1. CREATE GREAT PRODUCTS
THROUGH STRONG
UX + DEV COLLABORATION
Mary Piontkowski
Jennifer Fraser
UX Week August 2012

2. Developers are from Vulcan.
Designers are from Wonderland
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3. Developers.
Designers.
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6. WHO WE ARE
Mary Piontkowski Jennifer Fraser
Director, User Experience Director of Design
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8. Design + Development
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12. Ottawa
6designers
48 developers
Yerevan
San Mateo 1designer
4designers 42 developers
Cluj
2 developers
0designers
12 developers
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13. Ottawa
6designers
48 developers
12 hour time difference
Yerevan
San Mateo 1designer
4designers 42 developers
Cluj
2 developers
0designers
12 developers
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14. = a challenge
(for both communication and collaboration)
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15. Ottawa
6designers
48 developers
Yerevan
San Mateo 1designer
4designers 42 developers
Cluj
2 developers
0designers
12 developers
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16. Collaboration
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17. Collaboration
1. communication
2. process
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18. Developers.
Designers.
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19. Collaboration
1. communication
2. process
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20. EXERCISE #1
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21. TOP CHALLENGES: exercise #1
1. Take five minutes, individually, to think about the
challenges you have working with your
developers/designers and write down each
challenge. (5 minutes)
2. Share your ideas with your table and, as a
group, choose the three biggest challenges. Write
these three challenges below and set them aside
for later in the workshop. (10 minutes)
3. Share with the class!
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22. THE ACTORS
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23. Spock
“Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever
remains, however improbable, must be the truth...”
Alice
“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible
things before breakfast.”
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24. Spock
“I neither enjoy, nor am frightened by challenges. They simply
exist, and I will do what logically needs to be done.”
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25. Spock
“I neither enjoy, nor am frightened by challenges. They simply
exist, and I will do what logically needs to be done.”
He’s introspective. He is task focused.
He likes to shut out distractions and He takes pride in seeing a complicated
work through problems by himself; task through to its completion.
challenging himself to come up with
new and better approaches to solving a
problem.
He seeks new knowledge. He’s logical.
He is an early adopter who is always He puts requirements and criteria above
up-to-date on new technical personal preference or social
advances, information and trends. considerations when making decisions.
He’s an expert. He’s a planner.
He takes pride in being an expert He likes to reduce the unpredictability of
and, when asked, he likes to share his things through planning and making
knowledge and technical prowess with decisions early on.
those looking for his guidance.
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26. Alice
“I love to make beautiful things and want to
make a difference in the world.”
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27. Alice
“I love to make beautiful things and want to
make a difference in the world.”
She’s outgoing. She’s relationship focused.
She likes sharing and discussing her She sees things in terms of the
ideas so that she can learn from others relationships that she is building with her
and, as a result, make something even the people around her.
better.
She’s creative. She’s empathetic.
She is always on the look-out for new She is emotional and has been known to
ways to get inspired with creative ideas. cry while listening to a touching or
emotional story.
She’s a problem solver. She follows her instinct.
She’s always trying to find new and She follows her intuition. She might not
interesting ways to solve problems that always be able to explain why she’s
will help people. doing what she’s doing, but she knows
she’ll be better off because of it.
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30. “What they want you to do is put together an array
with unordered elements that represent various
tasks.”
(source: Workshop Participant)
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31. “The communication process is complete once
the receiver has understood the messageof the
sender.”
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication)
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32. “What they want you to do is put together an array
with unordered elements that represent various
tasks.”
(source: Workshop Participant)
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33. Greatest challenge?
• communication
• collaboration
• lack of a common language
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34. “Translation from art speak to technology and back
again, very different personalities.”
(source: Macadamian Employee Survey)
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35. PERSONALITY TYPES
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36. MYERS BRIGGS
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37. FOCUS & ENERGY
(source: http://mashable.com/2012/08/13/what-type-of-social-media-personality-are-you-infographic/ )
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38. TAKE IN INFORMATION
(source: http://mashable.com/2012/08/13/what-type-of-social-media-personality-are-you-infographic/ )
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39. MAKE DECISIONS
(source: http://mashable.com/2012/08/13/what-type-of-social-media-personality-are-you-infographic/ )
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40. DEAL WITH OUTER WORLD
(source: http://mashable.com/2012/08/13/what-type-of-social-media-personality-are-you-infographic/ )
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41. MYERS BRIGGS - ISTJ
“…they resist putting energy into things that don't make sense to them, or for
which they can't see a practical application.”
