UX & DEV:
How to BUILD KILLER FEATURES
and not kill each other
Nadia Udalova

UX Team Lead @ XebiaLabs
Scrum team = Building team1.
PO = House owner2.
LET’S IMAGINE…
Scoped work
Work started…
Impediments!
Sprint delivered!
The goal was…
COMMUNICATIVE teams achieve
greater results
Nadia Udalova
UX Team Lead @XebiaLabs
Joined XebiaLabs in 2014 as UX designer
Leading UX Team since 2017
Co-founder of Ladies That UX Amsterdam
Certified Design Sprinter (2017)
Allocation of UX resources1.
UX and Dev work alignment2.
MAIN CHALLANGES
Allocation of UX resources1.
UX and Dev work alignment2.
MAIN CHALLANGES
TWO ways to integrate UX into Agile
1. Allocation of UX resources
Lead
UX
UX
UX
Feature Team 2
Feature Team 1 Feature Team 3
Feature Team 4
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
UX agency
A. INTERNAL AGENCY MODEL
1. Allocation of UX resources
Lead
UX
UX
UX
Feature Team 2
Feature Team 1 Feature Team 3
Feature Team 4
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
UX agency
A. INTERNAL AGENCY MODEL
UX team culture & rituals
UX focused on future features
Better consistency across products/features
+
+
+
Difficulty in prioritisation between features
Less connection to Feature team’s focus
-
-
1. Allocation of UX resources
Feature Team 1
PO
DEV
UX
Feature Team 2
PO
DEV
UX
Feature Team 3
PO
DEV
Feature Team 4
PO
DEV
UX
B. CROSS FUNCTIONAL MODEL (Hub and Spoke)
UX Lead UX
1. Allocation of UX resources
Less alignment within UX team
More likely consistency problems
Lots of focus on day to day things
-
-
-
B. CROSS FUNCTIONAL MODEL (Hub and Spoke)
Fast response to change of plans
Direct UX involvement with Dev team
UX feels connected to Dev team’s
focus
+
+
+
Feature Team 1
PO
DEV
UX
Feature Team 2
PO
DEV
UX
Feature Team 3
PO
DEV
Feature Team 4
PO
DEV
UXUX Lead UX
1. Allocation of UX resources
A or B?
1. Allocation of UX resources
It depends…
1. Allocation of UX resources
• Ratio Designers vs Developers
• Maturity of an organisation
• Level of development teams autonomy
• Organisation structure and goals
1. Allocation of UX resources
"SPOC” Designer
Lead
SPOC
UX
Feature Team 2
Feature Team 1 Feature Team 3
Feature Team 4
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
PO
DEVs
UX agencySPOC
UX
SPOC
UX
Plugin team
UX
1. Allocation of UX resources
Sharing UX resources across teams
Allocation of UX resources1.
UX and Dev work alignment2.
MAIN CHALLANGES
UX is ice breaker
v 1
v 2
v 3
Release Release Release
UX work
Development work
2. UX and Dev work alignment
Lean UX:
1. Move from uncertainty to clarity

2. Driving away from long debates to actions

3. Removing waste - early validation

4. Shared understanding!
2. UX and Dev work alignment
The BIGGEST challenges in communication
2. UX and Dev work alignment
- UX is not involved in Engineering day to day work!
UX Team member attend Dev team daily stand-up. 

NO EXCEPTIONS!
2. UX and Dev work alignment
- No learning together between UX and Dev.
UX Team member at Dev team retrospectives.

NO EXCEPTIONS!
2. UX and Dev work alignment
- Design decisions are taken WITHOUT Design.
1. “Needs UX” column on sprint board of each Dev team.

2. Scrum master and SPOC designer are always in sync.

2. UX and Dev work alignment
- Actual implementation is different from the design.
1. Detailed refinement sessions with Dev and UX.

