(Agile 2011) Lean UX: Getting Out of the Deliverables Business

Lean UX
Getting out of the deliverables business
Agile 2011
Salt Lake City, UT
http://img.blog.yahoo.co.kr/ybi/1/1c/f6/cliffordmlarsen/folder/717992/img_717992_1359004_3?1103025176.jpg

Why am I up here?
Designer. Team Leader. Lover of conference schwag.
Jeff Gothelf
currently:
Director of UX at TheLadders.com
previously:
Publicis Modem, Webtrends, AOL, Fidelity and an assortment of startups
blog:
www.jeffgothelf.com/blog
twitter:
@jboogie
email:
jgothelf@theladders.com
#LeanUX

In the beginning…
UX began with Information Architecture which no one had ever heard of
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.ucdesigners.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/stockxpertcom_id21589-world1-1024x794.jpg

Deliverables helped define Information Architecture
And this was good
#LeanUX | @jboogie

IA evolved and expanded into Interaction Design
Darwinism at work
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Deliverables helped define these emerging practices
And this was good
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Value has ultimately been placed on the deliverable
Not on the experience being created
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Deliverables eat babies!
I kid. Only a little.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

With interactive experiences evolving rapidly
The deliverable is just not enough
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Lean UX
Inspired by Lean Startup and Agile development theories, it’s the practice of bringing the true nature of design work to light faster, with less emphasis on deliverables and greater focus on the actual experience being designed.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

It goes a little something like this…
Look familiar?
Just the UX process
Prototype
Concept
Validate Internally
Test Externally
Learn from user behavior
Iterate
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Designers can’t hide behind their monitor any more!
Hope you like hanging out with designers.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yamagatacamille/4799648425/sizes/l/

Get design work out there. Fast.
In public. (Yes, where everyone can see it.)
#LeanUX | @jboogie

What Lean UX is NOT
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Lazy.
Sorry. Designers still have to work hard.
“…the best part … is that the team is doing a F@&K-TON of UX. They document a ton of stuff explicitly on the walls and implicitly in shared understanding among team members.”
Austin Govella
commenting on Whitney Hess’s “Why I Detest the Term Lean UX”
http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2011/02/27/why-i-detest-the-term-lean-ux/
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.steadyburn.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/lazy-cat5.jpg

The only thing being removed is waste.
You leave that stuff laying around and it starts to stink!
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mims/326748812/sizes/l/

This is NOT design-by-committee!
That never leads to anything pretty.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

What Lean UX is…
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Control
Designers still drive the design
#LeanUX | @jboogie

“But I’m giving up control of my work!”
Not really. It just feels that way at first.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alshepmcr/4561517216/sizes/l/

It’s not “The Spec” that gives control
That’s the last mile of the value design brings to the team
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://talkingtraffic.org/wp-content/images/stack_documents.jpg

If a designer spends 3 months perfecting a design only to find out it fails to meet customer and/or business needs, they’ve just wasted 3 months of their life, not to mention the team’s.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Designers shouldn’t be expected to get it right the first time
Nobody else has to
From Design Criticism and the Creative Process by Cassie McDaniel on A List Apart, 11 Jan, 2011.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/design-criticism-creative-process/
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Designers are the “Keepers of the Vision”
The experience is design’s responsibility
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photoshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/kubina/1386979654/sizes/l/

Momentum
Everyone’s engaged. Everyone’s motivated.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Keep everybody moving forward
Clients, stakeholders, design and team.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37541410@N03/3901861703/sizes/l/

Quality
No compromises
#LeanUX | @jboogie

“Speed first. Aesthetics second.”
– Jason Fried, 37Signals.com
#LeanUX | @jboogie

“Going for the bronze.”
– A Creative Director I used to work with
#LeanUX | @jboogie

What about the quality of the design?
Iterations mean quality continually improves.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://stockthemind.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/project-cartoon.jpg

Feasibility
Make sure it can be built (and built well)
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Prototype it!
But not all of it.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
hthttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQ4dc8irsc0/S_TZkx7B_3I/AAAAAAAAAM0/lwh7NTbtKMo/s1600/PopGlider+assembled+2.jpgtp://www.flickr.com/photos/alshepmcr/4561517216/sizes/l/

Once validated, demo to the team.
Presto! Instant documentation.
No additional deliverables are needed!
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/koolwaaij/152426460/sizes/o/

