America Needs UX

Editor's Notes

1. Learn how you can make a real difference in the lives of millions, put your tax dollars to better use, and even put more money in your pocket, by understanding how to bring awesome UX design to a public sector that seems to still be in the technological dark ages. *UX here refers to UX design as a broad professional discipline, not the user experience itself*.
2. We are hearing a lot these days about how government has finally jumped on the UX design bandwagon and is building websites and apps that deliver citizens an experience that is as awesome as those created by Silicon Valley. Proof? The US Digital Service, 18F, Presidential Innovation Fellows, etc. Bringing a Silicon Valley approach. The Digital Service Playbook. Fellow citizens rejoice! Soon, we will be able to use a delightful mobile app to check our social security benefit, apply for a federal housing loan, appeal our property assessment, and verify an employee’s disability status. Best of all, as UX designers, our career opportunities are exploding. The federal government is the largest employer in the country so there is a fast growing demand for our skills and talents, giving us unprecedented power. We can finally quit our low-paying agency jobs and claim our fat slice of the federal pie. Yes, the wait is over. Finally, Uncle Sam wants UX awesomeness, and that means us.
3. - is all about aesthetics and mobile - just happens by hiring a UX designer - takes place near end of development Government is actually still pretty clueless about what UX is and how it happens. UX is a buzzword. They want UX because Gartner told them they need it, not because they came to their own understanding. Government believes UX is something easy to add to an existing or new product and is limited to a very small part of the overall product lifecycle. Therefore, UX designers have a very limited role.
4. Story of reasons why Nick hired me, what he wanted me to do, and why he thought it would solve his problems. Solving real problems requires time, money and risk. It also means having to give up some control. So, let's just cover it up with something pretty and no one will notice. UX is a fast, cheap, and risk-free win. And when UX trends change in a few years, UX can be easily replaced with newest trend.
5. Why you? Because only you understand UX and only you can make government understand. Why now? Because government is being forced to rebuild products due to technical transformation and customer demand, so perfect time to ensure that UX becomes fundamental to next generation of products and processes.
6. - Outdated and ineffective technology - Clueless and meddlesome management and stakeholders - Burdensome technical and organizational constraints - Culture poorly suited to creative innovation and achievement If you believe that using a Mac and the coolest software available, only working with young creative hipsters, wearing sneakers and t-shirts to the office, and working whenever, wherever and however you want are the most important aspects of being a UX professional, then yes. However, if you believe that building the best digital products possible is more important, regardless of all the above, then working for the government can be an amazing professional and personal experience => see next card
7. - Great technical experience, governance experience, etc. - Great experience using products as a citizen - Pride is essential to happiness - Government employee benefits vs. contractor pay
8. Borrowing from my favorite stand-up comedian, Steve Martin, "First, get a job with the government."
9. No job is small. Even the smallest design problem/request is an opportunity to provide value. See the problem as evidence of a possible larger problem that can benefit from UX skills. But don't try to reinvent everything in order to shine. Instead, deal with what needs to be done and recommend other improvements, should the resources and will exist. Also, you are probably working on multiple products, so you can't dedicate all your energy on building one amazing app, but instead need to provide targeted value for perhaps a smaller, but more beneficial improvement across the board.
10. Government does not need to wow potential customers and seize market share. It needs to solve problems. Design should always be used to that end. This does not mean you can't create amazing things. Just make sure those things solve real problems.
11. - Demystify the UX design process - Integrate it into the customer's processes - Share, expose, and automate The more respect and care you show for transparency and quantifying the value of UX in terms of the customer's organization and processes, the greater opportunities for implementing UX and the easier it will be to do so.
12. - Usual UX artifacts: wireframes, app maps, personas, etc. - Whiteboards: for everything! - Educational props: process diagrams, data viz posters - Haute design: hifi mockups and prototypes - Guerrilla tactics to get things moving!
13. Due to the uniquely political nature of public sector, there tends to be many stakeholders and they are ALL IMPORTANT. Change their control (committees) to being an active part of the team. Involve them much more often. Show them demos. Ask for regular feedback. Excite them. Let them dream about the "perfect app" and show them how their involvement will get the product closer to that.
14. - Who are the key players? Others involved? - What is the mission? Priorities? Budget? - When do things happen? - Why these technologies? Decisions? Plans? - Where are the people and resources I need? - How does government actually work?
15. Yes, there will be days like this.
16. America needs you because only you can bring an understanding of UX to the government.