Imagine we need to sell UX to an organization. Not all organizations have the same level of interest and receptiveness to UX. Some just don’t care.
What should we know about an organization that will help us sell UX more effectively? What sort of questions should we ask about the organization, its people and its culture? What can we learn from organizations where UX has become part of the corporate DNA? What factors can increase our chances of promoting UX successfully to an organization now and in the future?
This presentation will tap into more than 10 years of experience in selling UX into different markets and organizations. We will share the successes, pitfalls and failures.
Thank you UX Australia 2009
http://www.uxaustralia.com.au/conference-2009/selling-ux
45. Frustrations
• “They don’t listen to me”
• “We are not taking seriously”
• “I don’t have a seat at the strategy table”
• “They think usability is usability testing”
• “My team is not big enough”
49. UX Speed Bumps
• Our definitions of UX force us to justify
UX
– We talk ourselves into a defensive
position
– Does it matter what you call it
– Don’t let your ego get in the way
– Let them choose the language to use
Thank you John Rhodes
50. Barriers
• No Executive Champion
• Culture
• Lack of effective communications
– Results
– Deliverables
– Pitching
– Not listening
52. Culture
Engineer-centric
• Might never have had a UX
team.
• Products created from
interesting technology.
• Territorial about UI.
Design-centric
• View building applications and
websites as a creative
endeavor.
• Primary focus may be creating
designs that other designers will
like and respect.
Sales & marketing
centric
• Represented by powerful people
who “know” their
customers...but don’t know “all”
the customers.
Challenges
• Tendency to deem a product
usable if it is possible to do the
task.
• They rely heavily on their own
experience in UI design.
• They feel they are doing the
right thing for the customer,
even if they don’t have
evidence.
Challenges
• Define the user experience in
terms of aesthetics rather than
ease of use.
• Focus on visuals rather than
workflows.
• Rely heavily on their own
instincts about users.
• Focus only on data that
confirms their viewpoints.
Challenges
• Rely heavily on customers' self-
report and customer
suggestions to assess usability.
• Disproportionately weight
their “biggest” or “loudest”
customers.
• Often overconfident in their
ability to “know” what the
customer needs.
Thank you Paul Sherman
53. Know your target
• Who is buying & budget allocation (money)
• Product vision (plan)
• Invest in R & D (money & strategy)
• Customer care or just “lip service” (empathy)
55. Ripe Organizations
• “Culture Patterns” that indicate UX
growth
– Management is using the lingo
– Hired a Director or VP of UX
– Usability testing of products is a given
– Usability Lab in place or being discussed
– Product managers claim that UX is strategic
advantage
Know people have “bought” UX
60. What Sells
• Passion
• Choosing the right project
• Meeting like minded people
• Choosing the right tools
• Stories (Case Studies)
• Business & Domain knowledge
61. UX Sales Kit
• "Minimum standards" that all UX'ers
should meet:
– What is UX
– A story
– Share a delightful product experience
– Sell team services
74. Constant State of Self Improvement
http://www.apogeehk.com/articles/constant_cycle_of_self_improvement.html
•Read
•Share your knowledge
•Contribute to your community
•Lead
75. ?
• User Tester v Designer
• Closer (issues) v Opener (innovations)
• Loner v Collaborator
• Critic v Creator
• Silo v holistic
“Be more open, more creative, take risks, challenge our assumptions,
listen to each other”