How to avoid disaster L earning about UX by looking at massive failures CanUX September 14, 2006 Banff, Alberta

Why disasters? Reveal real-world complexity Defy our expectations about accountability and corrective action Cascade of ordinary failures Attract small-problem solutions Blame and shame

Reveal real-world complexity

Defy our expectations about accountability and corrective action

Cascade of ordinary failures

Attract small-problem solutions

Blame and shame

Management 101

Management 101

Management 101

What is a system? Collection of “stuff” Dynamic, complex, interdependent relationships Can't be decomposed into linear processes Can't be separated from the environment or context in which they occur Small changes  big effects

Collection of “stuff”

Dynamic, complex, interdependent relationships

Can't be decomposed into linear processes

Can't be separated from the environment or context in which they occur

Small changes  big effects

What are systems? Economies Ecosystems Organizations Markets Projects Social Networks

Economies

Ecosystems

Organizations

Markets

Projects

Social Networks

Agenda Talk about a few disasters Lessons learned Successful systems Mindset

Talk about a few disasters

Lessons learned

Successful systems

Mindset

Rounding error

Rounding error

Rounding error or Programmer error?

Rounding error

or

Programmer error?

Rounding error or Programmer error or System failure?

Rounding error

or

Programmer error

or

System failure?

Lessons Learned Real-world tests Complex accountability

Real-world tests

Complex accountability

All Dead

Lessons Learned Real-world tests Complex accountability Big problems have shared ownership Assumed safety nets can vanish easily Small changes  Big impact

Real-world tests

Complex accountability

Big problems have shared ownership

Assumed safety nets can vanish easily

Small changes  Big impact

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/pf/pf_accident_rate_history_cht.html

Eastern Flight 401

NASA Research (1979) Primary cause of most aviation accidents: Leadership Decision-making Interpersonal communication Led to teamwork training for flight crews Reporting of near misses

Primary cause of most aviation accidents:

Leadership

Decision-making

Interpersonal communication

Led to teamwork training for flight crews

Reporting of near misses

Teamwork training “ A state medical board has fined a surgeon and an anesthesiologist $10,000 each for brawling in an operating room while their patient slept…” “ A nurse monitored the patient as the doctors fought”

“ A state medical board has fined a surgeon and an anesthesiologist $10,000 each for brawling in an operating room while their patient slept…”

“ A nurse monitored the patient as the doctors fought”

Successful Systems Transparency Quality over authority Shared ownership No goats (and few heroes) Team training Real-world tests

Transparency

Quality over authority

Shared ownership

No goats (and few heroes)

Team training

Real-world tests

Lessons for UX Understand what influences your solution Consider feedback as a design parameter Help clients find leverage points Know when you’re at a brick wall Unintended consequences

Understand what influences your solution

Consider feedback as a design parameter

Help clients find leverage points

Know when you’re at a brick wall

Unintended consequences

Facebook “… Facebook's feedback from users comes in the form of emails to its customer-service email address, which the company's product-development team reviews weekly. But the company typically doesn't solicit feedback by showing features to users before launching them ." Wall Street Journal , September 7, 2006

“… Facebook's feedback from users comes in the form of emails to its customer-service email address, which the company's product-development team reviews weekly. But the company typically doesn't solicit feedback by showing features to users before launching them ."

Wall Street Journal , September 7, 2006

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