University of Edinburgh User Experience Manager, Neil Allison, updates the Digital Transformation Initiative Board on the status of pilots projects, and covers key concepts around user experience and strategic management. Presented 2 May 2017.

1. User Experience Services
Update to the Digital Transformation Initiative Board
Neil Allison
User Experience Manager
2 May 2017

2. Overview
• What is User Experience?
• Some thoughts and questions
• What activities is the User Experience Services
Programme engaged in?
• Examples of our work

3. What makes a good User Experience?

4. What makes a good User Experience?

5. What makes a good User Experience?

6. What makes a good User Experience?

7. Great user experiences are…
• …enabled by the organisational culture
• ...generated by process
• ...continuously improving

8. “Features, on their
own, are not a
measure of success”
– Jeff Gothelf @jboogie

9. “It costs a lot more to
build the wrong thing
than it does to do
experimentation and
research”
- Melissa Perri @lissijean

10. “Strategy = who is your audience, what problem you solve
for them and what makes you uniquely suited to that.
The rest is tactics and execution”
– Kim Goodwin @kimgoodwin
Design Council: What is the double diamond model? www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/design-process-what-double-diamond
Image source: www.dorotaux.com/process/

11. Evolving our goals
0. Every leader is a digital leader
5. Every decision is a hypothesis to validate
http://www.ed.ac.uk/digital-transformation/goals

12. Are we challenging our project teams?
• During discovery
• “What have you done to build a deep understanding of our customer? Do you
understand their fundamental goals, behaviours, and motivations? How?”
• “How will you keep these goals in mind during the product development process?”
• During design
• “How did you generate ideas to respond to our customer’s goals?”
• “In this process, did you include a diverse group of stakeholders - including technical,
marketing, sales, customer service or other departments who may bring unique and
valuable perspectives to the discussion?”
• During delivery
• “How might we try out your team’s best ideas to determine if we’re on the right
track, before investing a lot in development or deployment?”
https://www.cooper.com/journal/2017/4/design-thinking-for-ceos

13. Because great experiences aren’t
just about interface design

15. Sometimes it’s part of it
• A new support form for Helpline:
• Suggested self-help for priority
topics
• Fields auto-populated for logged
in users
• More convenient for users
• More efficient for Helpline

16. More often it’s about service, copy & structure
• Restructuring content & flow to maximise opportunities
for users to self-help
Before After

17. Before After

18. User Experience Services
Projects summary

19. User Experience Services programme overview
• UX Services: Helping projects to adopt a new user
centred methodology to deliver better products and
services
• A design process ensuring user insight at all project stages
• Training to empower staff & demonstrate the value of new
process
• Consultancy to advise projects or directly deliver UX
research & design services
UX
Services &
process

20. User Experience Services programme overview
• EdGEL: Providing a common experience language,
evolving continuously based on business need, user
insight & changes in technology
• A repository of guidance for all elements of an interaction
experience
• Accelerating development & ensure legislative compliance
• A platform enabling collaboration and innovation among
developers & designers
• A service supporting engagement and evolution
• A means to appraise digital products
EdGEL
service
UX
Services &
process

21. User Experience Services programme overview
• Student Digital Experience Standards: Supporting
adoption of user centred tools & processes, providing
new insight into project governance
• A process & service measuring how a project or service is
set up and run
• Built upon a commonly understood set of principles
• A governance mechanism ensuring project teams
• Utilise the right skills & roles, working collaboratively,
• Build EdGEL-compliant products, informed by user insight
Enhanced student
digital experiences
Student digital
experience standards
EdGEL
service
UX
Services &
process

22. UX Services
Standards
EdGEL
Evidence based: EdGEL
evolves based on user
insight, not just designer
opinion.
Efficient: UX Services
don’t unnecessarily repeat
work on multiple projects
because insight feeds into
EdGEL
User first: Standards are
built on design processes
led by UX Services
Risk management: User
insight guaranteed
because standards
mandate UX process
Quality assurance:
Standards are built on the
content of EdGEL
Consistency: EdGEL is
utilised because standards
mandate it
The 3 elements
are essential to
deliver enhanced
experiences
consistently &
efficiently, and to
influence change
towards a more
customer-centric
organisational
culture

23. Timeline
2016/7
• UX Service model proposed
• EdGEL & Student Experience Standards service proposals
2017/8
• UX Service model evolves through SEP & DT pilot engagements
2018/9
• UX Service model transitions to business as usual

24. Initial position: Absent to
Informal
By end of 2016/17 in IS:
Recognised
By end of 2018/19: Managed
Target organisational maturity
Source: Abi Reynolds, www.uservision.co.uk

25. Thank you
Neil.Allison@ed.ac.uk
User Experience Manager