vision, tools and understanding to a different level. But we need to learn the new skills to play at this table, a table that's often speaking a different language with a lot of politics and different stakeholders.

1. THE SHIFT
UX DESIGNER AS
BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Davide ‘Folletto’ Casali

2. Manifesto Ibridi
F E L L O W
UX REDIRECTOR
NIGHT.EU
ADVISOR

3. @Folletto

4. Who here already have a seat at the
CxO / VP / MD table?

6. Frame Canvas Brushes
ENVIRONMENT PROJECT TOOLS

7. WHAT SHIFTS?
INTRODUCTION

8. Inertia and
resistance to
change
Lack of
senior-level
client sponsor
for UX
Client
doesn’t
understand
UX
processes
Client
lack of
vision,
strategy &
business-
case
Lack of
resources
Lack of
time
Lack of
budget
Lack of
commitment
to UXDriven
by
technology &
constraints
Consultant
& agency
attitudes
Consultant
skills &
experience
Politics &
organizational
silos
Client
doesn’t
measure or
understand the
value of UX
Low
stakeholder
engagement
Ineffective
communication
& persuasion
BARRIERS TO MAKE UX HAPPEN
SURVEY
Thanks to Jason Mesut
Source: Making UX Happen survey of top 3 barriers (94 respondents)

9. Micro
management
Client
unwilling to
learn
Cultural
differences
Low design
sensibility
Working
with
someone not
right
Politics
Process
issues
Comm.
Gaps
Unclear
Vision
Lack ofTrust
Everyone is a
designer
Politics &
organizational
silos
Lack ofTime
Too Many
Stakeholders
Bad
Expectations
Source: UXHK 2015 Workshop
Project
Management
BARRIERS TO MAKE UX HAPPEN
UXHK 2015 WORKSHOP

10. My Client Does Not Understand Me

11. My Boss Does Not Understand Me

12. My ____ Does Not Understand Me

13. A story—
a european telco
4 weeks project
overtime
overbudget
frustration
Solved with a 3 hour workshop

14. We love our craft, often more than results.

15. Anger.
Frustration.
Long days.
Misunderstandings.

17. HUGE
EGO
IMPOSTOR
SYNDROME
DIFFERENT REASONS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE
(hope you’re not here)

18. Early Red Flag:
Any empty criticism against the client.

19. A design that doesn't get used
is a failed design by definition

20. THE SHIFT
Use the core skills of designers
on a different objective.

21. ProductDesigner

22. Organization ProductDesigner

23. CONWAY’S LAW
Any organization that designs a system
will produce a design whose structure is a copy
of the organization's communication structure.

24. Are you designing the ideal
organization to craft the final product?

25. FRAME
PART I

26. A story—
cross-country team for USA client
KPI re-alignment project
no objective stated
middlemen
yes-men
Counter-pitched with a new approach

27. ROI (abbr.)
1. Return On Investment
The earning power of assets measured
as the ratio of the net income (profit
less depreciation) to the average capital
employed (or equity capital) in a
company or project.
Expressed usually as a percentage,
return on investment is a measure of
profitability that indicates whether or
not a company is using its resources in
an efficient manner. For example, if the
long-term return on investment of a
company is lower than its cost-of-
capital, then the company will be better
off by liquidating its assets and
depositing the proceeds in a bank. Also
called rate of return, or yield.
Budget (noun)
An estimate of costs, revenues, and
resources over a specified period,
reflecting a reading of future financial
conditions and goals.
One of the most important
administrative tools, a budget serves
also as a (1) plan of action for
achieving quantified objectives, (2)
standard for measuring performance,
and (3) device for coping with
foreseeable adverse situations.
Bottom Line (def.)
1. Net Income After Tax
2. What is left after all is said and done.
Risk Analysis (def.)
1. Corporate: As a component of risk
management, it consists of (1)
Identification of possible negative
external and internal conditions, events,
or situations, (2) Determination of
cause-and-effect (causal) relationships
between probable happenings, their
magnitude, and likely outcomes, (3)
Evaluation of various outcomes under
different assumptions, and under
different probabilities that each
outcome will take place, (4)
Application of qualitative and
quantitative techniques to reduce
uncertainty of the outcomes and
associated costs, liabilities, or losses.
Scope Creep (def.)
Small changes in a plan or project that
necessitate other changes which lead to
still more changes ... and so on.
Learn Their Vocabulary

28. EDUCATE
Can you make the logo bigger?
I need the 12 pages designed by Tuesday.
Can you do your design stuff on this deck?
A week is enough right?
This is her idea and I just think it’s too brilliant to be bothered by rules.
It would save us a lot of trouble if we didn’t have to pay you.

29. SET EXPECTATIONS
Here’s what you are going to get: ____

30. CANVAS
PART II

31. A story—
a european bank
1+ years contract
RFP identical to existing activities
they wanted to replace existing agency
internal power struggle
We stepped out

32. Business Needs
Take the brief and identify the end-goal of the project in business terms.

33. Understand the Business Model
Business Model Canvas

34. Clients from Hell · January 14, 2014
CLIENT
We need you to design an app for our company.
ME
Okay. What would you like the app to do?
CLIENT
Keep me from losing my job.

35. Hidden Request
The untold truth about the project: personal
interests, company politics, etc.
Business Needs

36. Who pays? Who gains? Who loses?
POLITICS

37. Impact
Systems
Maintenance
Workflows
Backoffice Work
Other units
Other projects
Campaigns
Brand perception

38. Agency
Marketing
Client
Development / IT
One Team
Other

39. Rhythm

40. do
observe
think
dotL O O P
The Dot Loop, the simplest process possible (2010)

41. BRUSHES
PART III

42. by Enrico Baldetti
Visualize Everything

43. WRITE
Write everything.
Summarize & send to check.
Have a clear call to action.
Go for yes/no replies.
If you use the text log against
the client, you lost.

44. PLAN
1-WEEK
ITERATIONS
DELIVERABLES DIFFERENT
STREAMS
MILESTONES
PHASESREVIEWS
A good project manager is your dearest friend.

45. Frame Canvas Brushes
ENVIRONMENT PROJECT TOOLS

46. The Shift
ATTITUDE & ORGANIZATION

47. Is something missing?
Let’s have a chat. ;)

48. “
”
Bruno Munari
To complicate is easy, to simplify is hard.
To complicate, just add,
everyone is able to complicate.
Few are able to simplify.

49. Thanks.
@Folletto
INTENSEMINIMALISM.COM