Presentation from the 2015 UX Strategies Summit in San Francisco. A look at strategies and principles to be embraced by UX professionals to embrace in order to function and be recognized as leaders in the business world.
How do you find the right people for a balanced and effective UX team? What traits and skills should you look for?
Darren Hood, Manager of UX at Bosch with 20 years of experience in the field, presents on the "Do"s and "Don't"s of hiring for UX roles in this hour-long TryMyUI webinar.
Watch the full video recording of Darren's presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub0rTjCyUjY
Or, read more about coordinating a UX team and the responsibilities and skills required of each role on our user testing blog: http://blog.trymyui.com/2016/04/coordinate-ux-dream-team/
Since the advent of the Internet, the world of UX has grown exponentially. Application and adoption of UX has, in kind, broadened dramatically, but there is still one major shortage — UX LEADERSHIP. As a result of this deficit, the field is being misdefined and occupied by unqualified people, threatening its growth, understanding, and well-being. This presentation will address the need for leaders and share ways to mature into a leader.
Massive recognition of the importance and ROI of user experience has brought unforeseen challenges to many companies, leading us to seek out strategies to gauge and manage UX's culture and the associated maturity level in our organizations. This talk will focus on the challenges and prescribe strategies for optimizing success with our UX-related efforts.
Learn how to create a culture of design at work, the signs of a design averse culture, and how anyone, even the intern, can become a design culture change agent.
Presented by Chris Avore at Webvisions NYC on April 4 2014
Crowd sourcing content is a concept that seems foreign to traditional technical communication. But it is becoming increasingly common for everyone from developers to product managers to contribute content. What happens when you open the doors to your documentation and let non-technical writers craft content? Do standards go out the window? It turns out that you can build excellent documentation via crowd sourcing. But there are some rules for the road. Learn how engineering a culture of content champions, both inside and outside your organization, can help create a wealth of valuable documentation for your users.
How do you find the right people for a balanced and effective UX team? What traits and skills should you look for?
Darren Hood, Manager of UX at Bosch with 20 years of experience in the field, presents on the "Do"s and "Don't"s of hiring for UX roles in this hour-long TryMyUI webinar.
Watch the full video recording of Darren's presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub0rTjCyUjY
Or, read more about coordinating a UX team and the responsibilities and skills required of each role on our user testing blog: http://blog.trymyui.com/2016/04/coordinate-ux-dream-team/
Since the advent of the Internet, the world of UX has grown exponentially. Application and adoption of UX has, in kind, broadened dramatically, but there is still one major shortage — UX LEADERSHIP. As a result of this deficit, the field is being misdefined and occupied by unqualified people, threatening its growth, understanding, and well-being. This presentation will address the need for leaders and share ways to mature into a leader.
Massive recognition of the importance and ROI of user experience has brought unforeseen challenges to many companies, leading us to seek out strategies to gauge and manage UX's culture and the associated maturity level in our organizations. This talk will focus on the challenges and prescribe strategies for optimizing success with our UX-related efforts.
Learn how to create a culture of design at work, the signs of a design averse culture, and how anyone, even the intern, can become a design culture change agent.
Presented by Chris Avore at Webvisions NYC on April 4 2014
Crowd sourcing content is a concept that seems foreign to traditional technical communication. But it is becoming increasingly common for everyone from developers to product managers to contribute content. What happens when you open the doors to your documentation and let non-technical writers craft content? Do standards go out the window? It turns out that you can build excellent documentation via crowd sourcing. But there are some rules for the road. Learn how engineering a culture of content champions, both inside and outside your organization, can help create a wealth of valuable documentation for your users.
A look at the underlying ethos of collaboration, and a series of strategies and approaches to encourage the development of collaborative human behaviours.
Collaboration Insights Webinar: The 9 Types of CollaboratorsCentral Desktop
When your organization adopts a collaboration platform, you quickly learn that some of your co-workers are uh ... well ... special. They just don't work the same way you do, and now these differences are both apparent and transparent.
Who ARE these people?
Meet the 9 Types of Collaborators, from the Stealth Ninja who lurks in the background to the Socialite who posts a new status update 15 times per day.
Isaac Garcia, collaboration expert and CEO of Central Desktop, moderates a lively, interactive discussion. Joining him are:
* Jenn DePauw, Senior Director of Operations at The1stMovement digital communications agency
* Alan Bush, Client Services Representative at Central Desktop
They provide:
* Brief overview of all 9 types of collaborators
* Interactive quiz to help you identify your own collaboration type
* Words of wisdom from leaders of collaboration deployments.
