Experience Leadership - UXI Live 2012

US Air Force ofﬁcial photo by Staff Sgt. Chad C. Strohmeyer / public domain

EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP
KIM GOODWIN
UX Israel Live 2012

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EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP | Kim Goodwin @kimgoodwin #UXILive #leadership 3

gn
business information
analysis architecture

interaction design

human factors

visual design

industrial design information
EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP | Kim Goodwin
user research design
@kimgoodwin #UXILive #leadership 3

gn

interaction design
UX

analytics human factors

service
design

design
visual design strategy

content
industrial design information strategy

gn

interaction design
UX
social
interaction analytics human factors
design

service
design

mobile
design
interaction
design

content

gn

interaction design
UX
social
interaction analytics human factors
design

service
design

mobile
design
interaction UX leadership
design

content

WANTED
Expertise in research, personas,
wireframing, visual design,
content strategy, testing,
coding, and nuclear physics.
Must have designed an award-
winning product just like ours.
At least 25 years experience
required; 20 or more in mobile.
Walking on water a big plus.
Generous salary equivalent to
the receptionist’s.


smart company


smart company
ﬁlled with
brilliant designers


The long & lonely road to perfect design & happiness


The long & lonely road to perfect design & happiness
new
exec

budget
issue
bad
attitude
arbitrary
UX is deadline
not a
priority


Leaders influence others
to accomplish shared goals


Managers
may be leaders


Managers
may be leaders ...or not


Roles for UX leaders


Internal focus External focus



Practice



Practice

Project



Practice

Project

Change


UX skills essential UX skills optional

Practice

Project

Change


As with any craft:
The 10,000 hour rule applies (K. Anders Ericsson)


Like design, leadership involves:
Principles Context Media Process Deliverables

Earn trust
Inspire confidence
Show you value people
Sell the right idea



Earn trust
Inspire confidence
Show you value people
Sell the right idea



Culture
Colleagues
Colleagues
Your preferred style



Conversation
Your own behavior
Processes & measures
Cultural artifacts



with individuals
Assess context, then speak
with organizations
Change management



Skills & culture


A UX leader’s deliverable
a culture where a
bad UX is unthinkable


for example:
Disney
theme parks

EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP | Kim Goodwin The Disney Way, Capodagli & Jackson, 1998. @kimgoodwin #UXILive #leadership 17

Project issues
are symptoms


Project issues
are symptoms

CULTURE
is the cause


Project issues
are symptoms

CULTURE
is the cause

stated values
artifacts & systems
shared assumptions


Plan A:
adapt your approach


Competing Values Framework
Simpliﬁed from Cameron & Quinn 2011, based on earlier works



Dynamic

Stable



Dynamic

Internal External
focus focus

Stable



Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable

EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP | Kim Goodwin @kimgoodwin #UXILive #leadership

Employee satisfaction
Skill-building
value Collaborators
Harmony
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Employee satisfaction
Skill-building value UX pros as
value Collaborators facilitators
Harmony
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Novelty of vision
Experimentation
value Passionate generalists
Adoption & growth
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Novelty of vision
Experimentation value UX pros as
value Passionate generalists whiteboard ninjas
Adoption & growth
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Efﬁciency & structure
Consistency
value Technical expertise
Preventing failure
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Efﬁciency & structure
Consistency value UX pros as
value Technical expertise experts
Preventing failure
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Near-term proﬁt
Quantiﬁable results
value Assertiveness
Beating competition
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


Near-term proﬁt
Quantiﬁable results value UX pros as
value Assertiveness scientists
Beating competition
Dynamic
Clan Adhocracy

Internal External

Hierarchy Market
Stable


What values can you use?
Hitch UX to the right one, and it’s like rocket fuel.


Plan B:
change the culture
(much harder)


change = loss


For change to happen:

Perceived
LOSS


For change to happen:

Dissatisfaction with status quo
Perceived
LOSS Clarity about what to change

Understanding of how to get there

Adapted from Alexander Horniman, Darden School of Business


changing culture = moving a mountain


changing culture = moving a mountain
3-5 years, minimum
once you have executive support & a plan


The mountain is
made of individual rocks


The mountain is

executives


The mountain is

executives

managers


The mountain is

executives

managers

individual
contributors


Kurt Lewin’s process model



Unfreeze



Unfreeze

Transition



Unfreeze Refreeze

Transition


John Kotter’s 8-step model
1. Establish urgency
2. Develop a guiding coalition
3. Develop a vision
4. Communicate the vision
5. Enable action
6. Get short-term wins
7. Don’t let up
8. Make change stick


Continuous Change Cycle
Lawrence, Dyck, Maitlis & Mauws, 2006



evangelists
sell ideas



evangelists autocrats
sell ideas dictate practices




architects
establish systems




educators architects
shape intuition establish systems


individuals

systems



individuals

systems


cognition behavior


In UX change, the
“evangelism” stage is long


A model* of effective UX change

* which is a work in progress


YOU



LOCAL
YOU COALITION



GRADUALLY
LOCAL
YOU COALITION
LARGER
COALITION



informal change

GRADUALLY
LOCAL
YOU COALITION
LARGER
COALITION



informal change mandate & plan

GRADUALLY
LOCAL
YOU COALITION
LARGER
COALITION



informal change mandate & plan executive-sponsored change

GRADUALLY
LOCAL
YOU COALITION
LARGER
COALITION




GRADUALLY EXECUTE PLAN WITH
LOCAL
YOU COALITION
LARGER GLOBAL PRODUCT &
COALITION SERVICE DELIVERY




EXECUTE PLAN WITH
LOCAL WHOLE COMPANY,
YOU COALITION
INCLUDING EMPLOYEE
SERVICE FUNCTIONS


1. Assess the context 1. Enlist an “autocrat” Many parallel activities with increasing scope:
2. Define the problem(s) 2. Define a global coalition - Evangelism / internal marketing
3. Identify what you can use 3. Assess the context - Creating or evolving product processes & tools
4. Define a vision 4. Define the problems - Education & skill-building with non-designers
5. Understand key influencers 5. Identify what you can use - Implementing new measurements & rewards
6. Demonstrate small wins 6. Define a vision - Changing leader habits that promote old culture
7. Evangelize 7. Understand key influencers - Increasing UX staffing
8. Build your coalition 8. Create a change plan
repeat 3 or more times


