1.
Building Buy-In:
Internally Positioning UX
for Executive Impact
Psychology + User Experience + InnovationBrilliant Experience
John Whalen, PhD

2.
Brilliant Experience Psychology + User Experience + Innovation
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

3.
Brilliant Experience Psychology + Innovation + Design

4.
Preamble

5.
UXers are a wonderful bunch!
‣ We are people pleasers
‣ We want the world to be a better place
‣ We foresee how the world could be
‣ We empathize with all sorts of folks
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

6.
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

7.
So why are our ideas not always
welcomed with open arms???
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

8.
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

9.
Let’s start our journey by studying
our empathy patterns for our colleagues

10.
C-Suite Executive
When we interact with…

11.
(Pompous Assholius)
C-Suite Executive
Some might think…

12.
Product Owner
When we interact with…

13.
(Randomnous Decisionasaurus)
Product Owner
Some might think…

14.
VP Marketing
When we interact with…

15.
(Delusionus of Grandeuronomus)
VP Marketing
Some might think…

16.
Developer
When we interact with…

17.
(No-can-do-opod and/or
condescending-smurkasaurus)
Developer
Some might think…

18.
We need to use those same UX superpowers
to empathize with our colleagues!!!
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

19.
If we want to move from…
‣ Usability tester to insight generator
‣ Informing product to informing product roadmaps
‣ Utility player to strategic advisor
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

20.
We need to use a roadmap for building buy in:
1. Demonstrate Value
2. Empathize and Evangelize
3. Get Embedded in the System
4. Become Strategic Partner
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

21.
Why should you listen to me?
‣ Years of experience
‣ Time with executives
‣ Distilling recent successes
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

22.
Step 1. Demonstrate Value
(with Usability Testing)

23.
1a. Create Usability Seal team
‣ Access the situation
‣ Adapt quickly
‣ Get the data
‣ Get out
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

24.
1b. Have light footprint, big impact
‣ Move fast (4 day turnaround)
‣ Provide “aspirations”, not “recommendations”
‣ Pick your battles (2/10)
‣ Measure impact
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

25.
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

26.
1c. Overshare
‣ Share everything (Notes, Videos, etc.)
‣ Email 4 takeaways
‣ Share up
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

27.
“We already knew it,
but you Humanized it”
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalenbit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

28.
1d. Grow need for UX
‣ Say YES to project requests
‣ Invite new teams to join in
‣ Sneak in some synthesis:
Go deeper than asked
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

29.
Step 1. Demonstrate Value (with Usability)
a. Create Usability Seal team
b. Have light footprint, big impact
c. Overshare
d. Grow need for UX
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

30.
Step 2. Empathize and Evangelize

31.
2a. Understand your Organization’s Psychology
‣ Who rules the kingdom?
‣ What is measured?
‣ How are bonuses paid out?
‣ What has failed recently?
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

32.
2b. Teach
‣ “Reality” Show
‣ How UX fits into Agile
‣ Why data from 5 people matters
‣ How UX can make product better
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

33.
2b. Teach (cont.)
‣ How to UX research is done
- Building rapport
- Forming questions
- Letting participants answer
‣ How to engage UX team
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

34.
How UX & Agile development might be integrated…
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

35.
We are aware of your concerns…
SITE SAFETY
Deaths resulting
from lack of spec
document0
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

36.
2c. Translate findings
‣ Why it matters
‣ Immersion rooms
‣ Video clips
‣ Not enough….Take people into the field…
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

37.
Why it matters
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

38.
Sample Translation
ROI Issue Quantity Impact Value
Increased Sales 3% Increase
Total Sales:
$75,000,000
$2,250,000
Decreased
Support Costs
10% Decrese $90/incident * 14,000 $126,000
Late Design
Changes
10
4x multiple x $175/hr
x 40 hrs
$280,000
Total $2.656M
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

39.
Step 2. Empathize and Evangelize
a. Understand your Org’s Psychology
b. Teach
c. Translate findings
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

