The Craft of Collaboration
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The world of design is getting ever more complex. There are an increasing number of different specialists to involve in conceiving new products and services. With each specialism comes more potential challenges for working together. How do we continually evolve our abilities to collaborate? Jason Mesut explores some of his own experience in different design roles, as an event organiser, as a father, as a leader and as a a manager to offer a frameowrk for collaboration based on 3 key engagement strategies, 6 key behavioral principles, and 6 key skills to practice to help you on your voyage to master the craft of collaboration.
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The Craft of Collaboration
- 1. The Craft of Collaboration Collaborate 2015 Jason Mesut, Resonant Design and Innovation @jasonmesut
- 2. When I hear ‘Collaborate’ I think of this…
- 3. Ice Ice Baby video
- 4. “alright, stop, collaborate and listen” Vanilla Ice
- 5. “if you’ve got a problem, yo i’ll solve it” Vanilla Ice
- 6. “if you’ve got a problem, yo i’ll solve it” Too many designers
- 7. Don’t be the VI of UX
- 8. Design challenges getting more complex
- 9. Increasing numbers and types of collaborators – Data scientists – Industrial Designers – Developers – Visual designers – Marketers – Business analysts – Engineers – Call centre staff – Strategists
- 10. Collaboration has always been important
- 11. Collaboration has always been important But fundamentally difficult
- 12. Collaboration has always been important But fundamentally difficult It relies on human connections
- 13. Collaboration has always been important But fundamentally difficult It relies on human connections Humans are messy
- 14. Digital folk don’t even understand each other
- 16. We don’t agree amongst ourselves
- 17. What’s the collective noun for UXers?
- 18. What’s the collective noun for UXers? A flock of sheep 1
- 19. What’s the collective noun for UXers? A flock of sheep A school of fish 1 2
- 20. What’s the collective noun for UXers? A flock of sheep A school of fish An argument of UXers 1 2 3
- 21. UX has done a pretty good job of making itself complicated in a short period of time with all the different sub-disciplines: IA, IxD, etc. The more compartmentalised, the worse the result. Marcus Hoggarth Industrial Design Director, Native UX is confusing
- 23. Competition between ‘partners’ Talent is scarce
- 24. Competition between ‘partners’ Talent is scarce Process materials are sacred
- 25. Competition between ‘partners’ Talent is scarce Process materials are sacred They all want a bigger piece
- 26. Contractual mismatches Fixed cost Time and materials Resource + time 1 2 3
- 27. Process differences Agile Waterfall Something completely different 1 2 3
- 28. There is a cost of collaboration
- 29. There is a cost of collaboration But a bigger cost of not collaborating
- 30. There is a cost of collaboration But a bigger cost of not collaborating It’s just getting harder to estimate
- 31. There is a cost of collaboration But a bigger cost of not collaborating It’s just getting harder to estimate And sponsors always want more for less
- 32. There’s never enough time
- 33. There’s never enough money
- 34. There’s never enough space
- 35. Designers are normally quite introverted individuals Struggle with connecting to others
- 36. How can we get clarity through this fog?
- 37. Caveat My answers are based on my experience
- 38. Context for this talk Personal experience over 16 years in UX Research around Industrial Design and UX Current experience on some interesting projects + + 1 2 3
- 39. Brunel Industrial Designer Interaction Designer User Experience Consultant Director of User Experience Head of User Experience Yell PA Consulting Flow Oyster / Framfab / LBi The Team RMA Plan ‘96 ‘15 – Service designer – Product strategist – Researcher – Designer – Leader – Manager – Consultant
- 40. 4 years Local leader Interaction Design Association L o n d o n Subjects over 4 years Internet of Things Future of publishing Urban environment Smart materials Mobility / Automotive Clinical applications
- 41. My personal context Confidence Shy Vocal Leader / Manager Good Terrible Working preferences With others By myself
- 43. Industrial Designers Industrial Designers Digital / UX Designers Interviewed over 40 designers
- 44. Experience with big names Consultancies Manufacturers Education
- 45. Building on recent project experience A new transportation service – Helps people unlock London – Mobile apps and wider digital services – Spaces, places, people, vehicles, interactions Icons created by Vicons Design from the Noun Project ?
