Zen and the Art of UX Planning

Midwest UX May 31, 2012Columbus, Ohio @derrenh @coreyallenbach #mwux12 #zenuxplanning

WHO WE ARE Derren Hermann @derrenh Corey Laura Allenbach Knox @coreyallenbach

TODAY’S AGENDA9:00 – 9:10 Welcome9:10 – 9:20 Ice Breaker9:20 – 9:30 4 Elements & Our Scenario9:30 – 9:45 Earth: Initial Client Meeting9:45 – 10:05 Group Activity 110:05 – 10:20 Wind: Exploring Approach Options10:20 – 10:40 Group Activity 210:40 – 10:45 Break1 0 : 4 5 – 11 : 0 0 Water: Approach Summary11 : 0 0 – 11 : 2 0 Group Activity 311 : 2 0 – 11 : 3 5 Fire: Detailed Project Plan11 : 3 5 – 11 : 5 5 Group Activity 411 : 5 5 – 1 2 : 0 0 W r a p U p & T h a n k Yo u

GROUND RULES1. Have fun2. Bathrooms & breaks3. Cell phones

STUFF AT YOUR TABLE1. Book2. Packet (Agenda, Templates)

ICE BREAKER1. D raw your di agram and i ntroduce yoursel f (name and super hero pow er)2. Wri te thoughts on post -i ts, di scuss and organi ze (What’s chal l enging about U X pl anni ng?)3. Pi ck 3 most common to share w i th the room

ICE BREAKERWhat were your group’s 3 mostcommon topics?

THE FOUR ELEMENTSEARTHSetting your foundation.The initial client meeting.WINDExploring approach options.Listing activities.WATERPulling together your ideas.Documenting your recommended approach for the client.FIREForging a detailed project plan.H a m m e r i n g o u t t h e s c h e d u l e d o w n t o t h e d a y.

TODAY’S SCENARIO• National Reality Company• Mobile for sales agents• Increase sales• Start developing soon• Ideas for next year too

Initial Client Meeting

INITIAL CLIENT MEETING OV E R V I E W Gathering everything you need to draft an approach.The initial client meeting is your opportunity to accomplish two fundamental goals: gather information & gain trust.

INITIAL CLIENT MEETING GOALS An understanding of project goals,logisticsand constraints to feed the approach document.

INITIAL CLIENT MEETING STEPS1. Request pre-reads from the client2. Prepare for the meeting3. Hold meeting4. Organize your notes & thoughts5. Follow up email that includes thanks & set expectations.

INITIAL CLIENT MEETING TOOLSInitial Client Meeting Worksheet

INITIAL CLIENT MEETING TIPS• Do your homework prior to meeting.• Think through additional questions you may have ahead of time.• Don’t forget to do introductions at start of the meeting... explain your role as well as understand the roles of the clients.• Consider orienting clients to the UX process & value.• Have one person facilitate the discussion and at least one other take detailed notes. Don’t try to do both yourself.• Set expectations on possible client involvement needs.• Set expectations for immediate next steps and provide a same day follow-up email to confirm.

GROUP ACTIVITY #11. BLACK markers up front2. Take notes using the Client Interview Worksheet

GROUP ACTIVITY #1• What went well?• What didn’t?• Any questions stand out?• Any other thoughts?

Exploring Approach Options

EXPLORING APPROACH OPTIONS OV E R V I E W Listing activities and settling on a plan. There are always multiple routes you can take. Understanding and exploring your options are key to developing a plan.Involving fellow designers can ensure you’re thinking creatively enough.

EXPLORING APPROACH OPTIONS G OA L SA rough outline of your plan to inform the a p p r o a c h s u m m a r y.

EXPLORING APPROACH OPTIONS STEPS1. Review project overview& goals2. Determine the User Centered Design phase3. Map constraints on a timeline4. Explore methods and activities5. Sequence activities6. Determine people7. Create draft milestones and phases of activity

EXPLORING APPROACH OPTIONS TO O L SUX Planning – Methods & Activities

EXPLORING APPROACH OPTIONS TIPS• Involve people who will actually be doing the work.• The whiteboard is your friend.• This is not like normal brainstorming. Be sure to call out bad ideas.• Explore various levels of cost/commitment.• Don’t rush this. It might take an hour or a second session.• Involve a wide a range of UX roles in the session (i.e. project team members, managers, directors, account managers, etc.).

