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Taming the Nine-Headed Stakeholder Monster

by Geoff Alday on Apr 10, 2011

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My lightning talk from MidwestUX.

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My lightning talk from MidwestUX.

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Daniel Brown at Emma Email Marketing Ok, I've gotta see this presentation. 1 year ago Reply
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\n
Once upon a time, there was a little designer. A little designer who dreamed about growing up to be a big designer. \n\nBut there was a problem with that dream. There was a monster. It had the body of a serpent and nine heads -- nine heads that no matter what you did, couldn’t be swayed. \n\nIn fact, even if one head liked your design work, another would turn right around and destroy it. This monster was so dangerous, it was known to even turn on itself! \n\nIt has been terrorizing designers for years. \n
One day, the little designer walked into a meeting, and there it was. It sat and glared. Tracking every move with it’s yellow eyes. \n\nWhen it talked, its poisonous foul breath filled the air. It was almost unbearable. \n\nCowering in fear, the little designer did his best to present the designs for the current project. It was bad. The monster’s appetite for destruction was insatiable. It was over before it even got started. \n\nThe little designer went home that night, trembling in fear. He crawled into bed, pulled the covers over tight. \n\nHe was never seen or heard from again.\n\n\n
We’ve all encountered this monster at one time or another. When we walk into a room like that, it’s scary. \n\nWe carry a heavy burden. We know that ultimately, everything someone sees, interacts with, and experiences is our responsibility. \n\nSure other stakeholders contribute, but we have to make it all make sense.\n\nWhen I first started working, I learned this strange word: Stakeholder. I wasn’t sure what it meant so I Iooked it up:\n\nA stakeholder is a person with an interest or concern in something.\n
Though sometimes it feels like you walk into a meeting, and everyone is holding a sharp stake. \n\nReady to poke you if you make the wrong move. \n\nIt’s like a stakeholder is a villager protecting his family from someone who wants to do harm. \n\nAt some companies, it seems like these stakes are standard issue.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
I’d like to share a few techniques I’ve learned over the years about how to tame this beast. \n\nMy hope is that by arming you, you’ll be prepared for those moments when the monster is at its worst.\n\nSo here it is -- believe me this isn’t for the young or faint of heart -- The Nine-Headed Stakeholder Monster!\n
A grotesque and terrifying amalgamation of all the people with an interest in your project. \n\nSometimes the monster has nine heads. Sometimes, just a few. \n\nBut there are nine archetypes you need to be aware of.\n\n\n
This is who uses the product. We spend a lot of time talking about this person. \n\nThere are entire conferences devoted to them. \n\nMyth: \nThe user doesn’t know what they want. \n\nTruth: \nThis is a stupid cliche and we need to stop using it. \n\nThey do know what they want. \n\nThey may not say it, in the way we want to hear it, but they do know.\n
The is who pays for the product. \n\nThe customer is different since they may not use the product.\n\nMyth: \nThe customer is always right.\n\nTruth:\nThey want their people to accomplish tasks. So look at their feedback more as goals rather than features.\n
This is who sells your product to the customer.\n\nMyth: \nAll they care about is making sales. \n\nTruth:\nWell, they do want to makes sales but they can sell more if you address the big pain points. \nTalk to them. They’re a great source of customer and competitor information. \n\nA quick chat with Sales will tell you whether the things you’re hearing about out there are really making an impact -- or are just shiny things no one will care about next week.\n
This is who promotes the product.\n\nMyth: \nAll they care about is impressions. \n\nTruth:\nMarketing, like Sales, is on the front line. \n\nThis may sound silly, but they really do understand how to market your product. \n\nAnd how do you market a product? You write about it. \n\nWhen you get hung up in workflow wordiness when writing copy for your application, ask marketing to help. \n\nThey can be your secret weapon for clever, yet appropriate, copy.\n
This is who helps people use your product.\n\nMyth:\nThey only hear complaints so it’s not worth your time to listen to them. \n\nTruth:\nIt’s easy to think that, but if you’re not talking to support you’re missing out! \n\nThey do take tough calls. But in the course of taking call after call, they develop an understanding of how people really use a product. \n\nListen in on their calls for a few hours. You’ll be surprised what you learn.\n
The Executive is a person that calls the shots for the company.\n\nA myth about executives? Nah, they’re all true.\n
