This talk will offer tactics for you and your team to advance the role of UX in your organization. Good UX is good business. It is not optional for achieving better outcomes. So why do mature enterprises and fledgling startups alike keep minimizing or neglecting it? We will cover case studies, statistical evidence, and anecdotal experiences that show how UX helps the business go fast forever. Finally, by the end of this talk you will be able to craft a concise business argument that WILL make UX a non-negotiable for your organization.
UXPA 2023: Making UX a Business Outcome: A Framework
1. Making UX Design a
Business Outcome:
A Framework
Wesley “Chewy” Chiu
Product Manager, VMware Tanzu Labs
20 June 2023
2. 2
Disclaimer
- I’m not a UX professional myself
- I work with them every day
- I cannot succeed or live without them
- I’m a staunch advocate for the UX discipline
5. 5
Before we get started…
Goals
+ Share my experiences & lessons learned advocating for the design practice in my past
organizations
+ Leave you better equipped to advocate for UX design as a business non-negotiable in
your organization
Assumptions
● You already believe that Good Design is Good Business
Anti-Goals
- Give you a one-size-fits-all, cheat code simple magical solution
6. 6
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Engineering
Can we build this?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users
Product
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
8. 8
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users
Product
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Can we build this?
Engineering
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
9. 9
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Engineering
Can we build this?
Product
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
10. 10
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Engineering
Can we build this?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users
Product
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
11. 11
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Engineering
Can we build this?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users 👻
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
12. 12
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Engineering
Can we build this?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users 👻
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
13. 13
A Successful Team is a Balanced Team
Engineering
Can we build this?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users
Product
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
Search “Balanced Team Janice Fraser” on YouTube to learn more
16. 16
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
17. 17
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
Initiatives
18. 18
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
Initiatives
19. 19
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
Initiatives
20. 20
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
Initiatives
21. 21
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
Initiatives
22. 22
A balanced team
practicing good Product
Design could have
avoided these pitfalls!
A Trillion Dollar Problem
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/03/the-top-reasons-startups-fail-infographic/?sh=772f5bf94b0d
Initiatives
23. 23
“Design-Driven businesses
have outperformed the S&P
by a whopping 228% over the
past 10 years. The bottom
line, good design = good
business”
– Joanna Ngai, Interaction
Designer at Google
Source: https://uxdesign.cc/three-lessons-for-design-driven-success-df5cd1486ad6
24. 24
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
25. 25
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
26. 26
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
27. 27
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
28. 28
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
29. 29
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
30. 30
If you are happy with a product,
system, or service, you complete
transactions, recommend it to your
friends, and keep coming back.
If you value and enjoy an
experience, you want to do it again.
ROI of Product Design
32. 32
I can choose what color
the button should be
myself.
The Reasons Vary…
We got the requirements we
needed already. Is there really a
need for further research?
Our product is simple
enough.
We gotta build fast, we
need more Engineers first!
Our product doesn’t
interact with humans
Our product isn’t
consumer-facing
We’ll just get something
out there quickly, then we’ll
focus on the nice-to-haves
We have a limited budget
and runway to get off the
ground!
I was a user, so I already
know how the solution
should look
We know the market fit
already
This person wants this
feature now, so we’re
building it
33. 33
Development
Can we build this?
Design
Does this solve a real
problem for users
Product
Product
Management
Will this help the
business?
So how do we get to this?
35. 35
An “Output” is a thing the team does.
An “Outcome” is a change in human
behavior that drives business results.
36. 36
An “Output” is a thing the team does.
An “Outcome” is a change in human
behavior that drives business results.
37. 37
Product Design Outputs
- Usability Tests
- Prototypes
- User Interviews
- On-Site Visits
- Cross-discipline participation in activities
- Designs being made
- Design critiques
38. 38
“No matter what
[they] say
the problem is,
it is always a
people problem.”
– Kent Beck
Product Design Outputs
- Usability Tests
- Prototypes
- User Interviews
- On-Site Visits
- Cross-discipline participation in activities
- Designs being made
- Design critiques
40. 40
Not like this…
“I must get them to do XYZ
things…”
Outcomes, not Outputs
Output Mindset
41. 41
Not like this…
“I must get them to do XYZ
things…”
Outcomes, not Outputs
Output Mindset
42. 42
Not like this…
“I must get them to do XYZ
things…”
Outcomes, not Outputs
Like this!
“I must get them to consciously
and intentionally care about
Product Design…”
Output Mindset
43. 43
Not like this…
“I must get them to do XYZ
things…”
Outcomes, not Outputs
Like this!
“I must get them to consciously
and intentionally care about
Product Design…”
Output Mindset
Outcome Mindset
44. 44
Not like this…
“I must get them to do XYZ
things…”
Outcomes, not Outputs
Like this!
“I must get them to consciously
and intentionally care about
Product Design…”
Output Mindset
Outcome Mindset
57. 57
Use outcomes to prioritize
your efforts and energy
…with an outcome roadmap
58. 58
An outcome roadmap breaks down,
prioritizes, and measures how well
we’re driving customers to use a
product.
59. 59
An outcome roadmap breaks down,
prioritizes, and measures how well
we’re driving coworkers to treat
Product Design as an equal in a
balanced team.