- 46. Key project partners – Automotive client – Call centre services company – Brand agency – App development company – Systems integrator – Product strategy consultancy – Marketing and advertising company – Political negotiations – PR groups – Maintenance company – Hardware companies – Payment provider
- 47. Current project roles – Algorithm experts – Product owners – Product designers – Developers – Researchers – 2D Designers – 3D Designers – Design strategists – Product strategists – Content strategists – Strategist strategists
- 48. A lot of overlaps in what we contribute to – Proposition – Service ideas – Marketing ideas – Design details – Language A lot of opinions about everything
- 49. How can we better collaborate with an increasing number of stakeholders of different backgrounds? ?
- 50. Endless advice on how to collaborate
- 51. Too many half answers and silver bullets
- 52. We have plenty of tools and techniques
- 53. Workshop tricks ain’t gonna save us But this is a great book
- 54. Agile or Lean ain’t gonna save us But there’s mileage in some of the approaches for some of our projects
- 55. Post-its ain’t gonna save us But we do have a healthy obsession
- 56. Slack ain’t gonna save us Although it helps with ongoing banter
- 57. SharePoint? Everything but a place to share
- 58. Skype ain’t gonna save us WebEx, hangouts and more all suffer from the same problem
- 59. A useful exercise, for sure, but hard to do all the time Or even sketching + prototyping together
- 60. Neither will an experience map Although communication tools do help especially if others are involved
- 61. These are all valuable tools at your disposal But they are not enough
- 62. We also have some useful scientif-ish theory
- 63. Jazz ain’t gonna save us Although I totally embrace some of the principles behind this
- 64. There are useful models in team dynamics
- 65. Belbin Different team roles
- 66. Myers Briggs Different personality styles
- 67. Tuckman 4 stages of group development
- 68. Mesut Creating the Perfect Experience Architect
- 69. Some attributes important for over 10 years – Team player – Empathy (users, business, tech) – Pragmatism – People/relationship sills – Listening skills – Passion & energy – Strong backbone
- 70. All useful But I want to give a different perspective
- 71. Hypothesis Collaboration is a craft
- 72. Part science Theories and frameworks
- 73. Part art Your own self expression and style
- 74. Mostly craft Theory, tools, own style and lots of practice
- 75. I believe We need more fundamentals Strategies, principles and practices
- 76. Create Calibrate Connect Find common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences Fun1 Craft of collaboration fundamentals Strategies, Principles, Skills Myers Briggs Belbin Tucken Jazz
- 77. 3 Key Iterative Strategies 6 Key Principles 6 Key Skills A framework for collaboration
- 81. Connect Find common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences Create Calibrate Connect
- 82. Calibrate Adapt ourselves Adapt our processes Translate our language Create Calibrate Connect
- 84. Connect Find common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences Create Calibrate Connect
- 85. Jargon Documentation Communication Motivation Values Principles Methods Software Approaches Value Uniqueness Horizons Timelines Pace Offer Mindset Language Tools Time Key ground
- 86. Jargon Documentation Communication Motivation Values Principles Methods Software Approaches Value Uniqueness Horizons Timelines Pace Offer Mindset Language Tools Time Identify overlaps
- 88. Respect differences – Agile – Lean – Waterfall – UCD – Native vs. web – Mobile first – Six Sigma
- 89. I setup a monthly lunch with the director of R&D. It helps that we both care about the same thing. That helped bring down any barriers. I worked to understand his and his team’s goals, so that we could better support them and work closer together. Nick Myers Director User Experience Design, Fitbit Connect on a personal level
- 90. Practice Learning others’ perspectives Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time
- 91. Learning others’ perspectives a. Research specific topics in others’ media of choice b. Meet lots of people c. Capture what others say
- 94. Practice Listening Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time
- 95. Listening a. Listen to language others use b. Really listen to what they are saying and what they are not c. Probe and capture d. Show interest
- 96. Example Share experiences and perspectives at project kick-off Favourite project Something you love What people say about you Ways you like to work Hopes and fears for the project Establish team working principles
- 98. Be human a. Be passionate b. Show weakness c. Be yourself (with a twist)