Then show it to your customers.
Keep it light and cheap.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/forakerdesign/3657336793/sizes/l/

Fill in the gaps
What did you not think about?
#LeanUX | @jboogie

The more you talk about it
The more you realize what’s missing
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adysmiles/4822749055/sizes/l/

Can I make this happen in my organization?
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yessssssssss!
#LeanUX | @jboogie

The internal software/web design shop.
Well within your grasp.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.istudyathes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/microsoft-20team-201978.jpg

You are in the problem-solving business and you don’t solve problems with design documentation. You solve them with elegant, efficient and sophisticated software.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

The interactive agency and services world.
Tougher sell. Worth it in the end.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Agencies are in the deliverables business.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Recapping the “internal” Lean UX process….
Remember?
Just the UX process
Concept
Validate Internally
Test Externally
Iterate
Prototype
#LeanUX | @jboogie

For services agencies it looks slightly different
Give your clients the power. They like that.
Validate w/client
Validate w/client
Concept
Prototype
Iterate
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Consultants are specialized mini-agencies
Success with Lean UX will be determined by attention level
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Reducing deliverables efforts reduces revenue
In theory…
Fewer deliverables
Fewer billable hours
$$$$
Project delivered faster
Happier, more empowered client
Repeat customer
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Invest in your client’s success
It shows the confidence you have in your work
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19638298@N00/143127498/sizes/z/

Distributed teams do it remotely!
If they’re a part of you, it’s on! If not, it ain’t bloody likely.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2076450897_be1b8ace7c.jpg

Is this good for every project?
Use it where it makes sense.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.krackblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/david_hasselhoff_gary_coleman-e1275077640952.jpg

Functional, task-flow projects work well.
There’s a clear end goal.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Highly experiential marketing projects will struggle.
Time to ideate and create options is essential.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

What about content heavy experiences?
Some up front planning is necessary.
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Case Study
100 Days of Collaboration
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Problem Statement:
“You’re like Monster, but I have to pay for it.”
#LeanUX | @jboogie

3 days, 3 themes:
Acquisition and conversion
Resume services
A human in every interaction
#LeanUX | @jboogie

#LeanUX | @jboogie

How do I get started?
Here are 5 quick wins you can implement today
#LeanUX | @jboogie

1
Solve the problem together
As opposed to implementing someone else’s solution
#LeanUX | @jboogie

2
Sketching
It’s all the rage!
#LeanUX | @jboogie

2
Example of sketching at work
V1 of the UI
#LeanUX | @jboogie

2
Sketching brings experiences to life faster
Launched UI
#LeanUX | @jboogie

3
Get the experience out there, not the document
Act it out if you have to
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.macdavidpro.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/4355664150_68b8aa58a9_o-600x337.jpg

4
Pair up!
But do it, cross-functionally
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://photofind.com/featured-photo/20-uncomfortable-moments-in-sports

4
Pairing saves time
It also levels the playing field
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://hoveringartdirectors.tumblr.com/page/2

4
Pairing sets designers free, man
…and empowers developers!
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.clydekellerphotos.com/images/AP_Kesey_HippiesDancing_GALLERY_CGW.jpg

5
Style guides!
The cause of, and solution, all your UX problems
#LeanUX | @jboogie

5
They’re good for developers too!
Creates a reusable asset library and point from which to start
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Designers are used to being heroes.
Lean UX is distinctly, anti-hero.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.abegoodman.com/Images/greatest-american-hero.jpg

This is an evolution. Not a revolution.
Designers must evolve to stay relevant.
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freejay3/2387714157/sizes/l/

Once you go lean…
Apparently it’s good and you can’t go back to…err…fat…or something
#LeanUX | @jboogie

Let’s get back to the experience design business.
It’s where it’s at (as the kids say)
#LeanUX | @jboogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/3057998218/sizes/l/

Thanks!
Call me. Let’s chat.
Jeff Gothelf
@jboogie
jeff@jeffgothelf.com
www.jeffgothelf.com/blog
bit.ly/LeanUX
slideshare.net/jgothelf
#LeanUX | @jboogie

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(Agile 2011) Lean UX: Getting Out of the Deliverables Business

by Jeff Gothelf on Aug 14, 2011

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(Agile 2011) Lean UX: Getting Out of the Deliverables Business — Presentation Transcript