This is a person who isn’t officially a project stakeholder but shares their thoughts and opinions frequently.\n\nMyth: \nTheir opinion doesn’t matter. \n\nTruth:\nIt’s easy to discount what these people say. \n\nOne common technique I’ve read about for handling unsolicited feedback is to say something like, “I appreciate your feedback and will make note of it”. \n\nWhen you say this, I think most people hear, “I appreciate your feedback, but your opinion doesn’t matter. Now go away and don’t you dare talk to me again.” \n\nEmbrace their opinions. This is a hard one for me, but I’ve found that when I’m open to all input, and actually listen to it, my designs end up being better.\n\n
The Developer is who builds the product you design.\n\nMyth: \nDevelopers can’t design. \n\nTruth:\nSure developers might not have visual design skills, but some of the best designs I’ve ever produced are a result of collaborating with a developer. \n\nThere are also times when developers make better design decisions than I do. \n\nThat’s hard. After all, you’re the designer. But it’s great because the user ends up with something better.\n
The last archetype is, You. That’s right, believe it or not, you’re part of this monster. \n\nA designer researches, understands, and designs a cohesive solution, based on the synthesis of all the factors and constraints of a project.\n\nMyth: \nDesigners always wear black. \n\nSeriously though, a myth about us is we’re just good at “making it pretty”. More on that later.\n
A few years ago, my team and I were in the midst of a huge site launch. It was a high-profile entertainment client and almost everyone in the company was involved in the project. \n\nWe were handling everything from the website, to the community, to the fan club, to the ecommerce site. \n\nOn launch day, we stayed late into the night. \n\nWe all pitched in however we could--I think I was encoding videos or something. \n\nWe were so close to ready. You know that feeling? \n\nAnd then it happened.\n
That’s right, it was the monster. \n\nSeriously. One of our salespeople walked into the room, held up his phone, and said, “This is Kanye. He wants to know when we’re gonna be live. Oh, and there a few small changes.” \n\nYes, that Kanye.\n\nWe sat there for a second, stunned, staring at that phone. A few people walked away. Others ran. \n\nThose of us that remained planned our attack and told the salesperson, and Kanye, when we’d go live. \n\nWe cranked up Yeezy’s latest album, the bass bounced off the basement walls, and we got the site up, with all the changes, on time.\n\n\n
So how did we make this monster happy? We spoke its language.\n
We designers love to talk. \n\nWhy wouldn’t we? We have all these cool things to talk about. \n\nFitts Law (however you spell it), persona, heuristics, KPI, affordance, taxonomy … \n\nI mean come on, we have a guy named Jesse James!\nHow cool is that!\n\nWell, most of the time, the other stakeholders don’t care about this stuff. They have enough to worry about. \n\nThey don’t want to hear us toss out five-dollar UX words every time we open our mouths. \n\nThey want us to do our jobs and design the experience.\n
We have a tendency to use jargon when we’re talking to other stakeholders. \n\nWe need to stop doing this. \n\nIt’s o.k. to use terms stakeholders are familiar with when referring to deliverables, but don’t use jargon for jargon’s sake. \n\nWe have a hard enough time deciding what things mean inside our small community. \n\nWe should spend our time focusing on the project rather than explaining what something means.\n
So how do you ask questions without getting bit?\n\nThe best way is to listen. That’s it. I mean really listen. \n\nDon’t sit there thinking about the counterpoint. Listen and understand what they’re really asking for.\n\nJust like when you conduct user research, focus on what they’re really saying. \n\nDon’t ask leading questions or steer the conversation toward your biases. \n\nAsk questions that dig deeper based on what you’ve heard them say. Not what you want them to say. \n
Don’t agree with something? Fine. But first, consider all the variables and constraints.\n\nBy spending a little time talking to the people involved, it makes it easier for you, and the other stakeholders, to make decisions. \n\nIt’s freeing when everything is on the table.\n
Watch out for artificial constraints. \n\nThey can quickly kill a great experience.\n\nAn artificial constraint is a constraint, variable, requirement, or edge case that isn’t based on the reality of the project at hand. \n\nIt’s amazing how easy it is to add unneeded complexity to a project. \n\nIt’s one of the most dangerous things that can happen with this monster. \n\nBefore you know it, your whole design is threatened.\n\nWe have to challenge artificial constraints when they come up. \n\nIf something comes up that doesn’t seem like it’s real, based on the research you’ve done, challenge it!\n\nDon’t talk something to death. \n
It’s o.k. to have an opinion. \n\nBeing open and honest with your opinions is pretty cool. \n\nWhen you share yours, it gives the other stakeholders permission to safely share theirs. \n\nIt has almost a calming effect.\n\nBut remember, you’re part of this monster too. \n\nBe aware of how powerful your bite is. \n\nDon’t make a judgement before you listen and understand everything.\n\nLest you get bit.\n
