The document discusses managing UX (user experience) debt, which refers to design decisions that negatively impact users. It identifies common sources of UX debt such as acquisitions, outsourcing, neglect, and intentional vs unintentional mistakes. The document provides strategies for identifying UX debt through active awareness, inventorying, and exposing teams to users. It also discusses classifying and prioritizing debt, and addressing it through bankruptcy, do-overs, or phased approaches. Avoiding debt requires research, attention to detail, modularity, and documentation.

1. I’ll gladly pay
you Tuesday for a
hamburger today.
Managing UX Debt
Jack Moffett
Manager App Development – GUI
Inmedius, a Boeing Company
@jackmoffett
jackmoffett@mac.com
designaday.tumblr.com

2. UX debt is the
accumulation of
decisions made
during design and
development that
negatively impact
the users of a
product or service.
Photo by Trey Guinn

3. Photo by Benjamin Balázs

4. The
Big 3

5. The
Big 3
Acquisition
Outsourcing
Neglect

6. Acquisition

7. Acquisition

8. Acquisition

9. Acquisition

10. Acquisition

11. Acquisition

12. Acquisition
UX should be involved in evaluation of products
considered for acquisition.

13. Acquisition
UX should be involved in evaluation of products
considered for acquisition.
Document the debt as soon as acquisition
occurs, and track it.

15. Outsourcing

16. Outsourcing
UX should collaborate closely with contractors.

17. Outsourcing
UX should collaborate closely with contractors.
Set clear expectations at the outset.

18. Outsourcing
UX should collaborate closely with contractors.
Set clear expectations at the outset.
Schedule regular quality checks and
involvement from all parts or your team: design,
development, testing, and management.

19. Photo by Julie Mac

20. Neglect

21. Neglect
Put processes in place that assure awareness
of development efforts.

22. Neglect
Put processes in place that assure awareness
of development efforts.
Team dynamics are hugely important.

23. Neglect
Put processes in place that assure awareness
of development efforts.
Team dynamics are hugely important.
Resist the urge to turn a blind eye to things
you don’t feel like working on.

24. Photo by y____

25. Intentional
Debt

26. Intentional
Debt
Resistance to change

27. Intentional
Debt
Resistance to change
Incremental enhancement

28. Intentional
Debt
Resistance to change
Incremental enhancement
Product management strategy

29. Intentional
Debt
Product management strategy

30. Intentional
Debt
Product management strategy
Focusing on new features

31. Intentional
Debt
Product management strategy
Focusing on new features
customer requests

32. Intentional
Debt
Product management strategy
Focusing on new features
customer requests
time to market

33. Intentional
Debt
Product management strategy
Focusing on new features
customer requests
time to market
backwards compatibility

34. Photo by nicodemo.valerio

35. unIntentional
Debt
Mistakes and laziness

36. unIntentional
Debt
Mistakes and laziness
Lack of design

37. unIntentional
Debt
Mistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment

38. unIntentional
Debt
Mistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
Separation of design & dev

39. unIntentional
Debt
Mistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
Separation of design & dev
Too many cooks

40. unIntentional
Debt
Mistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
Separation of design & dev
Too many cooks
Customer inefficiencies

42. Identifying
UX Debt

43. Identifying
UX Debt
Active Peripheral Awareness
UX Debt Inventory
User Exposure

44. Photo by Emilio Labrador

45. Practice Active Peripheral Awareness

46. Practice Active Peripheral Awareness
Awareness of technology

47. Practice Active Peripheral Awareness
Awareness of technology
Awareness of design practice

49. Perform A UX Debt Inventory

50. Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.

51. Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.
Better yet, have a teammate take notes. Then switch.

52. Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.
Better yet, have a teammate take notes. Then switch.
Validate it by observing and talking with users.

53. Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.
Better yet, have a teammate take notes. Then switch.
Validate it by observing and talking with users.

54. Expose Your Team

55. Expose Your Team
“It seems that six weeks was the bare
minimum for a two-hour exposure
dose. The teams with members who
spent the minimum of two hours
every six weeks saw far greater
improvements to their design’s user
experience than teams who didn’t
meet the minimum.”
– Jared Spool

56. Expose Your Team
“It seems that six weeks was the bare
minimum for a two-hour exposure
dose. The teams with members who
spent the minimum of two hours
every six weeks saw far greater
improvements to their design’s user
experience than teams who didn’t
meet the minimum. And teams with
more frequent exposure, say two-
hours every three weeks, saw even
better results.”
– Jared Spool

57. Classifying
UX Debt Photo by Squiggle

58. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual

59. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical

60. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Back End
Performance, Database, Security

61. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Back End
Front End
Performance, Database, Security
Browser Version Support
Outdated HTML/Frameworks
Poor Coding Practices

62. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional

63. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Scale

64. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Scale
Information Architecture

65. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Scale
Information Architecture
Priority of Functions

66. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral

67. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Tool Time

68. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Tool Time
Consistency

69. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Tool Time
Consistency
Conventions

70. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual

71. 4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual
UI Chrome
Iconography
Consistency
Fashion
Branding
Copywriting

72. 4
Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual
UX Debt Categories

73. Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual
UX Debt Categories
5

74. Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual
Documentation
UX Debt Categories
5

75. Technical
Functional
Behavioral
Visual
Documentation
UX Debt Categories
5

77. Addressing
UX Debt

78. Addressing
UX Debt
Declare bankruptcy

79. Addressing
UX Debt
Declare bankruptcy
People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve
got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It
means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that
there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as
proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have
done. Innovation is saying “no” to 1,000 things.
Steve Jobs

80. Addressing
UX Debt
Declare bankruptcy
Call a do-over

81. Addressing
UX Debt
Declare bankruptcy
Call a do-over
Skunkwork it

82. Addressing
UX Debt
Declare bankruptcy
Call a do-over
Skunkwork it
Phased approach

83. Step 1:
Photo by Captain Eric Willis

84. Step 1: Prioritization

85. Step 1:
a. Severity & Impact
Prioritization

86. Step 1:
a. Severity & Impact
b. Estimated Time to Address
Prioritization

87. Step 1:
a. Severity & Impact
b. Estimated Time to Address
c. Responsible Party
Prioritization

88. Step 1:
a. Severity & Impact
b. Estimated Time to Address
c. Responsible Party
Prioritization

89. Step 2:
Photo by John Biehler

90. Step 2:Schedule

91. Step 2:Schedule
Not Agile

92. Step 2:
Agile
Schedule

93. Step 3:
Photo by John Biehler

94. Step 3:Collaboration

95. Step 3:Collaboration
UX debt is the responsibility
of your entire organization.

96. Avoiding
UX Debt
Photo by Alex Berger

97. Avoiding
UX Debt
Usability Research & Testing

98. Avoiding
UX Debt
Usability Research & Testing
Pay Attention to Details

99. Avoiding
UX Debt
Usability Research & Testing
Pay Attention to Details
Modularity

100. Avoiding
UX Debt
Usability Research & Testing
Pay Attention to Details
Modularity
Documentation

101. Manage
your UX
Debt
Photo by Dave 77459

102. Thank you!
Jack Moffett
Manager App Development – GUI
Inmedius, a Boeing Company
@jackmoffett
jackmoffett@mac.com
designaday.tumblr.com