Liam Friedland and Jon Innes' slides on "UX Strategy and Organizational Synergy". Presented at the UX Strat 2013 conference in Atlanta GA.

1. UX Strategy and Organizational Synergy
Jon Innes
Liam Friedland
UX Strat 2013
11 September 2013
@innes_jon
@liamfriedland

2. 2UX INNOVATION LLC
Strategy & The Learning Organization
Strategic planning perspective:
• Will be?
• Should be?
• New?
• Abandon?
To endure an organization
must learn and adapt
The
Learning
Organization
Group learning
Mentoring (1 to 1)
Individual learning
From “Management: Tasks, Responsibilities and Practices” by Peter Drucker

3. 3UX INNOVATION LLC
Impediment: Organizational Tribalism
Developers Designers PM QA
Developers
As seen by
Designers
As seen by
PM
As seen by
QA
As seen by

4. 4
UX INNOVATION LLC
Collaboration: The Key
•Step outside of your office
•Big picture perspective
•Define strategy for
influencing
•How do you work with
other groups in your
company?
•Cultivate allies

5. 5UX INNOVATION LLC
New relationships
that don’t yet exist
Core
Adjacent
10%
Expanding from existing
relationships into new
ones
Optimizing
relationships
with current
partners
Serving existing relationships
within the business
Serve adjacent relationships
within the business
Outsiders: New ideas and
ways of working
Strategically Investing in Relationships
30%60%
Transformational

6. 6UX INNOVATION LLC
Pathway to Collaboration
Stakeholder
Role
• Individual, group, committee?
• Approves or supports the change?
Needs &
Reactions
• Active, passive, fence-sitter, in opposition?
• Expectations, red flags, hot buttons?
Goals &
Plans
• Visible support, part of the change?
• Directly or indirectly involved?

7. 7UX INNOVATION LLC
Questions Defining UX Strategy
Formative
• What is the problem?
• Who is the user?
Ideation
• What are the possible solutions?
• How exactly might these solutions work?
Summative
• Does the solution meet users expectations?
• How do we measure success?

8. 8UX INNOVATION LLC
Systems Thinking Defines UX Strategy
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX
Formative

9. 9UX INNOVATION LLC
Systems Thinking Defines UX Strategy
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UXIdeation

10. 10UX INNOVATION LLC
Systems Thinking Defines UX Strategy
Summative
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX

11. 11UX INNOVATION LLC
Organizing for Innovation
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX
Market Research
Quality Assurance
Domain Experts
Engineering Advertising
Support Brand Strategy
Sales & Marketing
Content Experts
Product Owners
Project Management
Defining the User Experience Function: Organizing for Innovation. Interactions Magazine, 2007
HCI Researchers

12. 12UX INNOVATION LLC
Tactic: Collaborate to Define Backlog
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX
1. Conduct user interviews
2. Draft initial user stories
3. Create initial site map
4. Develop initial wireframes
Work with Product Owner
to define requirements

13. 13UX INNOVATION LLC
Tactic: Testing Minimum Viable Prototype
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX
Work with Agile team to
test MVP
1. Develop mockups
2. Create prototype
3. Validate with users

14. 14UX INNOVATION LLC
Tactic: Concept Pitch to VCs or Execs
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX
1. Gather scenarios
2. Wireframe key screens
3. Make ’em pretty
4. Build a click thru
Work with entrepreneurs
to develop a new product
concept or service

15. 15UX INNOVATION LLC
Tactic: Re-Architect a Product
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX
1. Re-imagine direction
2. Build mockups
3. Test designs
4. Create visual language
Work with VP products to
reinvent a product
category

16. 16UX INNOVATION LLC
Tactic: Integrate Acquired Products
1. Understand usage
2. Leverage & extend
existing patterns
3. Develop new patterns
4. Skin it
Work with product teams
to integrate acquired
products onto a platform
Formative
Research
Summative
Research
Interaction
Design
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design
Concept
Prototyping
UX

17. 17
UX INNOVATION LLC
Strategy For Success
• Right people—right time
• Formal & informal channels
• Effective give and take
relationships
• Understand perspectives of
others
• Know when to fight and when
to compromise

18. 18
UX INNOVATION LLC
Summary
• Function as a “change agent”
• Partner tactically to achieve
strategic goals
• Influence others as part of
your “foreign policy”
• Develop cross-org synergies
• Adjust deliverables to align
with strategy