User Experience
Design & Process
Russ Unger
Director of Experience Planning
Draftfcb
@russu

What is the Zappos UX Design
Process?
Source: my boss, Jamie

What is the Zappos UX Design
Process?
(Uh, you tell me…)
Source: my boss, Jamie

Stepping Back:
What is a Process?
Source: http://xkcd.com/627/

Best Practices?
Source: sybilia.wordpress.com
“…[stuff] that worked in the past, and *may* or *may not* work in the future”
Matthew Milan, Normative

Process Type: Waterfall
Source: A Project Guide to UX Design

Process Type: Agile
Source: A Project Guide to UX Design

Pitch
Business Requirements
Consumer Research
Information Architecture
Interaction Design
During A Project?
Brand Design
Content Design
Visual Design
Technology & Development
User Experience Design
Quality Assurance
What Does UX Design Touch
Post-Launch Evaluation

Deep
Shallow
Pitch
Business Requirements
Consumer Research
Information Architecture
Interaction Design
Brand Design
Content Design
Visual Design
UX Design Be Engaged?
Technology & Development
User Experience Design
Quality Assurance
Post-Launch Evaluation
Okay, So When & Where Should

Here’s a Project Guide to UX
Design
• Create the Proposal / Brief / Requirements
• Do the Research
• Create Personas
• Create the Site Maps & Task Flows
• Create the Wireframes & Functional Spec
• Create a Prototype
• Test the Design(s)
• Transition to Creative Designer(s)
• Verify Design Against UX Specs
• Transition to Development Team
• Assist in Quality Assurance
• Review Post-Launch Analytics & Recommend Enhancements

Back To Life. Back to Reality.
• Create the Proposal / Brief / Requirements
• Do the Research
• Create Personas
• Create the Site Maps & Task Flows
• Create the Wireframes & Functional Spec
• Create a Prototype
• Test the Design(s)
• Transition to Creative Designer(s)
• Verify Design Against UX Specs
• Transition to Development Team
• Assist in Quality Assurance
• Review Post-Launch Analytics & Recommend Enhancements

You Can’t Save Every One…
Source: http://www.ww-ghosts.com/html-files/medical-and-health.htm

How Do We Solve for a Never-
Ending, Always-Changing
Problem?

How Do We Solve for a Never-
Ending, Always-Changing
Problem?
David Bowie

How Do We Solve for a Never-
Ending, Always-Changing
Problem?
“Ch-Ch-Changes”
David Bowie

Deep
Shallow
Pitch
Business Requirements
Consumer Research
Information Architecture
Interaction Design
Brand Design
Content Design
Visual Design
Technology & Development
User Experience Design
Quality Assurance
Post-Launch Evaluation
It Starts Up Front (At The Top)

What Else?

Set Standards
Not so much in the process…
But in the day-to-day:
• Tools
• File Locations
• Naming Conventions
• Status Expectations
…

Communicate OFTEN
Source: http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=202

Communicate OFTEN
Don’t Manage by Basecamp!
Source: http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=202

Get A Thick Skin & Crit!
“Design criticism is about THE DESIGN. It’s not about the designer or the
agency or the company who owns the site. Design criticism is about the
results. Period.” -ANDY RUTLEDGE

So What?

So What?
(It always seems like everyone else is “doing it right”)

So What?
(It always seems like everyone else is “doing it right”)
“The grass always looks greener—we just never think
about what it takes to keep it that way.”
--David Armano

So What?
(It always seems like everyone else is “doing it right”)
“The grass always looks greener—we just never think about
what it takes to keep it that way.”
--David Armano
“Every place has some degree of ‘screwed-up’ to it.”
--Russ

Journey to the Center of
(User Experience) Design
Source: http://www.happywebbies.com

Spool Says:
• The best teams don’t have a methodology or
[process] that they follow
• The struggling teams often tried following a
methodology, without success

Spool Says:
• The best teams don’t have a methodology or
[process] that they follow
• The struggling teams often tried following a
methodology, without success.
• The best teams all focused on increasing the
techniques & tricks for each team member
• They were constantly exploring new tricks and
techniques for their toolbox
• Struggling teams had limited tricks &
techniques

Russ Says:
• Jared’s (mostly) right!
• BUT… that takes time, experience

Russ Says:
• Jared’s (mostly) right!
• BUT… that takes time, experience
• Guiding principals or an outline can help you get
there
• OR… at least help the people who are new to your
team

This is Great Advice!
• But, uh, what about in real life?

This is Great Advice!
• But, uh, what about in real life?
• We need something NOW!

This is Great Advice!
• But, uh, what about in real life?
• We need something NOW!
(Experience comes later)

Real Problem:
What Do You Do When There Are
NO Business Requirements?
Or at least, not very many—and they’re not very
well defined!
(This is hypothetical. Certainly <insert company here> doesn’t have this type of a problem!)