EXECUTE PLAN WITH
LOCAL WHOLE COMPANY,
YOU COALITION
INCLUDING EMPLOYEE
SERVICE FUNCTIONS


YOU

1. Assess the context
2. Define the problem(s)
3. Identify what you can use
4. Define a vision
5. Understand key influencers
6. Demonstrate small wins
7. Evangelize
8. Build your coalition


YOU

shared understanding of culture, process, practices, influencers

things in the way of delivering better UX (culture is usually the cause)

values and assumptions you can leverage

4. Define a vision
what should be culture, processes, tools, UX team scale & role

who they are, plus their goals, beliefs & behavior preferences

succeed, then measure & communicate success in the right way

7. Evangelize
target your conversations & style for influencers

enlist & equip allies, then go back to step 1


Informal change is iterative

YOU

4. Deﬁne a vision
7. Evangelize



LOCAL
YOU COALITION

1. Assess the context 1. Assess the context
2. Define the problem(s) 2. Define the problem(s)
3. Identify what you can use 3. Identify what you can use
4. Define a vision 4. Define a vision
5. Understand key influencers 5. Understand key influencers
6. Demonstrate small wins 6. Demonstrate small wins
7. Evangelize 7. Evangelize
8. Build your coalition 8. Build your coalition



LOCAL GRADUALLY
YOU COALITION LARGER
COALITION

1. Assess the context 1. Assess the context 1. Assess the context
2. Define the problem(s) 2. Define the problem(s) 2. Define the problem(s)
3. Identify what you can use 3. Identify what you can use 3. Identify what you can use
4. Define a vision 4. Define a vision 4. Define a vision
5. Understand key influencers 5. Understand key influencers 5. Understand key influencers
6. Demonstrate small wins 6. Demonstrate small wins 6. Demonstrate small wins
7. Evangelize 7. Evangelize 7. Evangelize
8. Build your coalition 8. Build your coalition 8. Build your coalition


Mandate & planning
1. Enlist an “autocrat”
2. Define a global coalition
4. Define the problems
6. Define a vision
8. Create a change plan


Mandate & planning
1. Enlist an “autocrat”
AND nearly all of the executive team

2. Define a global coalition
include leaders in all product & service delivery areas, plus HR

4. Define the problems
6. Define a vision
8. Create a change plan
mechanisms, leaders, resources, and timelines


Formal change: example @ big company


Evangelism / marketing
Product process / tools

Measurements & rewards
Leader behavior

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6+

Evangelism / marketing

Leader behavior


Evangelism / marketing Big push (events, etc.) Ongoing campaigns Integrate everywhere


Leader behavior



Product process / tools Process & principles Styleguide, standards Update as needed

Leader behavior




Measurements & rewards Deﬁne Implement in key areas Deploy everywhere Maintain

Leader behavior





Leader behavior Assess & coach Ongoing part of evaluation

UX change often hits a
capacity wall

capacity wall

UX capacity

capacity wall

UX capacity
Demand for UX

capacity wall

Worst response:
Try to do it all
UX capacity
Demand for UX

Solutions
1. Split UX project time:
~ 2/3 driving projects that can succeed
~ 1/3 clearly framed as periodic advice only

Solutions
1. Split UX project time:
~ 2/3 driving projects that can succeed
~ 1/3 clearly framed as periodic advice only

2. Train others make incremental improvements
- design principles
- user research basics






Education / skill-building

UX pros on projects
Top priority products
Customer-facing services
Medium priority products
Lower priority products
Employee service tools






Education / skill-building Engineers, PMs, key managers HR, IT, facilities As needed

UX pros on projects
Top priority products
Customer-facing services
Medium priority products
Lower priority products
Employee service tools






Education / skill-building Engineers, PMs, key managers HR, IT, facilities As needed

UX pros on projects
Top priority products Doing Doing Doing Doing Doing Doing
Customer-facing services Advising Doing Doing Doing Doing Doing
Medium priority products Advising Advising Doing Doing Doing Doing
Lower priority products Advising Advising Doing Doing Doing
Employee service tools Advising Doing Doing

Leader behavior
is the biggest factor


Leader behavior
Primary mechanisms
- Attention
- Reactions to crises
- Role modeling
- Rewards
- Personnel decisions

See: Edgar Schein

Leader behavior
Primary mechanisms Secondary mechanisms
- Attention - Organizational structure
- Reactions to crises - Systems & processes
- Role modeling - Facilities design
- Rewards - Stories & myths
- Personnel decisions - Formal statements

See: Edgar Schein

Master your context
or become its victim


Treat conversations as
design problems


Remember that culture
is your real deliverable


Have patience
with yourself, others, the process


Look at UXI Live through a
leadership lens


US Air Force ofﬁcial photo by Staff Sgt. Chad C. Strohmeyer / public domain

THANKS!
Enjoy the conference!

KIM GOODWIN
kimgoodwin@mac.com
@kimgoodwin

Experience Leadership - UXI Live 2012

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