Virtual team management is the ability to organize and coordinate with effect a group whose members are not in the same location or time zone, and may not even work for the organization. The predictor of success is–as always–clarity of purpose. But, virtual team management requires deeper understanding of people, process, and technology, and recognition that trust is a more limiting factor compared with face-to-face interactions.
Plans Head of UX, Jason Mesut has also been doing his bit to quell the UX talent drought. His talk to UX newbies at General Assembly on what employers are looking for, has also been a hit online (view on Slideshare). On top of this, Jason has been working with some other leaders in the field to develop a course on digital Experience Design for Hyper Island.
Is your association struggling to recruit volunteers? Every action you take influences your members decision to volunteer, become active, stay engaged and return again next year. Volunteer Victories come to those who ask, delegate, and appreciate. Plan for your personal volunteer victory in this interactive session.
Define what it means to be an effective volunteer and board member
Identify how to retain volunteers by delegating tasks that are meaningful and contribute
Create customized ongoing appreciation plans that will grow your volunteer bases for year to come
Collaboration on the Intranet: Keynote at Interaction 2013 Conference in Lond...Michael Sampson
My keynote speech at the Interaction 2013 conference, in London in late September 2013. I talked about why the intranet needs to support collaborative activities, outlined some core concepts (culture, governance, adoption), and then talked about the journey ahead.
With great power comes great responsibility: A quest to consciously do good.Ash Donaldson
As designers, we all want to change the world and we have lots of power to do so. We design the digital, physical and organisational environments and even inform policy that shapes peoples’ behaviours. So how can we make sure what we’re doing is right?
Sure we can knock back work in gambling or other areas that clearly have a negative impact on both individuals and society as a whole, but there are areas where this is not such a cut and dry argument. There are times where our design input could be used for positive or negative purposes, or simply have unintended consequences.
In this presentation, I shared our bumpy journey of first realising the need for, then creating our own ethical frameworks and decision making tools. These will help us answer sticky questions when they arise, stay true to our humanistic values and feel confident in the knowledge that we’re consciously working to make the world a better place.
On the last slide you'll find a call to action to join us in creating a design ethics community of practice.
A look at the underlying ethos of collaboration, and a series of strategies and approaches to encourage the development of collaborative human behaviours.
Collaboration Insights Webinar: The 9 Types of CollaboratorsCentral Desktop
When your organization adopts a collaboration platform, you quickly learn that some of your co-workers are uh ... well ... special. They just don't work the same way you do, and now these differences are both apparent and transparent.
Who ARE these people?
Meet the 9 Types of Collaborators, from the Stealth Ninja who lurks in the background to the Socialite who posts a new status update 15 times per day.
Isaac Garcia, collaboration expert and CEO of Central Desktop, moderates a lively, interactive discussion. Joining him are:
* Jenn DePauw, Senior Director of Operations at The1stMovement digital communications agency
* Alan Bush, Client Services Representative at Central Desktop
They provide:
* Brief overview of all 9 types of collaborators
* Interactive quiz to help you identify your own collaboration type
* Words of wisdom from leaders of collaboration deployments.
Virtual team management is the ability to organize and coordinate with effect a group whose members are not in the same location or time zone, and may not even work for the organization. The predictor of success is–as always–clarity of purpose. But, virtual team management requires deeper understanding of people, process, and technology, and recognition that trust is a more limiting factor compared with face-to-face interactions.
Plans Head of UX, Jason Mesut has also been doing his bit to quell the UX talent drought. His talk to UX newbies at General Assembly on what employers are looking for, has also been a hit online (view on Slideshare). On top of this, Jason has been working with some other leaders in the field to develop a course on digital Experience Design for Hyper Island.
Is your association struggling to recruit volunteers? Every action you take influences your members decision to volunteer, become active, stay engaged and return again next year. Volunteer Victories come to those who ask, delegate, and appreciate. Plan for your personal volunteer victory in this interactive session.
Define what it means to be an effective volunteer and board member
Identify how to retain volunteers by delegating tasks that are meaningful and contribute
Create customized ongoing appreciation plans that will grow your volunteer bases for year to come
Collaboration on the Intranet: Keynote at Interaction 2013 Conference in Lond...Michael Sampson
My keynote speech at the Interaction 2013 conference, in London in late September 2013. I talked about why the intranet needs to support collaborative activities, outlined some core concepts (culture, governance, adoption), and then talked about the journey ahead.
