Peter Boersma's presentation at IDC Prague (http://webexpo.net/idc2014/) entitled "What I learned from, oh, I don't know, around 200 projects". By going through my employment history at 7 interactive agencies plus my short freelance period, I gave the audience an overview of skills, team markup, the place of UX departments in the organization, deliverables and design processes and how they changed over time.

1. What I learned from
oh, I don’t know, around
200 projects
Peter Boersma (@pboersma)
Interaction Design Director at Blast Radius
Interactive Design Conference
April 4-5, 2014, Prague
1

2. 2

3. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
3

4. around 200 projects
1995 - 2000 - General Design
70
10
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
20
10
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
15
5
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
10
20
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
20
5
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
5
2.5
2012 - 2012 - freelance
5
10
2012 - present - Blast Radius
55
40
Total
200
10
#proj
/year
4

5. scope, teams, skills, org charts,
deliverables
5

6. the scope of our projects
has expanded from one-way
webdesign to service design for
networked brands
6

7. 7

8. http://www.abnamro.nl
8

9. 640px
480px
9

10. 10

11. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
11

12. 12

13. !
SOCIAL CONTENT
MOBILE
CONTENT
STORES
CRM
PR
CSR
ALWAYS-ON CONNECTED
PLATFORMS
Starbucks.com
13

14. 14

15. our teams have had
different types of people
in them
15

16. 16

17. 17

18. 18

19. 19

20. my roles at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - UI Designer
2000 - 2002 - Consultant User-Understanding
2002 - 2005 - Senior Information Architect
2005 - 2006 - UX Consultant & Partner
2006 - 2010 - Senior Interaction Designer
2010 - 2012 - Experience Designer
2012 - 2012 - Freelance (Process) Designer
2012 - present - Interaction Design Director
20

21. we had different skills, starting at
Computer Science, HCI and Design
leading to User Experience
21

22. HCICS Des
22

23. HCICS DesIxDIA
Mar
Com
Info
Des
Copy Usab
23

24. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
24

25. shallow
knowledge
User Experience
deep
knowledge
business
knowledge
25

26. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
26

27. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
27

28. since 1995, we have been looking
for the right place of UX
in the organization
28

29. 29

30. 30

31. 31

32. 32

33. 33

34. 34

35. 35

36. 36

37. 37

38. 38

39. 39

40. what we call our work,
our deliverables,
changed too...
40

41. “Here is how we work:
Step 1: we send you a contract
Step 2: we design your site
and you approve the design
Step 3: we build your site,
and you approve the design
Step 4: we send you an invoice”
41

42. Design
ResearchEvaluation
Prototype
Test
SketchDetailed Design
Concept
Personas
Interviews
42

43. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Pitch
Scenarios
Position
Roadmap
Service Design
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Optimize
Estimate
Beta
SketchDetailed Design
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
Roles
Steps
Interviews
43

44. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
44

45. GOOD
BAD
per company
45

46. 46

47. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
47

48. 48

49. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Pitch
Scenarios
Position
Roadmap
Service Design
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Optimize
Estimate
Beta
SketchDetailed Design
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
Roles
Steps
Interviews
49

50. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
50

51. 51

52. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
52

53. 1995-2000 - General Design
Company profile:
- Dutch startup that grew from 3-30 people
- made interactive sites for small & large brands
My responsibilities:
- in the beginning: everything
- from interface design
- via software programming
- to sales and project management
53

54. 54

55. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
55

56. 56

57. 57

58. 58

59. • A conference is more than the proceedings
• Also: it’s not that hard to get on stage!
59

60. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Estimate
SketchDetailed Design
Competition
Process
Scope
60

61. 61

62. Br
Br
eaking
ead
share late-night pizza with developers
have lunch with clients
go for drinks with colleagues
35
35
62

63. General Design
GOOD
BAD
* gave me broad experience
* mix of academic research and practical focus
* time to discover what I like (not project management)
* being project manager & UI designer on 10 projects
* leading to a short, 4-week burnout
63

64. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
64

65. 2000-2002 - Satama
Company profile:
- Finnish web-and-mobile agency going global
- General Design turned into Amsterdam office
My responsibilities:
- Consultant User-Understanding
- concept design, IA, IxD, usability tests
- for the first time: process designer
65

66. 66

67. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
67

68. 68

69. 69

70. 70

71. 71

72. 72

73. 73

74. 74

75. 75

76. 76

77. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Position
Requirements
Scope
Estimate
Detailed Design
Concept
Competition
Process
Roles
Steps
Interviews
77