What should you do when they say, “Make it pretty!” or “Give it a good UX!” or “Make it simple, clean”? \n\nHere’s the deal with this one. We need to stop being defensive when we hear these phrases. \n\nIn other words, we need to get over it. \n\nWhen I used to hear people say make it pretty, the hairs on the back on my neck stood up...\nI started to turn green... \nYou wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. \n\nSince user experience design is becoming more and more prevalent and valued, people’s intent with this phrase, is less lipstick on a pig, and more about making the entire experience pretty. \n\nThat’s a testament to the work we’re all doing. \n\nWe should be proud of ourselves!\n\n
What do you do when you make the wrong design decision? \n\nStep 1, admit it. \n\nStep 2, don’t take is personally. \n\nIt’s not about you. It’s about the user. \n\nIf you make a wrong decision, it’s o.k. You’re one step closer to knowing the user better. \n\nBesides, there are some things you won’t know are right or wrong until you see them implemented.\n
I once spent nine months of my life designing and writing UI specifications for a financial services application. \n\nMy work ended up being about 300 pages of a 2,000 page document. That’s 4 inches thick if you print double-sided. I never, ever, want to do that again. \n\nWhy? We got some stuff right but we got a ton of stuff wrong. \n\nEven though my wireframes we’re thoroughly annotated, and very pretty, my work was still open to interpretation. \n\nWhich of course ended up requiring explanation and even more documentation. It’s a vicious cycle.\n\nThis was a failure. \n\nThinking stakeholders would read, let alone comprehend, something that dense. \n\nMonsters don’t like fail.\n\nThat’s where prototyping can help.\n\n
Here are a few of my favorite reasons, \nwhy monsters LOVE prototypes.\n\n\n
I’m a huge fan of interactive prototypes. \n\nWhy? Because you click on it, and get a response.\n\nNot just a response for the prototype, but from the monster.\n\nYou just can’t do that with wireframes. It just isn’t the same.\n\nA prototype also provides a centering, and neutral, place for conversations. \n\nInterpretations may still be different, but it’s much easier to see what a product is becoming when it’s being used. \n\nPlus, since the focus is on the prototype and not on you or the other stakeholders, it keeps the conversation focused on the product. \n\n\n\n\n\n
Prototypes are cheap. \n\nIt’s cheaper to create a prototype than it is to annotate wireframes, \nhand them over to get coded, \ntwiddle your thumbs, \nand eventually, see if it’s any good. \n\nBut they can get expensive if you aren’t careful. \n\nAt Emma, we code our prototypes using HTML, CSS, and Javascript.\n\nIt’s easy to start focusing on minutia.\n\nWe also have to be very careful not to code to production-quality. \n\nWe’re ALWAYS reminding ourselves why we prototype: to see the experience.\n
It’s fun to create prototypes. \n\nSomething I’ve recently learned to love\nis working within an Agile framework. \nBy breaking down product features into individual stories,\nyou focus on designing just a few pieces at a time.\n\nWe use a design studio approach for our concept work.\nUsually 3 or 4 designers, doing time-constrained sketching.\nOnce we’re happy with a concept, we start coding the story.\n\nWorking like this, helps you see if your concepts play or not. \n\nAlso, I think you actually do MORE design, \nwhen you’re working with prototypes.\n\nIt’s like your designs come to life.\n\nIt’s just a fun way to work.\n\n\n
Before you head out and start taming monsters yourself, a few more things to think about.\n
Illuminate the roaches. \n\nRegardless of these techniques, you’re going to encounter people that just don’t want to work with you. \n\nThese people are so frustrating.\n\nHere’s what I do. I’m just honest with everyone. \n\nWhen you’re honest about every aspect of a project, it’s like you turn the lights on. \n\nRoaches hate light. \n\nThere isn’t anywhere for them to hide.\n
Why are we biting each other? \n\nWe’re all in this together, regardless of which archetype we represent. \n\nIf we continue to bite, claw, and scratch at each other, guess who suffers? The user. \n\nWe don’t want that now do we?\n
We’re all people. \n\nWe all breathe, eat, and sleep. We all have eyes, teeth, and hair. Well, some of us do. \n\nBe nice to each other. \n\nAt the end of the day, it’s really all about going home safe and happy. \n\n\n
One last thing before we end. \nRaise your hand.\nCome on. Raise your hand.\nRepeat after me.\n
I\nstate your name\ndo solemnly swear\nto understand stakeholders,\nspeak their language,\nuse prototypes,\nbe nice to everyone,\nand design awesome experiences.\n\nYou are all now officially monster tamers!\nBefore you leave today, come see me, to get your badge.\n
Thanks for your time today.\n\nBe careful out there!\n\n\n\nCreative Commons Image Credits\n Cave: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/2175928325/\n Stakes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonz/4102908301/in/photostream/\n Kanye: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddalledo/2204168450/\n Roach: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59067443@N08/5407069779/\n

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Haig Armen , Designer & Professor at Lift Studios & Emily Carr University of Art + Design 4 months ago

Taming the Nine-Headed Stakeholder Monster — Presentation Transcript

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Taming the Nine-Headed Stakeholder Monster

by Geoff Alday on Apr 10, 2011

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Taming the Nine-Headed Stakeholder Monster — Presentation Transcript