With great power comes great responsibility: A quest to consciously do good.Ash Donaldson
As designers, we all want to change the world and we have lots of power to do so. We design the digital, physical and organisational environments and even inform policy that shapes peoples’ behaviours. So how can we make sure what we’re doing is right?
Sure we can knock back work in gambling or other areas that clearly have a negative impact on both individuals and society as a whole, but there are areas where this is not such a cut and dry argument. There are times where our design input could be used for positive or negative purposes, or simply have unintended consequences.
In this presentation, I shared our bumpy journey of first realising the need for, then creating our own ethical frameworks and decision making tools. These will help us answer sticky questions when they arise, stay true to our humanistic values and feel confident in the knowledge that we’re consciously working to make the world a better place.
On the last slide you'll find a call to action to join us in creating a design ethics community of practice.
Crash Course on Creativity - Team 13732, Assignment 1Ioana Bour
To get to know some other participants in the course, you will be put on a team. Your assignment is to find as many things as you can that you ALL have in common. The more surprising the better!
You can use all the tools you have at your disposal to connect with one another, including "conversations" on this platform, email, skype, google docs, Prezi, Facebook, in person meetings, the phone, etc.
As a team, come up with an imaginative way to share these with the rest of the class. It can be a word doc, slides, drawing, video, etc… Use your imagination!
The submissions will be viewed by the entire class, allowing you to get a unique snapshot of all those who are participating.
7 Creativity Principles For User Experience TeamsTom Illmensee
User experience professionals are often among the most creative people in organizations. We're designers, problem-solvers, and dreamers. But how do we foster creativity within ourselves? How do we sharpen our skills? How do we nurture creativity within our teams and organizations? This talk describes practical ways solo practitioners and teams at all levels can discover and improve creative powers that produce better design outcomes for users, customers and organizations. Attendees will learn how to develop habits that unlock artistry, practice techniques that stimulate experimentation and innovation, and participate in a fun, interactive game that illustrates a simple solution to a common problem many UX people face working in Agile cultures. Inspiration guaranteed.
Are unresolved conflicts affecting team functioning? Would you like to make conflict a source of growth for your team? Would like a road map to get there?
Managing team conflict effectively is the art of fostering trust, resolving conflicts as they arise and facilitating productive communication. Highly functioning teams can debate challenging topics, make tough decisions, and hold each other accountable for results.
The slide deck covers:
My mentoring anecdotes / experience;
What a mentor is and the relationship a mentor should have with a Mentee;
What the benefits could be for the Mentee, the Mentor and your company;
A suggested roadmap to set up a mentorship programme within your company.
Our five step High Impact Leadership Communication Programme focuses on developing your strengths as a business leader and on your skill to communicate with impact, handle difficult people and truly engage others when you are most visible.
People can work together while living in different realities because everyone interprets the world in their own way. Assumptions, misunderstandings, information gaps, behavioural habits, biases – these often sit under the radar, affecting performance, motivation, and delivery. We call it ‘The Fog’, and it makes progress difficult, frustrating, and slow.
This session is all about team alignment for effective delivery.
Timothy Gallwey’s acclaimed The Inner Game teaches four parts to the learning process:
awareness of what is
focus of attention
own choice (regarding own decisions)
trust in self and team.
This transfers to the letter when it comes to developing the Agile Mindset and I specialize in helping teams with the first step. In this session, you'll learn about the research behind team alignment, you'll find out a structured team alignment process works, and you'll see results through a case study with Samsung.
We will workshop a few areas around 'perception differences' and I also offer a free Take the Team Test online tool to assess your team's behavioral and cognitive alignment. Anyone attending this session is invited to take the test in advance and share your experiences of it in this interactive session.
More details:
https://confengine.com/agile-india-2019/proposal/8017/take-the-team-test-and-clear-the-fog
Conference link: https://2019.agileindia.org
Innovative Business Plan Presentations Turning Ten Minutes .docxcarliotwaycave
Innovative Business Plan Presentations: Turning Ten Minutes
into Competitive Success
Right or wrong, people form a perception about how competent you are by how
you present yourself when you stand and speak. They also form perceptions
about the company you represent based on your performance. Does that make
you nervous? It should! Never before in the history of mankind has more been
riding on the effectiveness of a person's presentation.
