There’s an eighth dirty word...
FAIL @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

The F-Word... Fail Failure as
a part of the design process David Farkas The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

I Failed 10:45AM - Last
Day Philadelphia Design and Strategy TammanTech @dafark8 #FailBtrUX The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

#FailBtrUX

Failure intransitive verb a: to
fall short <failed in his duty> b: to be or become absent or inadequate <the water supply failed> c: to be unsuccessful; specifically :to be unsuccessful in achieving a passing grade http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fail?show=0&t=1359568111 http://hans.gerwitz.com/2011/03/07/fail-stamp.html The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Mistake transitive verb a :
to blunder in the choice of <mistook her way in the dark> b : to misunderstand the meaning or intention of http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistake?show=0&t=1360945111 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v2vlvFk9lxI/Tz1N-wTEHoI/AAAAAAAAeYI/ZrR2uzz0iSc/s1600/dewey-defeats-truman.jpg 115 The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Redefined, Failure a: a time
of personal discomfort, or a time you feel you could have done better b: a bad day c: an instance or event where things when differently then planned The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Many types of failure

Catastrophic Failures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster The F-Word,
FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Embarrassing Failures http://thesassyswan.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/billy-madison.jpg The F-Word,
FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Social Failures The F-Word, FAIL
IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Shocking Failures http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IVV_liZdDJc/UAda-j6-xCI/AAAAAAAABbY/3Q1kmp_4Mhg/s1600/22.35.png The F-Word,
FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Intentional Failures http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2013/02/hackers-650x325.jpg The F-Word,
FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Day to Day Failures http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcutler/8297212605/sizes/o/in/photostream/
The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Many Ways To Fail http://www.flickr.com/photos/cellardoorfilms/7620375382/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://cbssanfran.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/fanscrushed.jpg?w=300 The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Failure Experience “Experience is what
you get when you didn’t get what you want” - Randy Pausch The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Experience (fail) has a Stigma
http://www.theleadtype.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Stooges-Nun.jpg The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Sanitized Experiences http://www.flickr.com/photos/22750018@N05/4292418713/sizes/m/in/photostream/ The F-Word,
FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Raw Experiences The F-Word, FAIL
IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

I Have Failed Experienced ✤
Presentations gone awry ✤ Timelines missed ✤ Failed meetings ✤ Arguments with clients ✤ Arguments with teammates ✤ Not meeting my own expectations ✤ Expecting the worst, not pushing myself The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Leads to Success “I have
not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb” - Thomas Edison The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Objectified http://idsgn.org/images/objectified_peeler.jpg The F-Word, FAIL
IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Experience is good GREAT

Sharing is even better http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/3708151311/sizes/z/in/photostream/
The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Share! The F-Word, FAIL IASummit
April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Learn from Others Failure Experience
Type: Communication Failure Experience: Large client with rotating project team http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan4th/2402329882/sizes/l/in/photostream/ The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Learn from Others Lessons: Document
early and often Teach: Exercises and samples of clear/unclear documentation http://xkcd.com/1015/ The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Experience Humility Failure Experience Type:
Personal Failure Experience: Dropped the ball on a presentation with a major client The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Experience Humility Lessons: Assume nothing.
Teach: Take time to prepare and review http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson362.html The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Build Trust Failure Experience Type:
Social Failure Experience: Kickstarter got grief for not showing failed projects I found one! The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Build Trust Lessons: Be honest
about your motivations and intent. Teach: Play ‘devil’s advocate’ http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/post/37933367386/g-g-the-book-g-g-on-facebook-g-g-on-twitter The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Expose Process Failure Experience Type:
Business Failure Experience: Project ended prematurely due to misalignment of expectations of process. http://www.flickr.com/photos/suburbanadventure/8240533220/sizes/h/in/ photostream/ The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Expose Process Lessons: Don’t be
sneaky and address concerns up front Teach: Environment of trust http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-12-22/ The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Consistency Failure Experience Type: Process
Failure Experience: No formal process for the team or client to follow leading to srcabmle http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HCatlRPRyCk/TbaBN8yAGQI/AAAAAAAAALg/ gHJx8ShWBOc/s1600/chutesladders.gif The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Consistency Lessons: Don’t skimp on
process Teach: Shadowing and learning from each other’s roles http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=459 The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Five Examples

Your Turn

Exercise 1 Gather ye’ sketchbooks
✤ Experience Type: Communication, Expectations, Business, Professional, Personal, Social, etc ✤ Experience: 3-5 sentences describing experience ✤ Lessons: 3-5 sentences describing lesson learned ✤ Teach: 2-3 sentences how you can teach this lesson to others (action, sample, etc) The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

All characters appearing in this
work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Exercise 1 Gather ye’ sketchbooks
✤ Experience Type: Communication, Expectations, Business, Professional, Personal, Social, etc ✤ Experience: 3-5 sentences describing experience ✤ Lessons: 3-5 sentences describing lesson learned ✤ Teach: 2-3 sentences how you can teach this lesson to others (action, sample, etc) The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

How Was It?

Value of Experience Value of
failing experiences Value of sharing failures experiences The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Failure can be cheap

Learn to Fail Better “...I
am convinced that unless I talk openly about what I’ve learned so far - unless I hold myself accountable in public - then the lessons will not last. I will lose the only consolation of my failure, which is the promise that I will not fail like this again. That I might, one day, find a way to fail better. ” - Jonah Lehrer http://www.jonahlehrer.com/2013/02/my-apology/ The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Take It Home! • Share
experiences with clients • Make it part of your presentations • Document document document! • Text Open workshops and brainstorming • Share discarded ideas • Write about it • Talk about it The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

FailBetterUX.Tumblr.Com The F-Word, FAIL IASummit
April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

So Remember •Failure is a
part of life •Don’t call it failure •We all do it •Discuss Experiences •Internally and with clients •Fail often and fast http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Turtleback-Library-Binding-Edition/dp/0613685725 The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Resources Mindfire: Big Ideas for
Curious Minds, Scott Berkun Success Through Failure: The Paradox of Design, Henry Petroski Better By Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong, Alina Tugend We Learn Nothing, Time Kreider Juice: The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors, Evan I. Schwartz Smart Ways to Talk About Failure, http://philanthropy.com/blogs/the-giveaway/smart-ways-to-talk-about-failure/968 Various TEDtalks http://www.ted.com/talks/tags/failure Kickstarter Responds to “Hidden Failed Project” Claims http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/31/kickstarter-responds-to-hidden-failed-project-claims/ Jonah Lehrer, open letter apology http://www.jonahlehrer.com/2013/02/my-apology/ http://hadonejob.com Exploring the Al-Chet Prayer http://www.aish.com/h/hh/yom-kippur/guide/Exploring_the_Al-Chet_Prayer.html http://hadonejob.com/ The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

In Closing “An expert is
a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field” - Niels Bohr The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX

Thank You @dafark8 #FailBtrUX dfarkas@tammantech.com
dafark8@gmail.com The F-Word, FAIL IASummit April 2013 David Farkas @dafark8 #FailBtrUX