Time
to Spit
on the Table
Being Functionally Appropriate
by Being Culturally Inappropriate
Dan Willis, Sapient IA Summit March 21, 2009

See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbV4KcVu9VQ

“We don’t know who
discovered water ...
... but we know it
wasn’t a fish.”
--- Marshall McLuhan

“Hunting Lice by Candlelight” by Andries Both

“The group’s initial
fixation on statistical
anchors ... was in step
with the analysis-
oriented corporate
norm.”

“One way past this dysfunction
was to give the meeting attendees
permission to ESCAPE from the
Hairball of their history ...”

Inappropriate
meetings

Inappropriate meetings
Ravee Kurian, Director Business
Consulting, Sapient
See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTSNIo9ISzE

Inappropriate meetings
Existing culture
‣ Distracted
‣ Unfocused
‣ Non-productive
Inappropriate tactics
‣ Demand accountability
‣ Make it per$onal
Results
‣ Full participation
‣ Self-policing

Intermission

Inappropriate presentations

Inappropriate presentations

Inappropriate presentations
Andrei Herasimchuk, Principal,
Involution Studios
For video see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA0Gl5NNgqE

Inappropriate presentations
Existing culture
‣ Engineer-dominated
‣ Fledgling interaction design expertise
‣ Microsoft haters
Inappropriate tactics
‣ Present user-centric view of product
line
‣ Suggest emulating the enemy
Results
‣ Adobe’s Creative Suite works a heck of
a lot like Microsoft Office now

Intermission ... again

Inappropriate deliverables

Inappropriate deliverables
Eric Reiss, CEO, FatDUX Group
See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUP4Vi-xkWY

Inappropriate deliverables
Existing culture
‣ Conditioned to expect slick IA
documentation
‣ Distance between client and
consultants
Inappropriate tactics
‣ Create low-fi materials
‣ Involve client in hands-on creation
Results
‣ Better project for the consulting
company
‣ Deeper understanding of problem for
client

Inappropriate deliverables
Jared Spool, Founding Principal,
User Interface Engineering
For video see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD-CCzEh-YM

Inappropriate deliverables
Existing culture
‣ Traditional, deep-pocket investors
Inappropriate tactic
‣ Use a messy prototype to explain
functionality
Results
‣ Investors became participants
‣ Investors had fun
‣ Investors gained a deeper
understanding of the product than with
traditional materials

WARNING
Audience participation required in 5 slides

Inappropriate tips
‣ Inappropriate doesn’t always
mean rude
‣ Understand the existing
culture; gauge the ROI
‣ Get tactile
‣ Get personal
‣ Use the humor, but
constantly track the
discomfort in the room

WARNING
Audience participation required in 2 slides

Risks
‣ You may get fired
‣ You may be taken lightly
‣ Being inappropriate takes
more energy than
maintaining the status quo

Inappropriate stories, issues, or
questions?
dan@dswillis.com
http://www.uxcrank.com
twitter: @uxcrank
Please show Sapient some love. They are
smart and they are paying my hotel bill.