78. Satama Interactive
GOOD
BAD
* mobile experience: designed WAP sites, and created a
mobile portal evaluation tool.
* process focus: I managed a 2-year program to
document the Satama Unified Process.
* I wasn’t considered a good fit for consultant team
* leading to a long, 8-month burnout
78

79. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
79

80. 2002-2005 - EzGov
Company profile:
- software & consultancy for online transactions
- between governments and citizens/businesses
My responsibilities:
- Information Architect
- Also: Usability Engineer
- And: Process Designer
80

81. 81

82. 82

83. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
83

84. 84

85. 85

86. 86

87. 87

88. 88

89. 89

90. 90

91. 91

92. 92

93. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
93

94. 3 Phases
5 Disciplines System Analysis
Information Architecture & Interaction Design
Usability & Accessibility Testing
Content Design
Visual Design & Information Design
Elaboration ConstructionInception
EzGov’s Standards for UXEzGov’s Standards for UX
94

95. 95

96. 96

97. 97

98. 98

99. 99

100. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Service Design
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Estimate
Detailed Design
Personas
Process
Roles
Steps
Interviews
100

101. EzGov
GOOD
BAD
* good cooperation with Development and PM
* spent time defining design process (StUX)
* developed in-house screenflow tool (J-flow)
* styleguides made visual design work boring
* org. overhead made our work expensive
101

102. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
102

103. 2005-2006 - User Intelligence
Company profile:
- small usability company that expanded into design
- founder was looking for a business partner
My responsibilities:
- User Experience Consultant and Manager Design
103

104. 104

105. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
105

106. 106

107. 107

108. 108

109. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Optimize
Estimate
Detailed Design
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
Interviews
Pitch
109

110. User Intelligence
* we defined the basis for good team & good company
* got to think about corporate strategies
* unprepared for partner talks with founder
* our communication styles made cooperation hard
* had to leave, shortly after bringing in friends
110

111. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
111

112. 2006-2010 - Info.nl
Company profile:
- very Dutch agency ("normal is crazy enough")
- founded in1994 and still going strong
My responsibilities:
- senior interaction designer
- Also: restructured department & renamed job titles
- Also: attempted to document design process
info.nl!FULL!SERVICE!INTERNET!AGENCY!!
112

113. 113

114. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
114

115. 115

116. Life
Play
Learn
Buy
116

117. 117

118. 118

119. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Pitch
Scenarios
Position
Roadmap
Requirements
Test
Scope
Estimate
Detailed Design
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
119

120. Info.nl
GOOD
BAD
* cooperation with developers
* sales reached out to sell UX
* management lacked vision about process
* sales defined projects: teams designed to budget
120

121. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
121

122. 2010-2012 - Adaptive Path
Company profile:
- famous San Francisco agency came to Amsterdam
- defined User Experience as we know it
- Adaptive Path is run by designers
My responsibilities:
- Experience Designer
- design, lead projects, sell projects
- teach workshops, host UX Week
122

123. 123

124. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
124

125. 125

126. 126

127. 127

128. 128

129. the elements of
user experience
Henning Fischer
Director, Adaptive Path Amsterdam
henning@adaptivepath.com
@henningfischer
Peter Boersma
Designer, Adaptive Path Amsterdam
peter.boersma@adaptivepath.com
@pboersma
129

130. 130

131. 131

132. First deliverable: Narrative
As a result of initial conversations with the client, our
designer-led sales team would create a Narrative.
A Narrative consists of:
- key business needs
- project summary and team overview
- phase-by-phase description of activities and outcomes
- examples of expected deliverables
- timeline and budget
132

133. 133

134. 134

135. What happens to it?
Designers’ proposals were translated by Sales
into a Statement of Work with a lot of legalese.
We had to go back to the original proposal
to kick off projects with the team.
135

136. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Scenarios
Position
Roadmap
Service Design
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Estimate
Sketch
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
Interviews
136

137. Adaptive Path
GOOD
BAD
* designers lead projects from sales to delivery
* many internal discussions about the field
* time to teach back to community
* 13 hour workdays due to time zones
* European sales handed over to America
137

138. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
138

139. 2012-2012 - Freelance
Company profile:
- me :-)
- interaction designer & design process consultant
My responsibilities:
- set up the business, pay tax, do sales & PM
- define processes and design concepts for clients
139

