The document discusses integrating user experience (UX) design into agile teams. It provides tips for aligning the UX and development teams, such as getting to know team members' skills and perspectives, standardizing terminology, and planning frequent user testing. The UX process is more linear than agile, so the document recommends techniques like splitting UX and development into parallel tracks to support sprints. By focusing on collaboration, shared goals, and iterative design and testing, product managers can help UX designers and developers work effectively together on agile projects.

1. Daniel Elizalde, PMP
Integrating UX into your Agile Team
Daniel Elizalde, PMP

2. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Agenda
• What is UX?
• Challenges integrating UX and Agile
– 6 tips on Team alignment
– 4 tips on Process alignment
• Q&A

3. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
UX Defined
User Experience Design =
Easy-to-use and delightful products
that focus on the user

4. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
UX: Why Should I Care?
• The iPhone made it mainstream
– Now everybody expects a great user experience
on all their devices
• Companies understand the need of good UX in
order to compete
• PMs that understand UX are more valuable in
the market

5. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Without UX…

6. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
With UX…

7. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
UX is an Umbrella Term
Information Architecture (IA):
Organization of data
Interaction Design (IX):
Ease of use, sense of place
Visual Design (VD):
Look & feel
Design Research / Usability
Testing (DR):
Plan & execute usability tests

8. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Common UX Deliverables – Information Architect

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Common UX Deliverables – IX
Sketches & Wireframes

10. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Common UX Deliverables – VD
Visual Comps

11. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Common UX Deliverables – Design Researcher
Usability Reports
Design Personas
Test Plans

12. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Challenges Integrating UX and Agile
People
Management
Technical
Skills
Business
Acumen
Team Alignment
Process Alignment
PM: Areas of expertise

13. Daniel Elizalde, PMP
Team Alignment

14. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Different Approaches…
Design Team
• Information architect
• Interaction Designer
• Visual Designer
• Usability / Design
Researcher
Development Team
• Architect
• Front-End Developer
• Back-End Developer
• DB Admin
• QA

15. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #1: Get to Know Your Team
• Get to know them at a more personal level
– What motivates them?
– What does this project mean to them?
• Understand their personality type
– DISC
managersbuild.com/resources/media

16. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #2: Take the Time to Understand UX
• Understand before you lead:
– Read books, blogs
– Take courses
– Attend conferences
managersbuild.com/resources/books

17. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #3: Standardize the Lingo
Architecture
Test
Design
Design Pattern
User story
Develop
“Will take a long time”

18. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #4: Cross-pollinate
DevelopmentDesign
Software

19. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #5: Know When to Innovate
What the client requested:
“Simple UI to display customer data and sales
trends…”

20. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #5: Know When to Innovate
What the UX Team proposed…

21. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #6: Share the Big Picture (constantly)
Everybody in the team should understand:
– Why we are building this
– Who we are building it for
– The complete roadmap / timelines
– The business side of things

22. Daniel Elizalde, PMP
Process Alignment

23. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #7: In Agile, We are All One Team
Everybody :
– Attends standup,
planning, demo,
retro
– Uses same Backlog
– Has stories & tasks
– Is on the hook for
sprint deliverables
Developers
Designers
PM / Scrum Master

24. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
UX Process (a.k.a UCD or Creative Process)
Research Ideate Design Test
Process is usually linear and resembles waterfall

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Agile Approach / Roadmap
W 2 W 3 W 4 W 1 W 2 W 3 W 4W1
Sprint 1
Release 1
Sprint N…
…

26. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #8: UX and UI Development Tracks
Wireframes for
Sprint 1
Sprint 0
Wireframes for
Sprint 2
Sprint 1
Support current
Sprint
UI Dev
Wireframes for
Sprint N+1
Sprint N
Support current
Sprint
UX Track
Dev Track
UI Dev
…
…
Back-end Dev
QA
Back-end Dev
QA
Architecture

27. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #9: Go Easy on the UX
• UX artifacts are usually not the final deliverable.
Software is.
• Favor simple sketches over complicated
wireframes and reduce the amount of
annotations on visual comps.
• Encourage in-person collaboration between
designers and developers.
– No more deliverables “thrown over the wall”

28. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Tip #10: Plan for User Testing
• Testing should be part of your Agile process, meaning
it should be included and prioritized in the backlog.
• Do “lean” testing by relying on sketches, rapid
prototypes, etc.
• It’s more important to test often that to be extremely
thorough just once in a blue moon.

29. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
In Summary…
• Designers and Developers are very different.
It’s your job to create alignment
• UX is not a fad, it’s here to stay
• It can have a dramatic impact on your projects
• Knowing how to manage UX gives you a
professional edge

30. Daniel Elizalde, PMP ManagersBuild.comDaniel Elizalde, PMP - @delizalde
Thank You!
www.managersbuild.com
Daniel Elizalde, PMP
Connect with me:
daniel@managersbuild.com
@delizalde