This document outlines an approach for improving complex systems through incremental evolution rather than complete rewrites. It discusses researching stakeholders, technology, users and brand needs. It recommends creating a vision by setting goals, scope and requirements. A plan is made by identifying issues, priorities and treatment options. Small, continuous improvements are advocated over large, infrequent changes. Risks of various approaches are reviewed. The importance of ongoing measurement and refinement is stressed.

1. OPERATIONI M P R O V I N G C O M P L E X S Y S T E M S W I T H O U T K I L L I N G T H E PAT I E N T
P R O J E C T
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

2. OPERATION
T H E
D O Y O U R C R E AT E A M A K E A
T H E N
1. T H E PAT I E N T
2. T R I A G E
3. D I A G N O S I S
4 . T H E P R O G N O S I S 5 . T H E T R E AT M E N T
T H E N
VISIONRESEARCH PLAN
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

3. PHYSICIAN
T H E
Y O U N E E D T O K N O W
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4. THE PHYSICIAN16 YEARS AS UX SURGEON
CURED A PROJECT OF DIRECTOR WITH FLASH IN 2002
PREVENTED AN OUTBREAK OF SILVERLIGHT IN 2006
SUCCESSFUL AS2/AS3 TRANSPLANT IN 2007
SUCCESSFUL JAVA/FLEX TRANSPLANT IN 2009
COUNTLESS FACELIFTS, CUTS AND BRUISES HEALED
@UXWARD #BI GD2016

5. PATIENT
T H E
W E N E E D T O K N O W
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

6. triageW E N E E D T O K N O W
OR
EXISTING APPLICATION
WITH LARGE, DEVOTED, OR
ESTABLISHED USER-BASE
NEW APPLICATION WITH
KNOWN PROBLEMS,
ISSUES, OR QUESTIONS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

7. W E N E E D T O K N O W
AESTHETIC ISSUES
DATED LOOK & FEEL
LOW SALES VOLUME
POOR CONVERSION
DIFFICULT TO SELL
DOESN'T MATCH OTHER
PRODUCTS
DOESN'T ALIGN W/ BRAND
DOESN'T ALIGN W/ MARKET
EXPECTATION
architectural ISSUES functional ISSUES
TOO MANY SUPPORT CALLS
BAD REVIEWS
TOO MUCH TRAINING
REQUIRED
TOO MUCH DOCUMENTATION
REQUIRED
STEEP LEARNING CURVE
HARD TO USE
NOT ACCESSIBLE
DOESN'T WORK ON MOBILE
MISSING FUNCTIONALITY
DESIRE NEW
FUNCTIONALITY
DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN
DIFFICULT TO UPDATE
DIFFICULT TO STAFF
NEW TECHNOLOGY
REQUIREMENTS
POOR SCALABILITY
INSTABILITY
INEFFICIENT
INSECURE
the symptoms
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

8. DIAGNOSIS
STUFF IS BROKEN
YOU NEED TO FIX IT
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

9. STUDIES
C L I N I C A L
W E N E E D T O K N O W
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

10. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
EVERY MAJOR FACEBOOK UPDATE EVER
- WHY’D THEY CHANGE THAT!?
- THEY KEEP CHANGING THINGS!?
- WHY WON’T THEY CHANGE THIS!?
- ARGH!
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

11. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
yahoo! mail
- REDESIGNED FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS
- ANGERED MILLIONS OF USERS
- ONLY 25% OF YAHOO! STAFF WOULD USE IT
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

12. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
FinishLine
- LAUNCHED NEW DESIGN JUST BEFORE HOLIDAY SEASON
- SALES DROPPED $3,000,000
- HAD TO SWITCH BACK TO OLD SITE
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

13. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
Marks and spencer
- SPENT OVER $196,000,000 IN REDESIGN EFFORTS
- SALES DROPPED 8%
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

14. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
Tropicana
- $35,000,000 AD CAMPAIGN WITH REDESIGN
- CUSTOMERS LAMBASTED CAMPAIGN OVER SOCIAL MEDIA
- SALES DROPPED 20% ~ $30,000,000
- PAID ANOTHER $15,000,000 TO REVERT TO OLD DESIGN
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

15. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
retailer’s $1oo,ooo,ooo REDESIGN
- SALES DROPPED 20%
- 20% OF $1 BILLION PER YEAR ~ $200,000,000
- 3.5 YEARS TO RECOVER
- TOTAL COST OF ~ $800,000,000
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

16. PATIENT
V E R Y S A D
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

17. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
builddirect.com
- INCREASED CONVERSION BY 16%
- INCREASED REVENUE $1,000,000 PER MONTH
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

18. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
wasp barcode
- EVOLUTIONARY, INCREMENTAL DESIGN EFFORTS
- EACH CHANGE DELIVERED MORE DEMOS, MORE REVENUE
- INCREASED SALES 255% IN FOUR MONTHS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

19. CLINICAL STUDIESW E N E E D T O K N O W
the $3oo,ooo,ooo button
- HIRED TO DO A TOTAL CART REDESIGN
- ONLY FIXED WHAT WAS BROKEN
- INCREASED SALES BY $300,000,000
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

20. PROGNOSIS
IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST OR WRONG TREATMENT IS GIVEN:
- EVERY DAY YOU WAIT IT GETS MORE EXPENSIVE
- DELAYED TREATMENT WILL INCREASE TIME TO FIX
- NOT TREATED, OR TREATED IN CORRECTLY WILL DECREASE VALUE
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

21. is it serious?
OH NO DOCTOR!

22. PROGNOSIS
ibm survey says:
- 87% OF CONSUMERS EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTIES ONLINE
- 41% SAY THEY ABANDON TRANSACTIONS AFTER PROBLEMS,
$57,000,000,000 IN LOST REVENUE IN RETAIL ALONE
- 56% SAY PROBLEMS ONLINE MEANS THEY PROBABLY WON’T BUY
FROM SAME COMPANY OFFLINE
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

23. risks
hubspot research report says:
- 51% OF WEBSITE REDESIGNS LAUNCH LATE
- 63% OF WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECTS GO OVER BUDGET
- 33% NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR REDESIGN OUTCOME
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

24. treatment
T H E
W E N E E D T O K N O W
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

25. -Johnmaeda-
“DESIGN IS BOTH THE INSANELY RADICAL
AND THE PASSIONATELY INCREMENTAL.”

26. evolution
the treatment
revolution
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27. the treatment
revolution complete rewrite
PROS
CAN FIX EVERYTHING
CONS
CAN BREAK EVERYTHING
TAKES A LONG TIME
EXPENSIVE
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

28. Traditionalwebsiteredesigns
T H E T R A D I T I O N A L W E B S I T E R E D E S I G N C Y C L E O F U N D E R - P E R F O R M A N C E
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T I M E
Y O U R S
U N D E R - A C H I E V E M E N T
5 Y E A R G A P S
B E T W E E N R E D E S I G N S
THE BEST WEBSITES
WEBSITESUCCESS
WIDERFUNNEL.COM

29. -cameronmoll-
“GOOD DESIGNERS REDESIGN,
BUT GREAT DESIGNERS REALIGN.”

30. the treatment
evolution small changes over time
PROS
FIXES A FEW THINGS WELL
FASTER
CONS
CAN FEEL LIKE A LACK OF PROGRESS
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

31. evolutionarysiteredesign
C O N T I N U O U S D E S I G N I M P R O V E M E N T W I T H T E S T I N G I S A B E T T E R S T R AT E G Y
@UXWARD #BIGD2016
C O N T I N U O U S
D E S I G N I M P R O V E M E N T
T I M E
THE BEST WEBSITES
WEBSITESUCCESS
WIDERFUNNEL.COM

32. the treatment
evolution small changes over time
PROS
FIXES A FEW THINGS WELL
FASTER
CONS
CAN FEEL LIKE A LACK OF PROGRESS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS

33. the treatment
evolution maintain 2 versions
PROS
CAN FIX EVERYTHING
CONS
TAKES A LONG TIME
EXPENSIVE
MAINTAIN 2 THINGS VS 1
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

34. the treatment
evolution ux only improvements
PROS
ADDRESSES ACTUAL USER NEEDS
CONS
CAN FEEL LIKE NOTHING CHANGED
NOTHING NEW ADDED
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

35. the treatment
evolution uI only improvements
PROS
OBVIOUS IMPROVEMENTS
CONS
IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY SUPERFICIAL
NOTHING NEW ADDED
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

