Empathy Over Logic: Interrupting Process for the Greater Good

Megan Schwarz & Brian Bono
Interrupting Process for
the Greater Good
Slowing Down
The Machine
#ias14 #SlowDown

Brian Bono
Associate Creative Director
at Commonwealth
Megan Schwarz
User Experience Architect
at Team Detroit
@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333 #ias14 #SlowDown
Hello. And we are...

The Office:
1 Client
1500 Employees
A LOT OF
PROCESSES

We Get
Shit Done.

Process
is good. but...

it can feel like
a runaway
train.

We’ve tried to
change ours.
@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333
We’ve failed.
So many times.
#ias14 #SlowDown

Then we tried
something different.
And it worked.
#ias14 #SlowDown

What did we do
differently?
Empathy
over
Logic
#ias14 #SlowDown

Example 1:
Failing with logic

Organize the videos on our
YouTube page to make it easier
for users to find content.
Our Client’s Request
#ias14 #SlowDown

The team completely
ignored us.

Why did logic fail to
change our process?

The process isn’t
inflexible. People are.

People have attitudes
that can impact the
potential for change.

Often unconscious mental models
Elements of Organizational Culture
Assumptions
Beliefs and IdeologiesValues
Processes and behaviorsActions
Attitudes
#ias14 #SlowDown
Feelings and emotions
- Schein

If you want to change
attitudes, you need to
understand your
organizational culture.
#ias14 #SlowDown@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333

em·pa·thy
/ˈempəTHē/
noun
noun: empathy
1. the ability to understand and share
the feelings of another.

Let’s try this again.

Example 2:
Succeeding with
empathy

Next project:
The Awesome App

“So I have this app idea…
Can you explore the possibilities
...in two months?”
Our Client’s Request

“Let’s build a prototype
...in two months.”
Our Team’s Reaction

The problem with that

We needed to
slow down.
#ias14 #SlowDown@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333

Our Team
Clients
Strategy UX Creative Research
Executive Stakeholder
PMTech Account

Impulsive
Angst
Territorial
Disregard
Apathy
Our Teams’ Attitudes

I am the user (or my son is… or my mom…
or my best friend from high school)
Impulsive: How we got here.
Assumptions
People are rewarded for having answers
not asking questions
Values
Start project by brainstorming
solutions up front
Actions
Attitudes
#ias14 #SlowDown
Impulsive

Impulsive: Problem Approach
Listened to stakeholders individually
Emerged two themes: gaming & utility
Organized notes onto continuum
Showed Brian’s boss

Impulsive: Leadership Division
012 321
Gaming Utility
3

Impulsiveness
Doubt

We were on
that doubt like
white on rice

Impulsive: Action
Brainstorming solutions
was replaced with
discussing research
#ias14 #SlowDown

Impulsiveness
Doubt
Excitement
…about research

Impulsive: Result
Team wanted to get
involved in research
planning
#ias14 #SlowDown

We need to be ahead of our competitors
to show relevance
Angst: How we got here
Assumptions
Product delivery over product qualityValues
Timeline set to accommodate bare
minimum time needed
Actions
Attitudes
#ias14 #SlowDown
Angst

Angst: Problem Approach
Acknowledged team confusion
Implemented a NO DESIGN rule
Kept project idea fuzzy
Didn’t take ownership over idea

Angst
Compliance

Angst: Action
The less we talked about
design, the more we
were ok with it

Angst
Compliance
Comfort

Angst: Result
We stopped talking about
design completely

Our Teams’ Attitudes
Impulsive
Angst
Territorial
Disregard
Apathy

My influence over the project is
determined by my role
Territorial: How we got here
Assumptions
Subject matter experts are
divided by departments
Values
People are only involved in the
project when they can contribute
Actions
Attitudes
#ias14 #SlowDown
Territorial

Territorial: Problem Approach
Listened to researchers
Validated concerns
Communicated our value
Expressed willingness to learn

Territorial
Cooperation

This wasn’t enough.
We were greedy.

Territorial: Action
Started to build a UX
strategy from the research
and asked for more

Territorial
Cooperation
Trust

Territorial: Result
Developed questionnaire
for user interviews
together

The optimal tools to communicate
knowledge have already been defined
Disregard: How we got here
Assumptions
Deliverables mark milestones and
demonstrate cross department involvement
Values
Deliverable seen as green light to
move into the next phase
Actions
Attitudes
#ias14 #SlowDown
Disregard

Disregard: Problem Approach
Team based affinity diagramming
Brainstormed ways to show results
Created template for experience map
Made it our own
#ias14 #SlowDown

Disregard
Interest

Disregard: Action
One sentence to rule them all.
- Gamestorming
#ias14 #SlowDown

Disregard
Interest
Commitment

Disregard: Result
All design discussions
have connected to this
sentence

Organizational culture can only be
impacted by leadership
Apathy: How we got here
Assumptions
Organizational culture is reflective
of leadership goals
Values
No flexibility for team culture is built
into the process
Actions
Attitudes
#ias14 #SlowDown
Apathy

Apathy: Problem Approach
Process unified team
Team understood why behind what
Stakeholders and clients were excited
about the result

Apathy
Support

Apathy: Action
Teammates shared
project details within
departments

Apathy
Support
Advocacy

Apathy: Result
People started coming
to us asking about the
process

After Two Months
The prototype was
replaced with a deep
understanding of our
users and a clear
direction for design

We are building
on our small wins.
Thats how
change happens.

We opened their
minds with empathy.
Then we killed
them with logic.

Change doesn’t
happen overnight

Its messy
Its hard
Failure is inevitable
#ias4 #SlowDown@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333 #ias14 #SlowDown
Keep trying

The Heart of Change
John Kotter and Dan Cohen
Gamestorming
Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo
Radical Innovation: Crossing Knowledge Boundaries with Interdisciplinary
Teams
Alan Blackwell, Lee Wilson, Alice Street, Charles Boulton, John Knell
Organizational Culture and Leadership
Edgar Schein
Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create, Connect, and Inspire
Bruce Nussbaum
Determining What Good Means http://www.slideshare.net/UXSTRAT/ux-strat-2013-dan-klyn
Dan Klyn
Our Friends (well, we wish they were)

Empathy Over Logic: Interrupting Process for the Greater Good

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