'The user group you never knew you had' is about designing for the experience of the stakeholders who sponsor either internal or external projects. As designers we immediately think of the end users but without subject matter experts, middle managers and corporate sponsors our job would be much harder. In the talk Mette Riisgaard Andresen and Henriette Hosbond describe tactics to ensure to get these key people on board in the design process. Originally shown at UX Camp Copenhagen 2015.

1. The user group you never knew you had
Designing the stakeholder experience
UX Camp CPH 2015
Mette Riisgaard Andresen - Senior UX Architect
Henriette Hosbond - Senior UX Architect

2. The path to awesomeness
• At the start of the project the energy is high and you cant wait to the started.
• You have the vision.
• You dream of the awesome concept you are going to design

3. The users
UX’er + team
The love triangle
The product
• You imagine yourself in a great live triangle where its you, the users and the product.
• Great things are to come and you just want to get started and start improving people’s lives.

4. The users
The love triangle
Client/
stakeholders The product
UX’er + team
• And so you start…but pretty fast you are reminded that you forgot someone…the client or stakeholder
• We want the stakeholder to be involved. We are after all on a joint quest to make something great.
• But the larger the company, the more complex this group of people and decision-makers become.

5. Trying to sell a fun idea to the client
and they are having none of it
Source: thisadvertisinglife.tumblr.com
We have all experienced this…

6. When a client asks me to “make it pop”
Source: uxreactions.com
…and this…

7. When I try my best to show the client
my stuff in a review but they are not impressed
Source: thisadvertisinglife.tumblr.com
…and most often this..

8. When the client keeps pushing the idea
their nephew thought of
Source: thisadvertisinglife.tumblr.com
…and sometimes even this.

9. Reasons why we need to prioritise
the stakeholders in our designs

10. #1 It’s also their problem we are trying to solve

11. #2 The client has a ton of knowledge

12. #3 They have valuable perspective that is
different from ours

13. #4 They will live with the product on a daily basis

14. #5 The stakeholders are gatekeepers

15. So what do we do?

16. So what do we do?
Design the stakeholder experience

17. How do we design a process in which
the stakeholders needs are met?
And in which we manage to
communicate in a way that resonates
with them?
Source: Oxford Dictionary

18. Em pa thy
The ability to understand and share
the feelings of another
Source: Oxford Dictionary

19. It’s the fact that we as UX’ers don’t just
produce.
Delivering a concept to the client often requires:
Communication skills
People skills
Persuasion
Stamina
and last but not least humor!
Source: Oxford Dictionary

20. The stakeholder landscape
Product owner
Content creator
CEO
Marketing
Project manager
Developer /
front-end’er
Designer

21. The stakeholder landscape
Product owner
CEO
Project manager
Developer /
front-end’er
Designer
- Not enough time
- Too many meetings
- Don’t understand design
- Driven by numbers
- Too engaged with personal opinion
This guy
Content creator
Marketing

22. The stakeholder landscape
Product owner
CEO
Project manager
Developer /
front-end’er
Designer
- Included too late in the process
- Want more influence
- Struggles with old/inefficient systems
- Has tried to change things for years
- KPIs determining her work
This girl
Content creator
Marketing

23. Source: Business Model Generation

24. • What is their day like?
• What environment are they in?
• What do they see in the market?
• How do they encounter us during
their work day?
• What do they do to overcome obstacles?
• What options do they have?
• How do they behave in front of others/of us?
• What really counts to them?
• What do they dream of, career-wise?
• What do they worry about?
• How do they feel about working with us?
• Who influences them?
• What do they hear about their work/
work situation/about us?
• What are their biggest fears?
• Frustrations?
• Obstacles?
• Wants and needs
• Measures of success
Source: Business Model Generation

25. Learnings from the battlefield

26. Set expectations.
Make it clear what the focus is

27. Co-creation.
Visualize together.

28. Avoid “I prefer orange buttons”.
Refer to end users

29. Remove the physical boundary
between us and them
Sit together.

30. Speak their language.
Adjust your communication.

31. Show it, don’t tell it.
Make them feel it.

32. Let’s talk

33. How do you build empathy and
work with your stakeholders?

34. Thank you!
Mette Riisgaard Andresen - Senior UX Architect
Henriette Hosbond - Senior UX Architect
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