how usable are you? heather o'neill, blend conference 2014

Heather O’Neill

Blend Conference

September 13, 2014

UX

UX Designer

UX Strategist

UX Researcher

UX Analyst

UX Architect

UX ???

UX “Person”

The user

More than the user???

This is Feather, a user experience professional.

Feather works at

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

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

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

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

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

“Can you make it more like Apple?”

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

How can I do my job?

Everyone wants a UX

professional

Solved It!

More than the user???

More than the user!

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

Empathize

Use your user research toolkit.

Put yourself in their shoes.

Speak the Language

www.nigdaw.co.uk

Get involved in the current processes of your team.

Find out how each person best communicates.

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

Be Flexible

The customer is always right

The UX professional

is always right

Plan in advance where you can compromise.

Match your process to the desired outcomes.

Use persuasion to stand your ground.

Be a little sneaky.

Surprise & Delight

Project Manager

UX Strategist

Keep your eye out for those little moments.

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

Wrap-up

You get to do better work.

Results  

You get to be more focused.

You can be an agent of change.

The world (or at least your organization) becomes a better place.

Questions?

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