THE INITIAL CALL TO ACTIONDESIGN LEADERSHIP COACHING A JUNIOR UX’ER

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER.

YOUR GUIDE ON THIS JOURNEY

WHAT I HOPE YOU HEAR AND LEARN

FOR UX LEADS

▸ Coaching means instilling the basics: Research + Design, throughout the project.

▸ Each person reacts to this first solo assignment along a spectrum. Identify where they are on the spectrum.

▸ You’re investing in a person, not just a resource. You’re making a lasting imprint.

▸ Share and teach the perspective a senior UX’er has.

▸ Coaching means being on the field with them. If you walk away from them, expect madness.

FOR JUNIOR UX’ERS

▸ UX = Research + Design. If you set out to just design something, you’ll set traps that will cost you. A lot.

▸ Be aware of your own reaction to your first solo assignment. Channel your emotions. You don’t have to control them.

▸ You have raw talent and value. We’re trying to mine that talent as we apply your skills to Research + Design.

▸ You can use tools and perspective to give you an advantage that will feel like experience.

▸ Find a coach. Ask for their help, guidance, collaboration.

EXPECT AN EMOTIONAL REACTION

THESIS

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

When given their first assignment, junior UX’ers suffer an identity crisis.

Your job as coach and leader is to balance the UX equation to resolve the crisis.

A senior UX’er has the perspective of how each step in a project unfolds to solve a design problem.

Your job as a coach and leader is to show the junior UX’er how the project unfolds, and prepare them for each step - some skill planning, some skill-building.

GENIUS DESIGNER MYTH

BUT, FIRST… LET’S AGREE ON SOMETHING

UX IS MULTI-DISCIPLINARY.

▸ It’s not UX RESEARCH *OR* UX DESIGN.

▸ It’s RESEARCH + DESIGN = UX.

▸ You’re balancing this equation to overcome the identity crisis.

LET’S LOOK AT THE IDENTITY CRISIS…

‣ This identity crisis is a struggle between Impostor Syndrome and the Genius Designer Myth.

‣ Impostor syndrome happens when their reaction is to build a wall that keeps the fear in.

‣ Assuming the Genius Designer role happens when their reaction is to project dominance over their fears.

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME GENIUS DESIGNER MYTH

COACHING THE IMPOSTOR

I NEED GUIDANCE…Anti-Persona: The Impostor

MEEK MINDY

I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIS JOB!The Life Preserver: Needs a believable identity.

THE IMPOSTOR

IDENTITY CRISIS

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

▸ As Wikipedia states it: “…those exhibiting impostor syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds, and do not deserve the success they have achieved.”

▸ Or, you might hear it voiced as, “Are you sure I’m the right person for this?… I can’t do all this… Is anyone else going to do UX with me?…”

▸ Or, as I saw it recently: He’s quiet, sheepish in project conversations and meetings. He’s slow to get to work. He’s delivering rudimentary designs, that are below his quality of work.

WARNING: TOUCHY-FEELY EMOTIONS HAPPEN TO HUMANS… ALSO, WE’RE ALL HUMANS.

Journey Jay

TERMS & CONDITIONS OF MENTORING

WHY WE CHOSE YOU. WHAT SKILLS YOU HAVE THAT APPLY HERE. WHAT SKILLS WE NEED TO BUILD FOR THIS PROJECT. TOGETHER. WHO ELSE IS ON THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU. THEIR COMMITMENTS. WHAT SUCCESS MEANS TO EACH TEAM/TEAM MEMBER. THE PROJECT IN PHASES. THE BIG PICTURE IN NEEDS. WHAT’S MISSING FROM THE BIG PICTURE, AND HOW WE’RE GOING TO FILL IN THOSE GAPS. TOGETHER.

Journey Jay

THE TALK

OVERCOMING IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

BUILDING A BELIEVABLE IDENTITY

▸ They don’t have to captain The Odyssey. They will go on a journey with a crew.

▸ Give them a map to the territory, and teach them to navigate.

▸ Users are available. Facilitate their contact with users.

▸ The team is available. Facilitate their contact with the team.

▸ Secondary knowledge is available - e.g., Pew, Forrester, and the like.

▸ Encourage them to ask questions, to discover the direction.

OVERCOMING IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

BUILDING A UX IDENTITY

▸ Give them permission to question, to sketch, to collaborate.

▸ Enable their discovery:

▸ Find the fastest, most frequent ways to get them in touch with potential users.

▸ Teach them to: Be quiet. Observe. Listen. Interpret.

▸ Encourage specific questions: Give them a script…

▸ Enable activity: Generate several alternatives, test them against each other.

▸ Share insights with the team: Get them talking to the team.

https://whitneyhess.com/blog/2015/09/25/do-you-give-yourself-permission/

WHAT MOTIVATES THE USER? WHAT GOAL IS THE USER TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? WHAT OUTCOME DOES THE USER EXPECT? WHAT DECISIONS DOES THE USER HAVE TO MAKE ALONG THE WAY? WHAT IS THE USER ASKED TO REPORT? WHAT IS THE USER MEASURED ON? WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? FEEL LIKE? SOUND LIKE?

GIVE THEM A SCRIPT

Journey Jay

COACHING THE GENIUS

YEAH, I’VE GOT THIS.

ANXIOUS ALEX

Anti-Persona: Someone who masquerades as enlightened.