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISTJ )
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42. MYERS BRIGGS - ENFP
“They are at their best in fluid situations that allow them to express their
creativity and use their charisma.”
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wki/ENFP)
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43. MYERS BRIGGS – ISTJ & ENFP
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44. ISTJ &ENFP – A CONVERSATION
(source: http://www.elizabethesther.com/2012/04/a-conversation-between-me-an-enfp-and-my-husband-an-istj.html)
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45. PERSONALITY TYPES AND WORK STYLES
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46. PERSONALITY TYPES AND WORK STYLES
Take in and present information in a step-by-step Take in and present information in a big picture
way. way.
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47. PERSONALITY TYPES AND WORK STYLES
Take in and present information in a step-by-step Take in and present information in a big picture
way. way.
Make decisions by stepping back from the situation Make decisions by stepping into the situation and
and taking an objective view. taking an empathetic view.
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48. PERSONALITY TYPES AND WORK STYLES
Take in and present information in a step-by-step Take in and present information in a big picture
way. way.
Make decisions by stepping back from the situation Make decisions by stepping into the situation and
and taking an objective view. taking an empathetic view.
Devote their energy to tasks that they see as Get energy from seeing the potential in things, but
important to fulfilling a goal, but resist putting their interest wanes when the “routine” takes
energy into things that don't make sense to over, or if a new, more interesting project comes
them, or for which they can't see a practical along.
application.
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49. PERSONALITY TYPES AND WORK STYLES
Take in and present information in a step-by-step Take in and present information in a big picture
way. way.
Make decisions by stepping back from the situation Make decisions by stepping into the situation and
and taking an objective view. taking an empathetic view.
Devote their energy to tasks that they see as Get energy from seeing the potential in things, but
important to fulfilling a goal, but resist putting their interest wanes when the “routine” takes
energy into things that don't make sense to over, or if a new, more interesting project, comes
them, or for which they can't see a practical along.
application.
Meticulous in their attention to details and examine Determines the values for each solution in terms of
things closely to ensure that they are correct. how it contributes to the overall whole.
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50. PERSONALITY TYPES AND WORK STYLES
Take in and present information in a step-by-step Take in and present information in a big picture
way. way.
Make decisions by stepping back from the situation Make decisions by stepping into the situation and
and taking an objective view. taking an empathetic view.
Devote their energy to tasks that they see as Get energy from seeing the potential in things, but
important to fulfilling a goal, but resist putting their interest wanes when the “routine” takes
energy into things that don't make sense to over, or if a new, more interesting project, comes
them, or for which they can't see a practical along.
application.
Meticulous in their attention to details and examine Determines the values for each solution in terms of
things closely to ensure that they are correct. how it contributes to the overall whole.
Excels at handling logical problems in an orderly Easily handles and excels in ambiguous situations.
way.
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51. COMMUNICATION TIPS ENFP TO ISTJ
• Design the conversation you want to have so that it happens in a
structured way.
• Frame the conversation within the context of the
projectrequirements.
• Provide backing research or data.
• Show how the larger pieces break down into the details.
• Show examples of the design pattern on the target platform.
• If pictures aren’t working, try words or a prototype.
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52. COMMUNICATION TIPS ISTJ TO ENFP
• Invite them to a brainstorming session to explore other design
options.
• Frame the conversation within the context of user’s goals.
• Include qualitative and emotive details in the conversation.
• Show how the specific pieces relate to the overall whole.
• Show differing examplesof the design pattern on the target
platform.
• If words aren’t working, try showing them a prototype or invite
them to your desk to talk about it in-person.
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53. NEGOTIATION TIPS
1. Explain Yourself: Explain why you designed it the way you
designed it in relation to the user’s needs and goals; show them
how the user’s needs will be met with the proposed design.
2. Ask questions: What about this piece of the design is difficult to
implement? Are there other options that would achieve a similar
goal but would be lest costly to implement? What would the trade-
offs be to the user to use one of the other options.
3. Listen: After you ask your question; be quiet and listen; too often
we are too busy trying to make sure that we are heard that we
forget to listen.
4. Look at it from their perspective: What pressures do they
have? What options do they have?
5. Don’t take it personally: Criticism about the design is not a
criticism of you; ideas are not precious, they need to be discussed
and debated in order to be improved upon.
6. Assume best intentions: We are all working to deliver the best
product for our client.
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54. EXERCISE #2
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55. DILEMMAS: exercise #2
1. Choose a partner from your table.
2. As a pair choose two to three dilemmas from your Exercise 2
Handout that you will act out and solve.
3. Decide who is going to play the role of the “Designer” (ENFP) and
who will be the “Developer” (ISTJ) (remember we are role playing –
so anyone can act the role of a designer or of a developer).