140. 140

141. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
141

142. 142

143. 143

144. 144

145. 145

146. MOBILE
APP
MUSIC PLAYER
IN BAR
out
ofscope
MUSIC
MATCH
146

147. 147

148. 148

149. 149

150. 150

151. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Roadmap
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Scope
Estimate
Sketch
Concept
Process
Roles
Steps
151

152. Freelance
GOOD
BAD
* freedom in deciding when to work
* freedom in deciding how much to work
* freedom in deciding for whom to work
* office/tax/legal stuff is hard!
* no team = no feedback
* no idea if I was at good at freelancing
152

153. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
153

154. 2012-present - Blast Radius
Company profile:
- “agency for the connected world” (= Marketing)
- owned by global digital agency network Wunderman
My responsibilities:
- Interaction Design Director in Amsterdam office
- design concepts and prototypes (with freelancers)
- manage a Business Analyst
- support offices in Hamburg, London and Paris
154

155. 155

156. 156

157. User Experience
HCICS DesIxDIA
Info
Des
Mar
Com
Copy Usab
157

158. 158

159. 159

160. 160

161. 161

162. 162

163. 163

164. 164

165. 165

166. Small
± 9 x 6 cm!
Galaxy S2/S3/S4, iPhone, HTC One !
!
Medium
± 11 x 16 cm!
Nexus 7, iPad mini, Kindle 7!
!
Large
± 21 x 14 cm!
Nexus 10, iPad (1, 2, Air), Tab 10.1,
Kindle 8.9!
Small
Medium
Large
166

167. small
portrait
small
landscape
medium landscape &
large portrait
small
medium
large
medium
portrait
large
landscape
desktop
(large & non–touch)
640 px?
1024 px?
%#@&*
iPad Mini!
167

168. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Pitch
Scenarios
Position
Roadmap
Service Design
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Optimize
Estimate
SketchDetailed Design
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
Interviews
168

169. Blast Radius
* international work environment
* working for small number of big accounts
* allows for tracking of success of designs
* project were never ran by UX
(often by Developers or Art Directors)
* limited input in early stages of projects
169

170. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
170

171. 171

172. Best team?
172

173. 173

174. Jesse James Garre
Peter Merholz
Jeff Veen
Janice Fraser
Dan Saffer
Lane Becker
Indi Young
174

175. Best place for UX?
175

176. 176

177. Best deliverable?
177

178. Business
Design
ResearchEvaluation
StrategyManage
Pitch
Scenarios
Position
Roadmap
Service Design
Prototype
RequirementsReview
Test
Scope
Optimize
Estimate
Beta
SketchDetailed Design
Concept
Personas
Competition
Process
Roles
Steps
Interviews
178

179. Narrative
As a result of initial conversations with the client, our
designer-led sales team would create a Narrative.
A Narrative consists of:
- key business needs
- project summary and team overview
- phase-by-phase description of activities and outcomes
- examples of expected deliverables
- timeline and budget
179

180. 180

181. 181

182. MOBILE
APP
MUSIC PLAYER
IN BAR
out
ofscope
MUSIC
MATCH
182

183. 183

184. Best process?
184

185. 185

186. SUP wasn’t used, and SUP-Light was created to fix that
186

187. 187

188. 188

189. 189

190. 190

191. 191

192. 192

193. 193

194. 194

195. 195

196. 196

197. 197

198. 198

199. 199

200. Best process?
your
process
200

201. user
reseach
concept
design
detailed
design
prototype
& evaluate
Persona
SITEMAP
wireframesrequire-
ments
usability test
Screen
FLOW
proto-
type
design
principles
201

202. Best client
202

203. the elements of
user experience
Henning Fischer
Director, Adaptive Path Amsterdam
henning@adaptivepath.com
@henningfischer
Peter Boersma
Designer, Adaptive Path Amsterdam
peter.boersma@adaptivepath.com
@pboersma
203

204. Government of Jamaica
204

205. Best business lesson?
205

206. Office Managers manage the company
office managers run the agency
206

207. don’t postpone talking about money
don’t be afraid to talk about money
207

208. it takes A LOT of work to get work done
208

209. 20 years at interactive agencies
1995 - 2000 - General Design
2000 - 2002 - Satama Interactive
2002 - 2005 - EzGov
2005 - 2006 - User Intelligence
2006 - 2010 - Info.nl
2010 - 2012 - Adaptive Path
2012 - 2012 - freelance
2012 - present - Blast Radius
209

210. Thank you!
210

211. What I learned from
oh, I don’t know, around
200 projects
Peter Boersma (@pboersma)
Interaction Design Director at Blast Radius
Interactive Design Conference
April 4-5, 2014, Prague
211