2. UX as a part of Definition Of Done.

3. UX is a part of QA check.

2. UX and Dev work alignment
atomicdesign.bradfrost.com sketch.io
framer.comzeplin.io sketchapphub.com/resource/abstract/
- May TOOLS HELP you!
2. UX and Dev work alignment
Summary
Summary
1. Communicate teams achieve greater results TOGETHER
2. Correct allocation of UX resources is a baseline of success
3. UX is icebreaker
4. Lean UX: more important than ever before
5. UX team in Dev rituals, Dev involved into UX
and…
RESPECT each other!
Nadia Udalova

UX Team Lead @ XebiaLabs

UX + Dev: How to BUILD KILLER FEATURES and not kill each other

  • 1.
    UX & DEV: Howto BUILD KILLER FEATURES and not kill each other Nadia Udalova
 UX Team Lead @ XebiaLabs
  • 2.
    Scrum team =Building team1. PO = House owner2. LET’S IMAGINE…
  • 3.
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
  • 8.
  • 9.
    Nadia Udalova UX TeamLead @XebiaLabs Joined XebiaLabs in 2014 as UX designer Leading UX Team since 2017 Co-founder of Ladies That UX Amsterdam Certified Design Sprinter (2017)
  • 12.
    Allocation of UXresources1. UX and Dev work alignment2. MAIN CHALLANGES
  • 13.
    Allocation of UXresources1. UX and Dev work alignment2. MAIN CHALLANGES
  • 14.
    TWO ways tointegrate UX into Agile 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 15.
    Lead UX UX UX Feature Team 2 FeatureTeam 1 Feature Team 3 Feature Team 4 PO DEVs PO DEVs PO DEVs PO DEVs UX agency A. INTERNAL AGENCY MODEL 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 16.
    Lead UX UX UX Feature Team 2 FeatureTeam 1 Feature Team 3 Feature Team 4 PO DEVs PO DEVs PO DEVs PO DEVs UX agency A. INTERNAL AGENCY MODEL UX team culture & rituals UX focused on future features Better consistency across products/features + + + Difficulty in prioritisation between features Less connection to Feature team’s focus - - 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 17.
    Feature Team 1 PO DEV UX FeatureTeam 2 PO DEV UX Feature Team 3 PO DEV Feature Team 4 PO DEV UX B. CROSS FUNCTIONAL MODEL (Hub and Spoke) UX Lead UX 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 18.
    Less alignment withinUX team More likely consistency problems Lots of focus on day to day things - - - B. CROSS FUNCTIONAL MODEL (Hub and Spoke) Fast response to change of plans Direct UX involvement with Dev team UX feels connected to Dev team’s focus + + + Feature Team 1 PO DEV UX Feature Team 2 PO DEV UX Feature Team 3 PO DEV Feature Team 4 PO DEV UXUX Lead UX 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 19.
    A or B? 1.Allocation of UX resources
  • 20.
  • 21.
    • Ratio Designersvs Developers • Maturity of an organisation • Level of development teams autonomy • Organisation structure and goals 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 22.
  • 23.
    Lead SPOC UX Feature Team 2 FeatureTeam 1 Feature Team 3 Feature Team 4 PO DEVs PO DEVs PO DEVs PO DEVs UX agencySPOC UX SPOC UX Plugin team UX 1. Allocation of UX resources
  • 24.
  • 25.
    Allocation of UXresources1. UX and Dev work alignment2. MAIN CHALLANGES
  • 26.
    UX is icebreaker
  • 27.
    v 1 v 2 v3 Release Release Release UX work Development work 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 28.
    Lean UX: 1. Movefrom uncertainty to clarity 2. Driving away from long debates to actions 3. Removing waste - early validation 4. Shared understanding! 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 29.
    The BIGGEST challengesin communication 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 30.
    - UX isnot involved in Engineering day to day work! UX Team member attend Dev team daily stand-up. NO EXCEPTIONS! 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 31.
    - No learningtogether between UX and Dev. UX Team member at Dev team retrospectives. NO EXCEPTIONS! 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 32.
    - Design decisionsare taken WITHOUT Design. 1. “Needs UX” column on sprint board of each Dev team. 2. Scrum master and SPOC designer are always in sync. 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 33.
    - Actual implementationis different from the design. 1. Detailed refinement sessions with Dev and UX. 2. UX as a part of Definition Of Done. 3. UX is a part of QA check. 2. UX and Dev work alignment
  • 34.
  • 35.
  • 36.
    Summary 1. Communicate teamsachieve greater results TOGETHER 2. Correct allocation of UX resources is a baseline of success 3. UX is icebreaker 4. Lean UX: more important than ever before 5. UX team in Dev rituals, Dev involved into UX
  • 37.
    and… RESPECT each other! NadiaUdalova
 UX Team Lead @ XebiaLabs