36. the treatment
evolution low hanging fruit
PROS
ABLE TO ADDRESS A WIDE GAMUT OF
PRESSING NEEDS
CONS
MAY CURE SYMPTOMS VS DISEASE
SHORT TERM SOLUTION
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

37. the treatment
evolution complete fe-only rewrite
PROS
ADDRESS UX/UI ISSUES WITHOUT AFFECTING
ARCHITECTURE
CONS
EXTENSIVE QA REQUIRED
CAN BREAK EVERYTHING
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

38. the treatment
evolution complete Be-only rewrite
PROS
ADDRESS ARCHITECTURAL ISSUES
CONS
NO NEW FEATURES
EXTENSIVE QA REQUIRED
MULTIPLICITY
BONE GRAFT
FACELIFT
BAND-AIDS
FACE-OFF
QUADRUPLE BYPASS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

39. finding the right treatment

40. VISIONRESEARCH PLAN
finding the right treatment
D O Y O U R C R E AT E A M A K E A
STUB
STAKEHOLDERS
TECHNOLOGY
USERS
BRAND
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41. VISIONRESEARCH PLAN
finding the right treatment
D O Y O U R C R E AT E A M A K E A
GSR
SET YOUR GOALS
DEFINE THE SCOPE
DEFINE TECHNICAL
REQUIREMENTS &
LIMITATIONS
STUB
STAKEHOLDERS
TECHNOLOGY
USERS
BRAND
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

42. VISIONRESEARCH PLAN
finding the right treatment
D O Y O U R C R E AT E A M A K E A
ICP
WHAT ISSUES ARE YOU
FACING
WHAT DO YOU CARE
MOST ABOUT?
WHICH TREATMENT PLAN
WILL WORK FOR YOU?
GSR
SET YOUR GOALS
DEFINE THE SCOPE
DEFINE TECHNICAL
REQUIREMENTS &
LIMITATIONS
STUB
STAKEHOLDERS
TECHNOLOGY
USERS
BRAND
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

43. VISIONRESEARCH PLAN
finding the right treatment
D O Y O U R C R E AT E A M A K E A
- MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS
- REFINE YOUR GOALS
- PLAN FOR CONSTANT, CONSISTENT CHANGE
- EFFICIENCY OF TREATMENT DEPENDENT UPON PATIENT’S FOLLOW UP CARE
post-op:
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

44. AVOID NASTY SIDE-EFFECTS
- THE RESEARCH
- WEIGH THE COST OF THE VARIOUS METHODS
- PROVIDE VISIBILITY ACROSS TEAMS
- MEASURE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA
DO
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

45. AVOID NASTY SIDE-EFFECTS
- POOR UP-FRONT PLANNING & STRATEGY
- SETTING INSUFFICIENT BUDGET (TIME, PEOPLE, MONEY)
- SETTING UNREALISTIC OR LONG-REACHING TIMELINE
- ONLY DOING WHAT’S ASKED
- NOT DOING WHAT’S ASKED
- DOING MORE THAN IS REQUIRED
avoid
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

46. play!
L E T ’ S
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47. lets play!D O Y O U R R E S E A R C H . C R E AT E A V I S I O N . M A K E A P L A N .
research - stub
vision - gsr
plan - icp
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

48. stub
R E S E A R C H
S TA K E H O L D E R S • T E C H N O L O G Y
U S E R S • B R A N D
- 2 MINUTES
- ASK YOUR NEIGHBOR 5 QUESTIONS
ABOUT A PROJECT USING THE
QUESTIONNAIRE, THEN SWITCH
ROLES, ASK 5 MORE QUESTIONS.
@UXWARD #BIGD2016
B I T. LY/ E V O S T U B

49. E
F P
T O Z
L P E D
P E C F D
F E L O P Z D C D
gsr
V I S I O N
G O A L S • S C O P E • R E Q U I R E M E N T S
- 2 MINUTES
- BASED ON THE 10 ANSWERED
QUESTIONS, FILL OUT THE GSR REPORT
TOGETHER
@UXWARD #BIGD2016
B I T. LY/ E V O G S R

50. icP
P L A N
I S S U E S • C A R E • P L A N
- BASED ON A GSR REPORT, CHOOSE A
METHOD
- REVIEW RESULTS
- RE-ASSESS
- UPDATE GOALS
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