MY JOB IS TO MAKE THEM BETTER.

THE ENLIGHTENED ONE

The Life Preserver: Concrete needs & responsibilities

IDENTITY CRISIS

THE GENIUS DESIGNER MYTH

▸ It’s seductive for a junior UX’er to think, “I am THE ONE. I have all the answers. I know exactly what to do!”

▸ It’s seductive for the team to think they’re getting the Genius Designer - especially, since enterprise teams are often starved for UX help. They think they’re going to get THE ONE. Someone who knows exactly what to do.

THERE IS NO GENIUS DESIGNER HERE. THERE IS NO ONE WHO HAS ALL THE PERSPECTIVE AND ENLIGHTENMENT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE ASTRONOMICAL SUCCESS.

EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO GAIN, SOME NOVEL EXPERIENCE IN THE TERRITORY AHEAD. IT’S UNCHARTED TERRITORY, SO, BY DEFINITION IT’S FULL OF UNKNOWNS.

Journey Jay

MYTH-BUSTING

GENIUS DESIGN MYTH

MYTH-BUSTING

▸ Business perspective: Discover the marketplace. Find potential customers. Determine their interest in the product.

▸ User perspective: Goals. Needs. Behaviors. Expectations. Ask open-ended questions. Listen to users. Observe them.

▸ Iterative perspective: The first version is not sacred. Kill the design to give it a better life. It’s an iterative cycle of asking, making, asking, and re-making.

▸ Journey perspective: Plan for a journey, not a deliverance. You need a playbook for the whole game, not just one, glorious touchdown and dance.

I CAN FIND OUT WHERE IT’S WORTH GOING.This is the persona you’re building.

THE NAVIGATOR

7 ELEMENTS OF PERSPECTIVE

REPLACE ASSUMPTIONS (OR, FEAR) WITH…

…USER NEEDS: THESE DEFINE THE CONSTRAINTS.

…USER SCENARIOS: THESE DEVELOP THE JOURNEY, THE NARRATIVE.

1ST ELEMENT

Journey Jay

AWARENESS OF BUSINESS THE BUSINESS MODEL: + HOW IT’S SOLD; + HOW IT MAKES THE COMPANY MONEY; + HOW IT’S MARKETED.

GET ON BUSINESS CALLS WITH PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS.

2ND ELEMENT

Journey Jay

AWARENESS OF THE PRODUCT LIFECYCLE: THE COLLABORATIVE CADENCE THAT REMINDS YOU YOU’RE NOT ALONE ON THIS JOURNEY.

MAKES YOU AWARE OF HOW AND WHEN TO FEED UX INSIGHTS INTO THE TEAM’S GIVE-AND-TAKE RELATIONSHIPS.

3RD ELEMENT

Journey Jay

GENERATE MULTIPLE ALTERNATIVES: THERE’S TOO MUCH RISK IN GOING JUST ONE DIRECTION (AT FIRST).

THERE ARE MANY ASSUMPTIONS TO CHECK ALONG THE WAY.

4TH ELEMENT

Journey Jay

CHECK YOUR WORK WITH USERS…

…EMPOWER YOURSELF WITH FREQUENT USABILITY TESTING. …CORRECT DIRECTION IN REAL TIME TO REDUCE RISK OF BUILDING SOMETHING NO ONE WANTS OR NEEDS.

5TH ELEMENT

Journey Jay

CONVEY PERSPECTIVE, EMPATHY, AND RATIONALE TO THE TEAM.

…GET EVERYONE TO BUY INTO THE LEVEL OF CRAFTSMANSHIP YOU SEE IN YOUR MIND’S EYE.

6TH ELEMENT

Journey Jay

BE PRESENT THROUGHOUT DEVELOPMENT. DON’T THROW IT OVER THE FENCE. IF YOU TRULY WANT TO DEVELOP TALENT, INVEST FOR THE LONG HAUL.

CONTINUE COLLABORATING, ASKING, AND USABILITY TESTING.

7TH ELEMENT

Journey Jay

THE TOOLKIT

WHAT’S IN THE TOOLKIT

THE CHECKLIST: A RE-USABLE TOOL

Build the checklist with them as they go through the project.

‣ It spells out each individual step of the project.

‣ It gives them the big picture, plus the ability to see how the little pieces fit together to make that bigger picture.

‣ It scopes each piece of the project.

EXAMPLE CHECKLIST IN ONENOTE

WHAT’S IN THE TOOLKIT

QUESTIONS

▸ Questions to uncover needs, goals, expectations

▸ Questions to define and validate the business model

▸ Prototypes are a platform for asking better questions, validating direction

WHAT MOTIVATES THE USER? WHAT GOAL IS THE USER TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? WHAT OUTCOME DOES THE USER EXPECT? WHAT DECISIONS DOES THE USER HAVE TO MAKE ALONG THE WAY? WHAT IS THE USER ASKED TO REPORT? WHAT IS THE USER MEASURED ON? WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? FEEL LIKE? SOUND LIKE?

GIVE THEM A SCRIPT FOR B2B RESEARCH

Journey Jay

WHAT’S IN THE TOOLKIT

THE SKILLS

▸ The raw skills you bring to the project

▸ Define the skills to be developed throughout the project

▸ Make checkpoints for where each skill is tested

▸ Be there at each checkpoint - you have their back when they’re tested

THANK YOU.

Now, let’s discuss…