In fact, public speaking is an easy way to set yourself apart from your
competition, because when you stand up and say what you want to say, they
way that you want to say it, you are doing what 95% of the people in the
audience wish they could do! A person who is confident in front of a group gives
off an air of competence, whereas a person who fumbles might leave a negative
impression.
There are many occasions when you, as a small business owner, will be called
upon to explain your business. These presentations will be given to many diverse
groups including potential customers, bankers, suppliers, and investors. Each
group requires different information about your business and it should be
presented in a format appropriate to the situation.
Along with computer literacy, professional presentation skills are becoming a new
survival skill in the workplace. Not only do people enjoy presenters who are
inviting, engaging and informative, in today's hypercompetitive marketplace,
presenters have to persuade and inspire to obtain a bid, win a contract, gain the
confidence of an ally in a high-stakes competitive task, and motivate others to
overcome impossible obstacles.
Words have the ability to change the way that people think, the way the people
believe, and can even change their values. If you can alter someone's values,
then you can redirect their actions. From values, actions will flow. From beliefs,
come a person's subsequent behaviors.
On the other hand, technical expertise and proficiency without the ability to
communicate will render us inefficient and ineffective. According to research,
people would rather die than stand in front of people and make a speech. The
top three things people are afraid of are public speaking, death, and snakes!
Since you as a businessperson will be required to make presentations, sales
pitches, pleas for cash, and so on, it is imperative that you recognize that
nervousness is a part of the communication experience, and find ways to
channel that anxiety into useful energy.
Are you nervous about your public speaking skills? Developing and delivering
business presentations, just like most functions in business, are formulaic and
are a learned skill. Learn the formula, practice the skill and you will gain
competency as a presenter. This document is part of learning the formula. You
will have to provide the practice to learn and master the skill.
You are going to be giving presentations in boardrooms. You are going to be
presen ...
Score InterpretationScoreComment12-20You most commonly ado.docxjeffsrosalyn
Score Interpretation
Score
Comment
12-20
You most commonly adopt an authoritarian or autocratic leadership style. You rarely consult your team members and, instead, tend to tell them what you want, when you want it, and how you want it done.
This style works well in a crisis, when a task must be completed quickly. However, you'll likely demoralize, demotivate and aggravate people if you use it all the time. This can translate into high absenteeism and turnover rates. You'll also miss out on a wealth of ideas, thereby stifling innovation and creativity. Read more below.
21-27
You lean toward a democratic or participative style of leadership. You tend to set the parameters for the work and have the final say on decisions, but you actively involve your team members in the process.
This style can build trust between you and your people, as they'll likely feel engaged and valued. But it's not great in a high-pressure situation that requires a fast turnaround, as it will slow you down. And, if you dislike disagreement or conflict, you might struggle with how people respond to consultation. Read more below.
28-36
Your default leadership style is probably delegating or "laissez faire." You give your team members free rein in how they work toward their goals.
This is an ideal approach when your people are highly skilled and motivated, and when you're working with contractors and freelancers who you trust. But if a team member is inexperienced or untrustworthy, or if you lose sight of what's going on, this approach can backfire catastrophically. Read more below.
Do you believe that you can adapt your style? Harvard University professor Ron Heifetz and leadership experts David Rooke and William Torbert say that you can. So let's look in more depth at Lewin's leadership styles, their strengths and risks, and how you might become more skillful in using them.
Authoritarian, Autocratic Leadership
This approach is helpful when your team needs to follow a process "to the letter," to manage a significant risk. It's also effective when you need to be hands-on with people who miss deadlines, in departments where conflict is an issue, or in teams that rely on quick decisions being made.
But you need to be aware that relying on control and punishment to maintain standards will likely drive people away. Similarly, if you always demand that your team works at top speed, you can end up exhausting everyone.
Instead, you can show respect for team members by providing the rationale for your decisions. And they will more likely comply with your expectations if you take the trouble to explain Why the Rules Are There .
You can improve your ability to "lead from the front" by Planning for a Crisis , Thinking on Your Feet , and making good decisions under pressure . But be sure to balance these skills with an awareness of their potential negative impact on creativity, ideas gathering, motivation, and trust within the team.
Being too autocratic can also mean that you'll fi.
Holy ShIft! Learnings from changes in UX Research role over the yearsSHRUT KIRTI SAKSENA
In a recent survey looking at 100 Experience Researcher job postings in the US in 2021, it was found that collaboration (84%) and business acumen(scoping, translating business requirements, & influencing product strategy) were the most sought-after requirements, other than the expected requirements of designing and conducting research studies (84%) for a UX Researcher. Also, it is no secret that there is now more demand for user insights than there are UX researchers in the industry.