Use SMART Goals
Specific – Who, What, Where, When, Which,
Why

Use SMART Goals
Specific – Who, What, Where, When, Which, Why
Measurable – How much, many?

Use SMART Goals
Specific – Who, What, Where, When, Which, Why
Measurable – How much, many?
Attainable – Plan steps in accordance with
timeframe

Use SMART Goals
Specific – Who, What, Where, When, Which, Why
Measurable – How much, many?
Attainable – Plan steps in accordance with
timeframe
Realistic – Do you believe you can accomplish
it?

Use SMART Goals
Specific – Who, What, Where, When, Which, Why
Measurable – How much, many?
Attainable – Plan steps in accordance with
timeframe
Realistic – Do you believe you can accomplish it?
Timely – Tied to a real time frame

Use SMART Goals
Specific – Who, What, Where, When, Which, Why
Measurable – How much, many?
Attainable – Plan steps in accordance with
timeframe
Realistic – Do you believe you can accomplish it?
Timely – Tied to a real time frame
Tangible – Can you experience it?

Channel Personas

Channel Personas
You know who they are, now think like they think to help
meet your objectives!

Get Your Butt Out of Your Chair!

Get Your Butt Out of Your Chair!
Go out in the wild and understand the environment you
are designing for.

Break Through the Bullsh!t
• User Needs vs Business Objectives?

Break Through the Bullsh!t
• User Needs vs Business Objectives?
• Requirements versus Requests

Break Through the Bullsh!t
• User Needs vs Business Objectives?
• Requirements versus Requests
• How Much Documentation is Required?
• How much is too little? Too much?

Break Through the Bullsh!t
• User Needs vs Business Objectives?
• Requirements versus Requests
• How Much Documentation is Required?
• How much is too little? Too much?
• Stay in BETA!
• Alpha is the new Beta, but your biggest fans
are your best testers

(Guerilla) Research & Test
Often
“We don’t have time or budget to do Research.”

(Guerilla) Research & Test
Often
“We don’t have time or budget to do Research
and/or testing.”
“Traditional Research and/or testing takes
months & costs TENS of THOUSANDS of
dollars.”

(Guerilla) Research & Test
Often
“We don’t have time or budget to do Research
and/or testing.”
“Traditional Research and/or testing takes months
& costs TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars.”
--Bosses Everywhere

(Guerilla) Research & Test
Often
“We don’t have time or budget to do Research
and/or testing.”
“Traditional Research and/or testing takes months
& costs TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars.”
--Bosses Everywhere
Reality:
You don’t have time or budget to NOT do
research and/or testing.”

Some Easy Guerilla Methods
• The Burrito Lunch

Some Easy Guerilla Methods
• The Burrito Lunch
• Crowdsourcing
• Drupal
• A Book (go ahead, guess which one…)

Some Easy Guerilla Methods
• The Burrito Lunch
• Crowdsourcing
• Drupal
• A Book
• Man on the Street
• A National Security Company

Some Easy Guerilla Methods
• The Burrito Lunch
• Crowdsourcing
• Drupal
• A Book
• Man on the Street
• A National Security Company
• Designing the Box

The Design Studio
Source: Todd Zaki Warfel

Step 1:
Sketch Your Ideas (as a Group)
Source: Todd Zaki Warfel

Step 2:
Present Ideas to the Group
Source: Todd Zaki Warfel

Step 3:
Critique with Teams
Source: Todd Zaki Warfel

Step 4:
Bring Them to Life!
Source: Todd Zaki Warfel

Step 5:
Iterate & Repeat
Source: Todd Zaki Warfel

One Page BRD
Things you can ask for:
• Clear, concise description of THIS
functionality

One Page BRD
Things you can ask for:
• Clear, concise description of THIS functionality
• Sketch of the idea (it doesn’t have to be right!)

One Page BRD
Things you can ask for:
• Clear, concise description of THIS functionality
• Sketch of the idea (it doesn’t have to be right!)
• Action / Result of this functionality

One Page BRD
Things you can ask for:
• Clear, concise description of THIS functionality
• Sketch of the idea (it doesn’t have to be right!)
• Action / Result of this functionality
• Known areas of impact and/or concern

One Page BRD
Things you can ask for:
• Clear, concise description of THIS functionality
• Sketch of the idea (it doesn’t have to be right!)
• Action / Result of this functionality
• Known areas of impact and/or concern
Use this as a discussion starter!

Last, But Not Least…

Get In Front
“We will never make progress as long we are resources and not leaders.”
Dr. Don Norman

Questions?
Russ Unger
Director of Experience Planning
Draftfcb
@russu