- 99. Calibrate Unite on a common purpose Adapt ourselves Adapt our processes Translate our language Create Calibrate Connect
- 100. I’ve found the best way to get integration is to get away from the features and unite on the higher goals Scott Jenson Product Strategy, Google Unite on a common purpose
- 101. We structure projects so industrial designers, interaction designers, mechanical engineers, and strategists can do the research together. David Sherwin Director of User Experience, lynda.com, LinkedIn Research together Photograph by Misha Miller
- 102. Align efforts where it matters most You can’t innovate everywhere
- 103. Principle Hold up a mirror Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself
- 104. 2. Hold up a mirror a. Take a 3rd person perspective b. Record your behaviour c. Watch yourself d. Listen to yourself
- 105. Know your own tone of voice In different situations When you’re – Stressed – Happy – Excited – Tired – Disagreeing with someone
- 106. Know your own tone of voice Know-it-all Teacher Mother Oracle Antagonist Naysayer OptimistThinker
- 107. Watch your body language Stance, arms, hands, head lonerwolf.com
- 108. And your facial expressions Smirks, scowls, smiles
- 109. Listen to the language you use + other’s reactions Do they understand you?
- 110. Principle Establish common frames Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself
- 111. Establish common frames Define your terms
- 112. Establish common frames Clarify roles +responsibilities
- 113. Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself Principle Flex yourself
- 114. Flex yourself Adapt yourself to your environment
- 115. Flex yourself a. Be prepared to change b. Adapt your behaviours and tone of voice c. Adapt your language d. Adapt your ways of working
- 117. Create relationships Personal + professional
- 118. Create together In the right space, with banter
- 119. Create together Celebrate and take the knocks together
- 120. Blame is toxic Be careful of taking others down for your gain
- 121. Collaborate away from project work We run Interaction Labs events and people collaborate across the studio Heather Martin VP of Design, SmartDesign
- 122. Principle Foster friendly friction Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself
- 123. Foster friendly friction a. Have strong opinions held weakly b. Don’t tread on others’ toes c. Find right tone of voice to disagree d. Follow-up after conflict
- 124. Practice Capturing Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time
- 125. Capturing a. Capture key notes b. Capture key phrases people use c. Try to document decisions and feedback
- 126. Create alone Give yourself and others time and space
- 127. Communicate virtually Keep comms alive on phone, VOIP or chat
- 128. Communicate physically Create focal points of progress
- 129. Practice Sharing at the right time in the right way Sharing at right time Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing
- 130. Sharing a. Share meeting / session outputs quickly b. Share useful references c. Share work ugly early, but caveat d. Respect people’s inboxes
- 131. Share regularly At Palm, we did show and tells across ID and UX. IDs would bring their models and we would offer suggestions and opinions. We would bring our interface concepts or prototypes and they would share their ideas too. Kim Lenox Director of User Experience Design, LinkedIn
- 132. Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time Practice Talking
- 133. Talking a. Speak concisely b. To different sized groups c. Know when to speak up d. Know when to shut up
- 134. Practice Planning and preparation Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time
- 135. Planning and preparation a. Give yourself time to prepare b. Research people and environments c. Get others on board before large sessions
- 136. Principle Practice, practice, practice Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself
- 137. How can we better collaborate with an increasing number of stakeholders of different backgrounds? ?
- 140. Create Calibrate Connect Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself Crafting Collaboration Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time Skills
- 141. Thank you @jasonmesut Create Calibrate Connect Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself Craft of Collaboration Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time
- 142. Thank you Collaborate 2015 Jason Mesut, Resonant Design and Innovation @jasonmesut Create Calibrate Connect Be human Hold up a mirror Establish frames Foster friendly friction Practice, practice, practice Flex yourself Craft of Collaboration Talking Capturing Listening Learning other perspectives Planning and preparing Sharing at right time