UX strategy is about analyzing an organization’s business strategy and outlining what needs to be done from a UX perspective to ensure that the goals of the business strategy are achieved. In brief, UX strategy is the glue that binds the company vision (goals) with the day-to-day UX tactics (execution). Without a clear UX strategy, it is entirely possible to design killer UX concepts, yet fail miserably in the marketplace. That happens a lot. This talk aims to help companies and designers avoid costly yet easily avoidable pitfalls. Surprisingly, most companies don’t have a UX strategy. In fact, very few even know what this document would contain. At best, they have a vague idea as to the desired UX of their digital offerings, but may have left out other key parts of the user experience, such as their physical products, bricks-and-mortar venues, etc. «Just sprinkle some of your UX pixie dust on our crappy product and make it wonderful» — a lot of us hear this, albeit usually in words less crass. A good UX strategy contains the following items: a clear definition of the company’s/brand’s value proposition a set of generic guidelines for UX designers that helps align their work to support business goals and the value proposition. a governance structure for managing and coordinating the various processes involved across a variety of touchpoints — online and off. Want to learn how to start, conduct, and complete this work, even within politically disinclined organizations? Start here! Your personal career advancement is virtually guaranteed!

1. UX Strategy
the secret sauce that defines the pixie dust
Eric Reiss
@elreiss
ProfsoUX
April 15, 2017
St. Petersburg, Russia

2. “Secret sauce”
“Pixie dust”
Real
Not Real

3. UX Strategy
the secret sauce that defines the pixie dust
Eric Reiss
@elreiss
ProfsoUX
April 15, 2017
St. Petersburg, Russia

5. Where do you start?
What do you do?
What is UX?

6.  User experience is the sum of a series of
interactions between
 People
 Devices
 Events
A simple definition of “UX”

7. What is the UX of St. Petersburg?

21. But what if you live in St. Petersburg?

31. UX is situational

32. UX or CX?

33. Source: Megan Wilson at http://ux.walkme.com/cx-vs-ux-please-explain/

34. Source: Megan Wilson at http://ux.walkme.com/cx-vs-ux-please-explain/

35. UX or CX?
Customer = financial relationship
User = relationship with product/service

39. All users are customers.
Not all customers are users.

40. UX
CX SD CS IxD

41. Where do you start?
What do you do?

42. Define your UX goals
Do your research

43. “This could be
SOOOOO cool!”

45. “We need to
build on our
momentum”

46. “This could be
SOOOOO cool!”

49. So, let’s talk about
“strategy” and “tactics”

50. First, a war story…

53. Opening a second front in Sicily was
strategic
Taking Messina was
strategic/tactical

54. Generals decide
goals and strategies
Officers decide
strategies and tactics
NCOs decide
tactics

55. Fat guys behind rocks, skinny guys behind trees

56. So let’s make this personal…
(when you are the whole army)

58. Why you decided to go to a conference is
a goal
What event you chose to attend is
strategic
How you choose your sessions is
tactical

59. Why you do something is your
goal
What you do is
strategic
How you do it is
tactical

60. Business plan
Business strategy
UX strategy
Products
]
]

61. The Business Strategy
• Financial goals
• Market development
• Action plan

62. The UX Strategy
• Value proposition
• Generic UX guidelines
• Governance structure

63. Let’s look at these points individually

64.  a clear definition of the company’s/brand’s
value proposition vis-á-vis the business plan
 a statement of what the user experience should
bring customers/clients
 an explanation of how your company’s products
will continue to provide value in the future
through UX.
The value proposition

65.  a clear definition of what you mean by “UX”
 a decision model that can help designers
evaluate and priortize their ideas/work
 a simple list of do’s and don’ts (or questions)
that relate UX decisions back to the
company/brand value
Generic UX guidelines

66. Let’s look at these points individually, too

67. What it is
User experience is the sum of a series of
interactions between:
 People
 Devices
 Events.
What we do
Coordinate interactions that we can control
Acknowledge interactions beyond our control
Reduce negative interactions
A simple definition of “UX”

68. Can influence
Cannot influence
Business
critical
Screw
it
A simple decision model

69. The proposed project/feature makes things:
Easier to use
Easier to learn
Encourages use
More enjoyable
Supports the value proposition
Try to be specfic in the strategy document!
A simple list (Yes or no? Why and how?)

70.  Suggests a chain of command
 Who is ultimately responsible
 Who will do the actual work
 Insists on a timeline
 Provides rules to measure and optimize UX
The governance structure

71.  Keep the solution simple – don’t overthink it
 Keep it flexible – there is no one right way
A few pointers…

74. A case story:
The AI Factory

77. Business goal
Become a premium supplier of artificial-
intelligence engines for gaming
Business strategy
Showcase AI engines through their own selection
of games
Value proposition
“Our AI engines make gaming more realistic and
exciting”
UX strategy
Create the feeling that people are playing against
real players, not a CPU
My guesses regarding AI’s strategies

82. What’s wrong with this picture?

83. Another case story:
The Mark Hopkins Hotel

86. Business goal
Become the premium hotel in San Francisco
Business strategy
Draw on business partners to make MH services
even more appealing and to attract more guests.
Value proposition
“The Mark Hopkins has a long tradition of great
service on which we build in new, creative ways”
UX strategy
Make guests feel special by making the hotel’s
superior service more visible and personalized.
My guesses regarding MH’s strategies

89.  They are not communicated correctly
 Not all departments are “on the same page”
 The senior directors are not involved at all
 The strategy is vague or unclear
 The strategy does not ensure measurability
 UX is considered a buzzword, not a tool
UX strategies fail when:

90. Inspired by (and partly plagerized from) the great Ronnie Battista
The 10 commandments of UX

91. If you don’t know where you’re going,
you’ll never get there.

92. 1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups Heinz Ketchup (use no other!)
3 tablespoons barbeque spice (Sexton, Santa Maria, whatever)
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon each of:
white pepper
black pepper
cayenne
sweet chili
liquid smoke (optional)
Mix it all up in a pot over low heat. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes to make sure the sugar is
completely dissolved. Stir regularly. Thin with bourbon as needed.
If you cannot get liquid smoke, use smoked paprika. This works well, too.
If you add a little canning preservative (typically sodium benzoate), you can keep this in the refrigerator
indefinitely.
Do NOT use this like ketchup on a burger. You need to slather it on during the final minutes of cooking so
the sugar caramelises and thereby cuts the sweetness a bit.
Uncle Eric’s hog’s-breath-style BBQ sauce

93. Спасибо!

94. Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
Twitter: @elreiss
info@fatdux.com
www.fatdux.com

95. Some bonus material

96. UX is not a new discipline

97. 50-year-old wearable

98. 150-year-old infographic

99. 170-year-old sitemap

100. 220-year-old SEO project

101. 250-year-old knowledge map

102. 300-year-old taxonomy

103. A 400-year-old content inventory

104. 650-year-old personas

105. 5000-year-old wireframe

106. 15000-year-old storyboard

107. Gestural interfaces - 1935

109. Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
Twitter: @elreiss
info@fatdux.com
www.fatdux.com