64. Example Industries, Inc.
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Motivated
teammates
Low awareness
around Design
principles
65. Example Industries, Inc.
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Team pressured to
build fast!
Motivated
teammates
Low awareness
around Design
principles
66. Example Industries, Inc.
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Many leap of faith
assumptions
Team pressured to
build fast!
Motivated
teammates
Low awareness
around Design
principles
67. Example Industries, Inc.
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Many leap of faith
assumptions
Team pressured to
build fast!
Nothing in
production yet…
Motivated
teammates
Low awareness
around Design
principles
68. Example Industries, Inc.
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Many leap of faith
assumptions
Team pressured to
build fast!
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
Low awareness
around Design
principles
69. 69
Now Next Future
⛳
Desired
Outcome
⚠
Key Risks &
Challenges
📊
Success
Metrics
💢
Team
Problems
Search “Tanzu Developer Center Outcome-Oriented Roadmap” for more examples.
70. 70
● The change in human behavior I want to achieve
● Think about the WHY
⛳ Desired Outcome
71. 71
● The change in human behavior I want to achieve
● Think about the WHY
“Teammates actively validate assumptions before
making decisions”
⛳ Desired Outcome
72. 72
● What could hold you back, slow you down, or cause failure
● Think about how to mitigate them along the way
⚠ Key Risks & Challenges
73. 73
● What could hold you back, slow you down, or cause failure
● Think about how to mitigate them along the way
“Leadership believes in the
if we build it, they will come theory”
“PMs think they already know the market fit”
“Devs are itching to start building code b/c of
a long requirements gathering phase”
⚠ Key Risks & Challenges
74. 74
● Objectively measure if we’re actually reaching our outcome.
● Think about if what we’re doing is actually working
📊 Success Metrics
75. 75
● Objectively measure if we’re actually reaching our outcome.
● Think about if what we’re doing is actually working
“Team gains & shares valuable insights
from regular user research activities”
“Team has a shared understanding of UX principles
and its added value”
“50% increase in feature stories in backlog
validated by user research”
📊 Success Metrics
76. 76
💢 Team Problems
● Everyday, human problems that people involved experience
● Think about understanding & empathizing with your teammates’
environment and pains
● Find opportunities to provide positive impact, thus driving buy-in
77. 77
● Everyday, human problems that people involved experience
● Think about understanding & empathizing with your teammates’
environment and pains
● Find opportunities to provide positive impact, thus driving buy-in
“PMs don’t have certainty in who their target user group is”
“Engineers aren’t sure what user workflows look like
and cannot decide how to best architect the product”
💢 Team Problems
78. 78
Now
⛳
Desired
Outcome
Teammates actively validate assumptions before making decisions
⚠
Key Risks &
Challenges
Leadership believes in the “if we build it, they will come” theory
PMs think they already know the market fit
Devs are itching to start building code b/c of a long requirements gathering
phase
📊
Success
Metrics
- Team gains & shares valuable insights from regular user research activities
- Team has a shared understanding of UX design principles & its added value
- 50% increase in feature stories in backlog validated by user research
💢
Team
Problems
- PMs don’t have certainty in who their target user group is
- Engineers aren’t sure what user workflows look like and cannot decide how
to best architect the product
Search “Tanzu Developer Center Outcome-Oriented Roadmap” for more examples.
79. 79
Now Next Future
⛳
Desired
Outcome
⚠
Key Risks &
Challenges
📊
Success
Metrics
💢
Team
Problems
Search “Tanzu Developer Center Outcome-Oriented Roadmap” for more examples.
80. 80
Now Next Future
⛳
Desired
Outcome
⚠
Key Risks &
Challenges
📊
Success
Metrics
💢
Team
Problems
Search “Tanzu Developer Center Outcome-Oriented Roadmap” for more examples.
81. Example Industries, Inc.
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Many leap of faith
assumptions
Team pressured to
build fast!
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
Low awareness
around Design
principles
82. Example Industries, Inc.
Low awareness
around Design
principles
Joining a relatively
young team
Dwindling funds
Many leap of faith
assumptions
Team pressured to
build fast!
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
83. Example Industries, Inc.
Dwindling funds
Low awareness
around Design
principles
Joining a relatively
young team
Many leap of faith
assumptions
Team pressured to
build fast!
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
84. Example Industries, Inc.
Many
leap of faith
assumptions
Dwindling funds
Low awareness
around Design
principles
Joining a relatively
young team
Team pressured to
build fast!
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
86. Example Industries, Inc.
Team pressured
to build fast!
Many
leap of faith
assumptions
Dwindling funds
Low awareness
around Design
principles
Joining a relatively
young team
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
87. Example Industries, Inc.
Team pressured to
build fast!
Many
leap of faith
assumptions
Dwindling funds
Low awareness
around Design
principles
Joining a relatively
young team
Nothing in
production yet…
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
88. Example Industries, Inc.
Nothing in
production yet…
Many
leap of faith
assumptions
Dwindling funds
Low awareness
around Design
principles
Joining a relatively
young team
You were hired as
an experiment
Motivated
teammates
Team pressured to
build fast!