RESEARCH & DESIGN

@jbriselli @kimberlydowdJen Briselli | Kim Dowd

KimSenior Experience Researcher

JenManaging Director, Experience Design

Balance is hard to find.

Balance is hard to find.

Balance is hard to find.

Lack of collaboration = bad experience

RESEARCH & DESIGN

@JenBriselli @KimberlyDowd

is hard to find.

Balance

INSIGHTS & TIPS FOR… researchers

designers siloed teams

solo teams

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

handoff & disappear model. Avoid the

MAD*POW OVERVIEW | NOV 2015

Adapted from “Double Diamond Model of Product Definition and Design from UK Design Council

DISCOVER SYNTHESIZE GENERATE REFINE

Initial Insight

Plan/Strategy

Prototype

EVALUATE

IMPLEMENT

Deployment

Project Lifecycle

MAD*POW OVERVIEW | NOV 2015

Adapted from “Double Diamond Model of Product Definition and Design from UK Design Council

DISCOVER SYNTHESIZE GENERATE REFINE

Initial Insight

Plan/Strategy

Prototype

EVALUATE

IMPLEMENT

Deployment

Project Lifecycle

Planning

Research@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Researchers

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Planning Research

Involve designers with goal setting

Learn what the research will be used for & plan study accordingly

Identify issues up front, saves designer’s time!

Share moderator’s guide to learn designer’s needs & aid your probes

Designers

Help researchers define the research goals & plan

Share expectations & questions;be candid!

Understand the benefits & limitation of different tools & methods

Conducting

Research@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Conducting Research

ResearchersInvite the designers in to the research sessions:

Make it low-commitmentSell the valueAsk them to helpBribe with candy

Enlist the research-friendly designer advocate(s)

Understand the designer’s mental model & relate findings

DesignersBe available, be interested, show up!

Take good research notes:Observations, not assumptionsObservations, not judgmentsObservations, not solutions

Making Recommendations

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Making Recommendations

Researchers

Meet informally to preview results and discuss recommendations

Collaborate on recommendations to move from vague to concrete & actionable

Works every time!

Designers

Help articulate recommendations so they’re actionable for design

Help decide the best mode & format for delivering findings

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

TL;DR: The meeting with stakeholders should not be the first time the designer is seeing recommendations! You’re a team.

Creating Solutions

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Creating Solutions

Researchers

Swing by designer’s desk to participate & reinforce research

Avoid the huge risk of “handoff & disappear” model at this stage!

After I saw that design I thought ‘If you just showed this to me I could have told you not to do that based on the research!’

- UX Researcher

“”

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Creating Solutions

Researchers

Swing by designer’s desk to participate & reinforce research

Avoid the huge risk of “handoff & disappear” model at this stage!

Designers

Look for opportunities to infuse research into ideation

Invite researchers into the design process, especially brainstorming & critiques

Evaluating Solutions

Rinse, repeat…

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Evaluating Solutions

MAD*POW OVERVIEW | NOV 2015

Adapted from “Double Diamond Model of Product Definition and Design from UK Design Council

DISCOVER SYNTHESIZE GENERATE REFINE

Initial Insight

Plan/Strategy

Prototype

EVALUATE

IMPLEMENT

Deployment

Beyond a single project…

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Know the Lingo

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Know the Tools

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

no substitute for

There is

seeing research

first-hand.

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Many designers don't make time to watch [research] sessions.

But a few always do… and I can see the difference in the quality of the final designs.

- UX Researcher

“”

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Advocate for Make sure you’re playing

for the same trophy.

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Feel investment in each

others’ deliverables.

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Advocate for

necessary resourcing.

Advocate for

If you’re siloed…

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

View the ‘other’ team as collaborators, not as clients

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Siloed Teams

Add time to the calendar! Formalized collaboration is still collaboration

Be open to hearing outsider perspectives (M*P project recaps)

Learn from other teams (M*P buddy system)

If you’re a

one-person team…

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

Create separate spaces for design and research:

@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

One-Person Team

Separate the activities and the deliverables

Use a proxy/stand-in

physicalmentalvirtual

TL;DR

Talk to each other.

Don’t disappear.

(Early & often)

(For very long)

Butt in. & Welcome the butting in.

THANK YOU!Jen BriselliKim Dowd @kimberlydowd

@jbriselli