Shruti's talk highlights the emerging demands of the industry from a UX Research role, elucidates why a change in perspective of mentorship & learning is required to meet these demands & how one could benefit from this perspective shift to grow into an experienced researcher: amplifying the impact of UX research and leveraging research soft-skills of collaboration, communication, connection, and influence to empower product teams & stakeholders.
I have just finished leading a large organisation and I thought I would share my views on leadership. This is a personal view but hopefully someone will benefit.
Similar to The quest for excellence in UX Leadership: Building company and team environments that foster inspiration and creativity (20)
An overview of how to get started in macro photography by Darren Hood. The deck includes examples as well as a list of recommended equipment, depending upon how much you would like to get immersed.
2019 ALC Conference: Value in Accessibility (How to achieve competitive advan...Darren Hood, MSUXD
The age of accessibility is here.... OR IS IT?!?! While some companies are embracing the need to provide accessible experiences, mixed messages of this approach are being sent everywhere. This presentation illustrates the value of accessibility, the cost of omitting it (to competitive advantage), and highlights a tool that can be used to identify accessibility issues in digital experiences. Most importantly, the presentation shows how you can use competitive analysis to achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace.
This presentation covers a bit of UX history, evolution of the discipline and careers, and addresses the criticality of maintaining information architecture as part of the UX discipline.
Microexperience Awareness: Going Beyond the TouchpointDarren Hood, MSUXD
People express dissatisfaction with companies, but a closer look reveals they are really unhappy about microexperiences and express their frustration with the company as a whole. When we pay attention to and optimize the design of our microexperiences, we ensure delighting our users/customers and make sure that critical elements are not overlooked. This talk took a look at the importance of microexperiences and shared a strategy for resolving this issue and optimizing an organization's customer experience.
In a time when unqualified people are forging their way into the UX landscape, it helps to have guidelines to navigate this space. This presentation provides insights and tips for evaluating and hiring REAL UX professionals.
How do you find the right people for a balanced, effective, and powerful UX team? What traits and skills do you look for? This presentation by Darren Hood (Manager of UX at Bosch and Adjunct Professor at Kent State University) provides some not-so-common insight on how to properly recruit and identify the right members for a powerful UX team.
White wonder, Work developed by Eva TschoppMansi Shah
White Wonder by Eva Tschopp
A tale about our culture around the use of fertilizers and pesticides visiting small farms around Ahmedabad in Matar and Shilaj.
Maximize Your Content with Beautiful Assets : Content & Asset for Landing Page pmgdscunsri
Figma is a cloud-based design tool widely used by designers for prototyping, UI/UX design, and real-time collaboration. With features such as precision pen tools, grid system, and reusable components, Figma makes it easy for teams to work together on design projects. Its flexibility and accessibility make Figma a top choice in the digital age.
Connect Conference 2022: Passive House - Economic and Environmental Solution...TE Studio
Passive House: The Economic and Environmental Solution for Sustainable Real Estate. Lecture by Tim Eian of TE Studio Passive House Design in November 2022 in Minneapolis.
- The Built Environment
- Let's imagine the perfect building
- The Passive House standard
- Why Passive House targets
- Clean Energy Plans?!
- How does Passive House compare and fit in?
- The business case for Passive House real estate
- Tools to quantify the value of Passive House
- What can I do?
- Resources
ARENA - Young adults in the workplace (Knight Moves).pdfKnight Moves
Presentations of Bavo Raeymaekers (Project lead youth unemployment at the City of Antwerp), Suzan Martens (Service designer at Knight Moves) and Adriaan De Keersmaeker (Community manager at Talk to C)
during the 'Arena • Young adults in the workplace' conference hosted by Knight Moves.
Can AI do good? at 'offtheCanvas' India HCI preludeAlan Dix
Invited talk at 'offtheCanvas' IndiaHCI prelude, 29th June 2024.
https://www.alandix.com/academic/talks/offtheCanvas-IndiaHCI2024/
The world is being changed fundamentally by AI and we are constantly faced with newspaper headlines about its harmful effects. However, there is also the potential to both ameliorate theses harms and use the new abilities of AI to transform society for the good. Can you make the difference?