GROUP ACTIVITY #21. GREEN markers2. Use insights from the client meeting to add goals, users, constraints to the framework3. List questions, discuss methods4. Add draft phases of activity5. Add roles

GROUP ACTIVITY #2• How did it go?• Was the framework helpful?• Any other thoughts?

Approach Summary

APPROACH SUMMARY OV E R V I E WDocumenting your recommended approach for the client.Once you’ve settled on your options, you’ll need a way to explain to others what youintend to do, how long it will take and howmuch it will cost. Getting the approach on paper is a good way to start receiving feedback that can help you refine it.

APPROACH SUMMARY G OA L SA high-level explanation of your plan that will help you receive approval and serve as the starting point for your detailed plan.

APPROACH SUMMARY STEPS1 . Tr a n s l a t e t h e r o u g h o u t l i n e o f a c t i v i t i e s from brainstorming to a spreadsheet that can help you total costs for UX resources.2. Use data gathered during the initial client meeting to create background, objectives and assumptions.3. Use the rough outline of activities from brainstorming and the forecast spreadsheet to detail your approach, deliverables, schedule, team and cost.

APPROACH SUMMARY TO O L SUX Approach

APPROACH SUMMARY TO O L SUX Forecast (spreadsheet)

APPROACH SUMMARY TIPS• Be considerate of your audience and don’t use UX lingo.• Trip le c h e c k yo u r ma th .• Provide a few options if it makes sense.• Be sure you can explain the elevator pitch for the project.• Iterate by explaining the approach to others.• Get as many eyes on this document as possible.• Try to p u n c h h o le s in it.• Proofread, proofread, proofread.• Spend time anticipating questions and concerns that your client might have.• Be prepared to iterate, this document is often a conversation s t a r t e r.• R e m e m b e r, t h i s m i g h t b e t h e f i r s t wo r k p r o d u c t a c l i e n t sees, so make sure it represents the quality of your work and the value of design.

GROUP ACTIVITY #31. BLUE markers2. Step through the Approach Summary template in your packets and add bulleted content3. Be sure to discuss each section and make sure you know where you’ll get that information

GROUP ACTIVITY #3• What sections were most difficult to complete?• Any other thoughts?

Detailed Project Plan

D E TA I L E D P R O J E C T P L A N OV E R V I E WH a m m e r i n g o u t t h e s c h e d u l e d o w n t o t h e d a y. Attaining Zen in UX project planning requiresattention to the details. A day-by-day schedule will help you do a reality check on your plan a n d s t a y o n t r a c k t o d e l i v e r.

D E TA I L E D P R O J E C T P L A N G OA L SA detailed project plan that clearly defines what will be accomplished and when.

D E TA I L E D P R O J E C T P L A N STEPS1. Use the approach document to set up your overall schedule.2. Gather dependency information from p r o j e c t p a r t n e r s ( b u s i n e s s , I T, e t c . ) .3. Meet with your UX teammates and clearly identify activities, durations, milestones and responsibilities.4. Give your UX teammates and project p a r t n e r s a c h a n c e t o r e v i e w.5. Finalize.

D E TA I L E D P R O J E C T P L A N TO O L SDay-by-day Schedule/Calendar

D E TA I L E D P R O J E C T P L A N TIPS• Think about how you can break up large phases into smaller activities• Consider different phases of each activity (getting started, doing the work, wrapping it up, etc. ).• Clearly indicate key UX milestones and inputs or participation needed from your client.• Include buffers at the appropriate times in the schedule, especially at the end.• Include all meetings, review and approval touch points, and decision points.• Realize that this document is organic and will likely change over the life of a project. Justbe sure to communicate necessary changes to stakeholders as soon as you recognize them.• Factor in vacations and holidays.• Don’t forget about the time it will take to ensure your d e l i v e r a b l e s a r e h a n d e d o f f a d e q u a t e l y.

GROUP ACTIVITY #41. RED markers2. Use the blank Calendars in your packet to draft 3 months of your plan

GROUP ACTIVITY #4• Anyone find a need to start extending their timeline?• Any other thoughts?

RECAP EARTH The Initial Client Meeting WIND Exploring Approach Options W AT E R Approach Summary FIRE Detailed Project Plan

Corey Allenbachc o r e y. a l l e n b a c h @ n a t i o n w i d e . c o mDerren Hermannderren.hermann@nationwide.com

Zen and the Art of UX Planning

by Corey Allenbach

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