40.
Step 3. Get Embedded in the System

41.
3a. Build leader-leader relationships
‣ What decision are you going to make?
‣ When do you need to make it?
‣ What is the risk if you don’t have the data?
‣ What we CAN do in the budget and time.
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

42.
3b. Embed UXers into product teams
‣ Collaborate on scope
‣ Provide regular stakeholder progress check-ins
‣ Co-own findings and decisions
‣ Did you notice the deceptively clever part of the above???
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

43.
3b. Embed UXers into product teams (cont.)
‣ Outcome:
- Understand pain points
- Provide speed
- Learn development plans
‣ Pro tip: Embed, but still own in UX
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

44.
“I want my UX team to be
independent and able to tell
anyone the cold hard facts.”
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

45.
3c. Provide Design Principles
‣ Distill knowledge from multiple studies into pragmatic guide
‣ Encourage decisions based on: (a) principles, or (b) evidence
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

46.
3d. Build Dataset
‣ Satisfy the quants
‣ Show change over time
‣ Pro-tip: Always ask questions other
teams love:
- Indifferent / Must Have / Delighter?
- Why our product? What is best part?
- How important is this feature to you?
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

47.
Step 3. Get Embedded in the System
a. Build leader-leader relationships
b. Embed UXers into product teams
c. Provide Design Principles
d. Build Dataset
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

48.
Step 4. Become Strategic Partner

49.
When UXers say:
Delight
Empathy
Disrupt
Synthesis
Prototype
Opportunity Mapping
Usability Testing
Heuristic review
Strategy
Iterative Design
Information Architecture
Feedback
Design-Thinking
Experience Journey
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

50.
Executives hear:
Delight
Empathy
Disrupt
Synthesis
Experience Journey
Prototype
Design-Thinking
Opportunity Mapping
Usability Testing
Heuristic review
Strategy
Iterative Design
Information Architecture
Feedback
$$$
COST OVERUN
BONUS RECINDED
MISSED METRICS
3 MORE MONTHS
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

51.
4a. Immerse Executives
‣ Design as competitive advantage
‣ Numbers moved, efficiencies gained
‣ Opportunity: Research leads to
Insights, Product Innovation
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

52.
“Anyone who has read the HBR
gets the importance of UX,
but that may not translate
into what it takes to do that.”
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

53.
4b. Make the Shift to Strategic Partner
‣ Bring together multiple data sources
‣ Inform product, but also strategy
‣ Management training: Design Thinking
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

54.
4c. Offer Insights for Sales and Marketing
‣ Quotes
‣ Emotions
‣ Buyers/users’ mental model
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

55.
4d. Reduce Operational Efficiencies
‣ Calculate opportunity
‣ Iteratively test and improve
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

56.
Step 4. Become Strategic Partner
a. Immerse Executives
b. Make the Shift to Strategic Partner
c. Offer Insights to Sales and Marketing
d. Reduce Operational Efficiencies
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

57.
In Summary

58.
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

59.
bit.ly/ux-impact #uxpa2016@johnwhalen

60.
Steps to Building Executive Buy-In:
bit.ly/ux-impact http://linkedin.com/in/johnwhalenjw@brilliantexperience.com
Step 1. Demonstrate Value
a. Create Usability Seal team
b. Light footprint, big impact
c. Overshare
d. Grow need for UX
Step 2. Empathize and Evangelize
a. Understand your Org’s Psychology
b. Teach
c. Translate findings
Step 3. Get Embedded in the System
a. Build leader-leader relationships
b. Embed UXers into product teams
c. Provide Design Principles
d. Build Dataset
Step 4. Become Strategic Partner
a. Immerse Executives
b. Make the Shift to Strategic Partner
c. Offer Insights to Sales and Marketing
d. Reduce Operational Inefficiencies

61.
John Whalen
jw@brilliantexperience.com
linkedin.com/in/johnwhalen
Psychology + Innovation + DesignBrilliant Experience
Thank you!