The quest for excellence in UX Leadership: Building company and team environments that foster inspiration and creativity
1. Darren Hood
Bosch
The quest for excellence in UX Leadership
Building company and team environments that
foster inspiration and creativity
June 10, 2015
8. ∠∠ Darren Hood8
UX Professionals ARE Leaders
Front Lines Insights Empowers Influences Functional
UX pros are fully engaged in
design initiatives, operating on the
front lines of the project instead of
in the shadows — seen and heard.
UX professionals have the skills,
knowledge, and perception to
provide views that assist with
transformation of goals into
desirable and deliverable states.
UX professionals provides
knowledge and understanding
that empowers others to excel
within the functionalities of their
respective disciplines.
UX professionals have the ability
to inspire others by providing
knowledge and methodologies
that support the team, influencing
them to willingly engage in strong
working partnerships.
A true UX professional doesn’t just
occupy a position, but serves as a
critical cog and an arm of design
leadership for his or her team.
#$
9. ∠∠ Darren Hood9
UX professionals ARE leaders by trade
(but in reality, we mature into such roles)
10. ∠∠ Darren Hood10
What Can We Do?
What mindsets, strategies, and methodologies can we employ to achieve and secure functioning as leaders?
Achieving
excellence
in
UX leadership…
HOW???
?
?
?
?
?
??
? ?
11. ∠∠ Darren Hood11
Extend Beyond the World of Deliverables
“Wireframes” aren’t enough1
2 Be a thought leader
3 Stay ahead of the curve
4 Be a committed UX advocate
“Wireframes” aren’t enough
The entry-level person can supply
deliverables, but to be a leader, we must be
capable and willing to provide much more.
Be a thought leader
Supply concepts and ideas that help drive
project and design initiatives —
demonstrating depth of insight..
Stay ahead of the curve
Failure to provide insight and
counterpositions when the “article reader”
seizes a thought leadership role can be
costly; hence, make sure you are in a position
to provide ample levels of guidance.
Be a committed UX advocate
In addition to serving as the “go to person”
when it comes to UX, strive to help people to
understand our purpose and value — prove
we belong and why!!
12. ∠∠ Darren Hood12
Overcome the “UX vs Them” Mentality
The best minds know…..1
2 Be appreciative
3 Don’t fear “healthy conflict”
4 Consistency in reflection
The best minds know….
It takes the work of a team to deliver an
optimal user experience. Even the best UX
professionals need the skills and input of
others. Remember, it takes a village!
Be appreciative
Always make the effort to confirm appreciation
for input towards the user experience and
acknowledge those that contribute. This will help
foster a strong community and relationships.
Don’t fear “healthy conflict”
In every team scenario, there will likely be
conflict, but don’t allow the seemingly hostile
scenario discourage or derail you. Embrace it,
learn from it, and keep your head. Your team
will appreciate it.
Consistency in reflection
Your behaviors and attitude must ALWAYS
reflect your commitment and belief in the
team approach. This will help repel and
offset opposition and cynicism.
13. ∠∠ Darren Hood13
Cultivate a Strong Sense of Trust
Avoid the “vacuum”1
2 Be candid, but respectful
3 Ears…. above the mouth
4 Strive for transparency
Avoid the “vacuum”
Don’t design in a vacuum. Including team
members in the decision making process
goes a long way to help build partnerships
and strong, healthy lines of communication.
Be candid, but respectful
It’s critical to be honest, but there’s no need
to be brutally honest in most scenarios.
Giving people respect, especially in trying
situations, can help inspire others to give you
the same.
Ears…. above the mouth
Our ears are above our mouth for a reason. In
other words, make sure you are an excellent
listener and an even better processor of
what’s heard. People are more likely to trust
when they know they are being heard.
Strive for transparency
Akin to the second point, make sure you are
honest and direct with your words. If your
word is your bond, people will remember and
respond to you accordingly. Every leader
needs this quality.
14. ∠∠ Darren Hood14
Speak a Higher Language
Speak “UX” at leadership level1
2 Design-led companies rock!!!
3 Incorporate SWOT analyses
4 Follow UX’s evolution
Speak “UX” at leadership level
Make sure you excel at saying what matters
with as few words as possible, presenting
what matters to leaders — not what matters
to UX professionals!!!
Design-led companies rock!!!
Design-led companies outperform their
competitors financially by 228%. Sharing
critically important info such as this will help
provide UX leadership and prove very
beneficial for your team.
Incorporate SWOT analyses
In many circles, a SWOT analysis is a forgotten
resource. By sharing strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats, you can be better
equipped to communicate with leadership.
