This is from part of my talk in UCD 2013 (http://2013.ucduk.org/session/session-b1-ux-in-non-ux-organisations/) In a world where price is a major driver for large IT service providers and financial institutions and their clients, success is often judged by delivery on time and to budget, often leading to solutions that provide sub-standard experiences. User Experience is often viewed as an unnecessary cost; however, we believe that UX and the use of UCD methods can help de-risk engagements, save costs, increase workplace productivity and end-user satisfaction. Sharing our experiences of working as the sole UX practitioners in large organisations, we investigate methods for analysing archetypal engagements that large IT and financial institutions often enter into. Using scenario based problems and a defined analytical framework; participants will explicate the key business and economic levers from each scenario that can be used to generate organisational buy-in into the UCD process from both internal and client stakeholders. Ensuring that User Experience is viewed as a key metric for evaluating project success.

1. Session B12
Dimitris Kontaris, Simon Grantham
UX in Non UX organisations
dkontaris@gmail.com;
simon_grantham@hotmail.com;
#nonux
@ucduk #ucd2013
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham

2. Introductions
Dimitris Kontaris!
Simon Grantham!
Senior Consultant, Accenture
Experience Consultancy
Senior Consultant, Accenture
Experience Consultancy
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
2

3. Why This Topic?
There is a growing discussion about a “UX team of one”… but this area mainly focuses on
how to deliver UX in a stripped down version to inform the development of a “decent”
product. !
!
!
We believe that approaching UX with the view of delivering “minimum viable UX” may
achieve short-term goals but it has the possibility of being damaging in the longer term.!
!
!
“Enterprises too often associate usability and user experience (UX) work as a nice-to-have
aesthetic rather than an important business value generator. As a result, poor usability
undermines business results with external and internal stakeholders.”[1]
[1] Gartner Research Document!
Best Practice for Driving Business Value Through Usability and User Experience, Ray Valdes, Brian Prentice, 20/11/12
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
3

4. We All Love Dilbert, Right?
Unfortunately this is just wrong!
A ‘UX Team of One’ needs a well thought through strategy that spans an entire
organization, and that clearly articulates the benefits of UX in a manner that is
appealing to a diverse group of stakeholders.
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
4

5. Good Product Development and Management
“We don’t give lip service to…understanding. We dig deep. We immerse ourselves in
people’s day-to-day lives. We work hard to find the tensions that we can help resolve. From
those tensions come insights that lead to big ideas”.
Sounds familiar? This could have come from any book, blog or website about User
Experience.
Play to Win: How Strategy Really Works,!
Lafley, A.G, Roger, L.
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
5

6. Dilemmas
What is the company gaining from it?!
!
How can you prove it’s worth it?!
!
Why spend money to fix what they think is
not broken?
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
We need the budget to do UX and thus
prove it’s “worth it”.!
!
Prove UX is worth it to get the budget to
do it.
#ucd2013
#nonux
6

7. Persuading the Big Boys
7

8. Persuading the Big Boys
8

9. Persuading the Big Boys
Project
9

10. Persuading the Big Boys
Trying to
convince from the
outside layers
Project
10

11. Persuading the Big Boys
Influencing from the
inside, one project at
a time.
Organisation
Departments
Project
11

12. Persuading the Big Boys
Scale. !
Successful Projects →
Successful Department
Organisation
Departments
Project
12

13. Persuading the Big Boys
Scale More. !
Successful Departments →
Successful Organisation
Organisation
Departments
Project
13

14. Persuading the Big Boys
It’s like the Company
has been bitten by a
radioactive wireframe
and has UX super
powers now!
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
14

15. Persuading the Big Boys
Differentiation
Cost
Organisation
Departments
Project
Quality
15

16. Persuading the Big Boys
Differentiation
Cost
Organisation
Departments
Project
Quality
16

17. Persuading the Big Boys
Differentiation
Cost
Organisation
Departments
Project
Quality
17

18. Persuading the Big Boys
System of self-reinforcing ideas and value propositions that enable
measurable and quantifiable benefits to generate organisational change.
Differentiation
Cost
Departments
Organisation
Project
Quality
18

19. Table Version
Applying UX methods on project, department and subsequently
organisation level, how will UX prove beneficial and decrease the costs,
improve the quality, and foster differentiation on every level?
Cost
Quality
Differentiation
Project
Department
Organisation
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
19

20. Let me tell you a story... / Workshop
Imagine you are working at a company
where money is made from selling SaaS
subscriptions. The company is basically
making deals not with the end users, but the
managers. As a result, the end users of the
product have no say and therefore can’t
“vote with their wallets”.
You work for an IT services company who
is having a problems with a customer
relationship. The current project is behind
schedule, and the client is feeling
disenfranchised.
How can a UX Practitioner construct a persuasive
argument for the inclusion of UCD methodologies
for winning back the trust of the client, and which
activities would be the most appropriate?
How can the managers be convinced that UX is
something that is worth fighting and paying for?
Moreover, through the use of UCD methods can the
project be de-risked and an effort be made to bring
the project status back into alignment with the
original schedule?
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
20

21. Wrap Up
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
21

22. Thank You!
@dkontaris
@simon_grantham
#ucd2013
#nonux
22