As UX professionals, we spend a lot of our time thinking about the usability of software. But how often do you stop to think about how usable you are – to your colleagues, stakeholders and peers? Many of the same considerations apply to people as to applications. So if you find that you’re not getting your points across, getting materials thrown “over the wall” to you, or not being invited to the conversations you know you should be part of… maybe it’s time for a usability review. Luckily, there are some things you can do to help your “users” gain more understanding and to produce better outcomes for everyone. We’ll cover how to more effectively interact with a team in order to get benefits for yourself and for the whole team, preventing problems down the line while making your working life much happier.

1. Heather O’Neill
Blend Conference
September 13, 2014

2. UX

3. UX
Designer

4. UX
Strategist

5. UX
Researcher

6. UX
Analyst

7. UX
Architect

8. UX
???

9. UX
“Person”

10. The user

11. More than
the user???

12. This is Feather,
a user experience
professional.

13. Feather works at

14. “Just use your
design magic to
make it good.”

15. “We sent it straight
to development so
we could get it out
the door quick.”

16. “There’s no time for
all that research or
testing.”

17. “Can’t you just tell
us what the user
wants?”

18. “Personas are
great and all, but I
think it should be
done this way.”

19. “Can you make it
more like Apple?”

20. “The higher-ups
don’t think that’s
important, so we
won’t have the
budget.”

21. How can I do
my job?

22. Everyone
wants
a UX
professional

23. Solved It!

24. More than
the user???

25. More than
the user!

26. • Empathize
• Speak the Language
• Be Flexible
• Surprise & Delight

27. Empathize

32. Use your user research
toolkit.

33. Put yourself in their
shoes.

34. Speak the
Language

36. www.nigdaw.co.uk

39. Get involved in the
current processes of your
team.

40. Find out how each person
best communicates.

41. Don’t hesitate to write
down actual words, for
later use.

42. Be Flexible

43. The customer
is always right

44. The UX
professional
is always right

48. Plan in advance where
you can compromise.

49. Match your process to
the desired outcomes.

50. Use persuasion to stand
your ground.

51. Be a little sneaky.

52. Surprise &
Delight

55. Project
Manager

56. UX Strategist

58. Keep your eye out for
those little moments.

59. Find ways to make their
job easier by doing your
job better.

60. Wrap-up

62. Results
You get to do better work.
You get to be more focused.
You can be an agent of change.
The world (or at least your organization)
becomes a better place.

63. Questions?

64. Thanks for attending!
Have more questions? Reach out:
heather@pixelsforhumans.com
@HLRJO