Follow UX’s evolution
By responding to and aligning with the CX
and BX worlds, we will be better equipped to
make valuable impact and will be more
valued as leaders — not just designers.
15. ∠∠ Darren Hood15
Empower Through Education
UXers MUST become educators1
2 Enroll and inspire
3 Be known for your “helpful hand”
4 Seize the limelight
UXers MUST become educators
While many are in the field, very few embrace the
challenge of becoming/being an educator. When we
educate others about the world of UX, we will
empower them, build partnerships, and secure
perception as leaders.
Enroll and inspire
Seeking and identifying those who are candidates
for entering the world of UX (or championing our
cause) should always be on our docket, with
enrolling such people and inspiring them serving as
a constant mode of operation.
Be known for your “helpful hand”
Being a successful educator includes a strong
sense of vigilance — remaining in a ready state to
aid those interested in learning, confirming
reasons behind our recommendations, and giving
ourselves to help foster the learners’ ongoing drive.
Seize the limelight
If the resources are available and the opportunity
presents itself, consider establishing Intranet- and/
or blog-based learning and communication
resources in your organization, where you can
present blogs and educational videos.
16. ∠∠ Darren Hood16
Encourage and Support
Foundation for forward thinking1
2 Be an on-demand resource
3 Be a sounding board
4 Conduct design workshops
Foundation for forward thinking
The UX professional should provide opportunities
for people to engage in forward thinking
dialogues and support such efforts accordingly.
Be an on-demand resource
Instead of relying on a push-based mode of operation,
make yourself available when clients identify what’s
considered to be a need. By supporting on-demand
requests and inquiries, value would be optimized — on
both sides.
Be a sounding board
Allow yourself to be a person whom team
members can share thoughts and obtain candid
and constructive feedback. If it’s beneficial to
identify a flaw, make sure you substantiate and
clarify (to maintain flow).
Conduct design workshops
Providing an opportunity to engage team members
and stakeholders to help design the solution is
extremely fruitful, building a strong sense of
camaraderie and ownership. Encouraging and
supporting can enhance the dynamic of your
relationship with the team.
17. ∠∠ Darren Hood17
Embrace Kaizen Principles
Small, incremental changes1
2 CX and BX…. again
3 Focus…. Improvement!
4 Outside the UX box
Small, incremental changes
Per the experts, small and incremental
changes can result in significant
improvements over time. Championing such
initiatives is a strong leadership trait.
CX and BX…. again
Kaizen concepts focus on enhancing
relationships with customers and optimizing
the company’s position in the marketplace.
True UX will operate with these things in mind.
Focus…. Improvement!
Per Kaizen, ANYTHING that increases value-
to-the-customer and/or decreases resources,
effort, and time invested by the company is
considered an improvement. Strive to identify
and operate accordingly.
Outside the UX box
Kaizen benefits include improvements in
training, morale, communications, employee
retention, and customer relations — all of
which are outside the stereotypical UX arena,
but can be realistically-oriented pursuits and
definitely within leadership scope.
18. ∠∠ Darren Hood18
Remain Dedicated to Continuing Education
Engagement = Advantage1
2 Revisiting Our Resources
3 Sharpening the saw
4 Overcoming “article readers”
Engagement = Advantage
By committing to continued education (i.e.,
always being ready to learn and advance), we
can stay ahead of the curve and maintain
sensitivity to trends in our respective industries.
Revisiting our resources
Do you engage in continued education? If so, what
are your resources? Whatever they are, it behooves
us to continually evaluate and revise in order to
ensure we have optimal inroads. And don’t get slack.
Sharpening the saw
It is imperative that we are committed to
continuing education — especially during times
when our head is buried in various projects. It
helps keep our minds fresh and our senses keen.
Overcoming “article readers”
“Article readers” are the ones that indeed read, but
only seem to grasp certain keywords. They later
brandish their newfound words, but lack truly
practical context. Be ready to provide the missing
context in order to help maintain team health.
19. ∠∠ Darren Hood19
Hoist the EI Banner
What is Emotional Intelligence?1
2 Don’t leave home without it
3 Twice as important
4 Empathy…. isn’t enough
What is Emotional Intelligence?
EI components include self-awareness (knowing what
makes you you), self-management (knowing what to do
and when), social awareness (perception of what’s
happening with others and being sensitive to those
issues), and relationship management (engaging
effectively with others).