4. Consider for each dilemma chosen how, based on your role, you
might communicate with the opposite role to achieve a successful
solution to the problem.*
5. On the Exercise 2 Handout write down one intentional thing you
did differently than you would normally, having considered the other
personality.
6. Share with the class.
*Note: Refer to the handouts “Communication Strategies” and
“Negotiation Tips”
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56. Collaboration
1. communication
2. process
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57. PRODUCT
CREATION
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58. PRODUCT CREATION JOURNEY
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59. OBSTACLES & OPPORTUNITIES
Obstacles Opportunities
The developer doesn't like your idea and points to a Work with a cross functional team to develop the
pre-existing idea in another product, or something they roadmap. Start to get a sense for technical
already know how to do. considerations and limitations even before you put pen
to paper.
Developer pushes back on attending research related Include your developer in research, even just a little, to
activities. help him gain empathy and be open to design ideas.
Designer isn’t involved during sprints. Designer plays a role to ensure design is up to par.
Developer challenges user feedback. Stand up for user goals and help the team understand
what is important from the beginning.
Designer designs something that can't be implemented. Gain an understanding of the technical requirements
early in the process.
Teams lose valuable time to optimize designs when Share sketches early.
they aren't collaborating.
Developers need more or less annotation; they don't Talk with your developers early on about their
get what they need to build. preferences for documentation and annotation. Be
clear about the state of your deliverables.
Design is still happening during the sprint. Design for sprint B during sprint A.
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60. OBSTACLES & OPPORTUNITIES
Obstacles Opportunities
Developer runs into a major technical issue and the Work with the developer to re-prioritize and help inform
designs need to be revisited. what they spend time on.
The developers don't develop it how the designers Review what's being built. Don't assume it will happen
designed it. as you designed.
Designers miss good ideas due to lack of knowledge of Brainstorm and hang out with your developers.
technology advances.
Subjective debates about feature prioritization. Define goals for each sprint. Work with a common
roadmap.
Not enough communication to troubleshoot issues Look for tools that foster frequent communication (such
along the way. as group Skype sessions).
Developers and designers discuss feasibility too late in Start designing and writing use cases for the NEXT
the game. sprint.
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61. UX & AGILE DEVELOPMENT
UX plays a critical role in effective agile development:
• Gathers customer insights to identify features and inform prioritization.
• Participates in sprint planning to help break down features into more
granular chunks and to ensure sprint contents are highest value for
customer.
• Informs feature backlog and adjust feature concepts as need be:
− With business goals, customer goals, and technical constraints in mind.
• Attends daily scrums to track with progress, address questions, and
adjust design as need be.
• Attends end-of-sprint demos to ensure the product is being developed as
it was designed.
• Attends retrospectives to determine if planning, daily scrums, skill sets,
and communication are effective.
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62. AGILE DEVELOPMENT: DESIGN TIPS & TOOLS
 Start by sharing the use cases that you use to inform your design.
 Share sketches early on, on day one. Don’t wait to perfect or make
deliverables pretty.
 Include developers in creative brainstorms. Developers have creative
ideas too. And hearing their ideas and feasibility early on will help you
design something that will make it to market. Buy in and commitment to
development of those ideas will be greater.
 At the same time, fight for your ideas that may take more time but result in
significant customer satisfaction. Pick your battles.
 Create a group Skypesession for all product, designers, developers.
Fosters collaboration. Saves time.
 Daily check ins. UX team should be there. It’s just 15 minutes.
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63. FEATURE PRIORITIZATION
3 factors should inform your prioritization:
1. business goals and requirements
2. customer requirements (based on UX research) 3.
technical feasibility into account
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64. BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS
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65. TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS
Technical constraints limit the possible design solutions
for your product. Your design solutions must satisfy technical
constraints.
Examples of technical constraints:
 database constraints
 technology constraints and requirements
 performance requirements
 operational requirements
 maintainability requirements
 reliability requirements
 safety requirements
Take these into account early on in your project planning!
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66. USER REQUIREMENTS
USER REQUIREMENTS „If you do exactly what the
are… customer asked for, but the
 Real needs based on use and behaviors results do not meet the
 What it takes to accomplish goals customer‟s real needs, you will
 Unarticulated, tacit information probably be blamed anyway.‟
 Foundation for product design - Rumbaugh
are not…
 What the organization thinks users should have
 What only early adopters want
 What customers ask for
 Distinction between problem identification and
underlying need
 Socially accepted preferences and attitudes
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68. EXERCISE #3
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