51. EVO
I N T R O D U C I N G
E V O . P R E C O C I T Y L L C . C O M
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

54. OPERATIOND O Y O U R R E S E A R C H . C R E AT E A V I S I O N . M A K E A P L A N .
P R O J E C T
research - stub
vision - gsr
PLAN - ICP

55. bottom line
T H E
W E N E E D T O K N O W
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56. this is just the beginning
- THE FIRST METHOD YOU USE WONT BE THE LAST
- THE GOAL IS TO GET TO A CONSTANT STATE OF EVOLUTION
- YOU MAY USE THREE, FOUR, OR ALL OF THE OPTIONS BEFORE YOU GET THERE
- THAT’S OKAY, AND BASICALLY THE POINT
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

57. OPERATIOND O Y O U R R E S E A R C H . C R E AT E A V I S I O N . M A K E A P L A N .
P R O J E C T
research - stub
vision - gsr
PLAN - ICP

58. thanks!
@UXWARD #BIGD2016

59. bibliography• HTTPS://ARTICLES.UIE.COM/RADICAL_REDESIGN/
• HTTP://WWW.WIDERFUNNEL.COM/EVOLUTIONARY-SITE-REDESIGN/
• HTTPS://WWW.SMASHINGMAGAZINE.COM/2008/11/STRATEGIC-DESIGN-6-STEPS-FOR-BUILDING-SUCCESSFUL-WEBSITES/
• HTTP://CIRCLESSTUDIO.COM/BLOG/13-COSTLY-WEBSITE-REDESIGN-MISTAKES-COMPANY-AVOID/
• HTTP://WWW.CMSWIRE.COM/CMS/DIGITAL-MARKETING/RETHINK-YOUR-REDESIGN-STRATEGIES-TO-HIT-YOUR-TARGETS-027532.PHP
• HTTP://WWW.THEBRANDINGJOURNAL.COM/2015/05/WHAT-TO-LEARN-FROM-TROPICANAS-PACKAGING-REDESIGN-FAILURE/
• HTTPS://WWW.SITEPOINT.COM/3-PAINFUL-SITE-REDESIGN-DISASTERS/
• HTTP://WWW.WEBDESIGNERDEPOT.COM/2011/06/HOW-TO-AVOID-A-REDESIGN-FAILURE/
• HTTP://BLOG.BRIGHTFIND.COM/AVOID-WEBSITE-REDESIGN-FAILURES-UNITE-STRATEGY-DESIGN-AND-DEVELOPMENT
• HTTPS://WWW.USERTESTING.COM/BLOG/2016/02/22/WEBSITE-REDESIGN-BRIAN-MASSEY/
• HTTPS://BLOG.KISSMETRICS.COM/DONT-DO-A-REDESIGN/
• HTTP://WWW.WIDERFUNNEL.COM/EVOLUTIONARY-SITE-REDESIGN/
• HTTP://CIRCLESSTUDIO.COM/BLOG/13-COSTLY-WEBSITE-REDESIGN-MISTAKES-COMPANY-AVOID/
• HTTP://WWW.DIGITALDISTILLERS.COM/BLOG/9-STEPS-TO-A-SUCCESSFUL-WEBSITE-REDESIGN
• HTTP://BLOG.HUBSPOT.COM/BLOG/TABID/6307/BID/33924/HOW-TO-DEVELOP-A-WEBSITE-REDESIGN-STRATEGY-THAT-GUARANTEES-RESULTS-FREE-TEMPLATE.ASPX#SM.00000DHITRYWWLF5ASREKIIASIXBD
• HTTP://WWW.BUSINESS2COMMUNITY.COM/INBOUND-MARKETING/KNOW-WEBSITE-REDESIGN-SUCCESS-0888686#MUMFTKUREWMBDBPQ.97
• HTTP://WWW-01.IBM.COM/COMMON/SSI/CGI-BIN/SSIALIAS?HTMLFID=ZZW03183USEN&APPNAME=SKMWWW
• HTTP://BLOG.INVISIONAPP.COM/DONT-START-FROM-SCRATCH/
• HTTP://WWW.INTECHNIC.COM/BLOG/WEBSITE-REDESIGN-CHECKLIST-PROJECT-PLAN-FOR-SUCCESS/