Don’t leave home without it
Forget American Express! Experts have found that
“the most effective leaders are all alike in one
crucial way”…. They all have a high degree of
emotional intelligence.” Basic UX skills can only
take us so far.
Twice as important
Noted expert Daniel Goleman performed
research associated with workplace excellence,
focusing on the ratio of technical skills, IQ, and
EI. EI proved to twice as important as the other
contributing factors.
Empathy…. isn’t enough
Empathy is an important element of the user
experience, but in order to be excellent, we must
extend ourselves beyond empathy and embrace the
full model of emotional intelligence-related elements.
In so doing, we’ll factor in user AND team needs, as
well as managing selves in excellence.
20. ∠∠ Darren Hood20
Remember…. UX Professionals ARE Leaders
Front Lines Insights Empowers Influences Functional
UX pros are fully engaged in
design initiatives, operating on the
front lines of the project instead of
in the shadows — seen and heard.
UX professionals have the skills,
knowledge, and perception to
provide views that assist with
transformation of goals into
desirable and deliverable states.
UX professionals provides
knowledge and understanding
that empowers others to excel
within the functionalities of their
respective disciplines.
UX professionals have the ability
to inspire others by providing
knowledge and methodologies
that support the team, influencing
them to willingly engage in strong
working partnerships.
A true UX professional doesn’t just
occupy a position, but serves as a
critical cog and an arm of design
leadership for his or her team.
#$
21. Recap: What We Can Do
Extend Beyond Deliverables
Being immersed in the world of deliverables is not
enough. UX professionals should now function as
business leaders and key functional assets.
%
Overcome UX vs Them
As acceptance of UX continues to evolve, we must
remain mindful of the need to not only provide our
standard services, but to expand our teams’ comfort
levels and foster partnership in our professional ranks by
resisting the urge to work in the UX silo.
22. Cultivate Trust
Trust doesn't come naturally, but must be
earned. In addition, a trusting environment
must be cultivated and managed.
&
Empower via Education
By taking the time to commit to educating those on our
teams, we provide them with a sense of belonging,
pave the way for fruitful dialog, help them understand
our world, and give them the ability to provide genuinely
valuable contributions to UX efforts.
'
Speak “Exec”
The days of inundating people with “UX
speak” is over. In order to foster optimal
creativity and maximize buy-in from the
executive team, we MUST speak their
language. Learn it and get fluent!
(
23. Embrace Kaizen
Akin to “speaking exec”, applying Kaizen-
oriented methodologies and mindsets to UX
efforts will help us to expand beyond
stereotypical UX boundaries, broaden
perception of how we’re valued, and make
impact that wasn’t considered in yesteryear.
)
Encourage & Support
Soliciting design input and encouraging
people as they engage will go a long way in
achieving leadership in UX and fostering a
thriving design environment.
24. Darren Hood∠∠ 24
Continued Education
Having a UX role isn’t enough. In order to
achieve leadership excellence, we need to
maintain constant engagement in learning
about any and every thing that might be related
to our operation.
*
Leadership Excellence Attained
The more you excel in these areas, the better
aligned you will be with optimal levels of
excellence in leadership, expanding perceptions of
values regarding UX, building awesome team
environments, and fostering creative hot beds.
+
Emotional Intelligence
According to noted expert, Daniel
Goleman, all successful leaders excel
when it comes to emotional intelligence.
Therefore, UX professionals that seek to
thrive as leaders must do likewise. It
enhances the way we communicate, it
helps us make better decisions, it helps
us optimize empathy, and manage
challenges and our emotions.
26. ∠∠ Darren Hood26
References / Recommended Books
References
• The Future of UX Leadership: Radical Transformation -
See more at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/
2014/10/the-future-of-ux-leadership-radical-
transformation.php#sthash.EJZa7Elg.fnAzAs2j.dpuf
• UX Leadership, Part 2: What Great Leaders Must Do |
http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2015/01/ux-
leadership-part-2-what-great-leaders-must-do.php
• What Makes a Leader? by Daniel Goleman
https://hbr.org/2004/01/what-makes-a-leader/ar/1
Recommended Books
• Multipliers — How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
Liz Wiseman & Greg McKeown
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0
Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
• The Kaizen Pocket Handbook
Kenneth Dailey
• Better — A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
Atul Gawande
• Coaching for Emotional Intelligence
Bob Wall
• The Language of Emotional Intelligence
Jeanne Segal
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Patrick Lencioni