oneux | designing experiences

meet customer needs to get ahead of the pack

 
A blog entry in HBR today outlines three questions companies need to ask themselves to see if they are heading the right direction, that towards the head of the pack. Unsurprisingly question no 1 is: '

• Would you say your company is becoming more effective at meeting customer needs?'

It is not 'is your company effective at selling more?', or even 'is your company effective at telling your customers what they want?'. It is increasingly becoming clear, even to the MBAs, that the key success differentiator is whether companies a)understand their customers' needs and b) find innovative ways to fulfil those needs. Questions 2 and 3 continue on the themes of innovation and collaboration. They read:

• Has your company recently implemented a significant innovation campaign or launched numerous small-scale innovation pilots?
• Is your company becoming more collaborative with outside firms? 

Both these two last questions point to a kind of business that is outward looking, confident, and one that places the creation of value for its customers at the core of its strategy.

brand loyalty

Interesting things happen when your customers become your best ambassadors. Here is an example I recently came across on twitpic (created by @reubenturner) inspired by a recent ad campaign.

back in the driving seat

After what seemed like an eternity - it was actually a short 3 weeks - I am now part of a consultancy and among people that understand the value of user centred design, or at least it appears this way, I'll soon find out.  In hindsight, my 3 weeks in a UE team at a digital creative agency made it clear what it is that I value and how to move forward. So, here it is:

• While understanding that compromises are necessary, never stop pushing and selling user research and user involvement
  
• Educate other project team members such as project managers and business analysts not so much of the need for UE but the value a well planned UE phase can add to the project outcomes
• Input, participate, and challenge 3rd party UE research houses on their approach and how that fits the overall project 
• Expose and highlight the differences between market research and qualitative research
• Create case studies for both clients and internal use
• Help clients that user experience is about how users experience the brand
• Influence pitches so UE is well resourced and presented   
• Well, evangelise all things user centred
• Enjoy the work

this was the what, the how is still in progress...

when getting out is the only way forward

When User Experience is used as a euphemism for Interaction Design and Information Architecture; when exposure to users is an afterthought and also contested internally; when user centred design takes a back seat to visual design; when user research is taken out of the hands of the UE team, then there are only two ways forward:

A) attempt a cultural shift, reposition UE at the centre of the design process, or
B) leave them to it and find an environment where you can make a difference.

Repositioning UE at the centre of the design process would be my preferred option. However, it requires a
strategic decision, as well as a sponsor from the managing team since such a shift would inevitably make some stakeholders uncomfortable to say the least. In the absence of such a strategic desire  the only way to still attempt repositioning UE would be to go it alone and crash head on with internal forces that see UE as an add on, a tick the box approach. Again, this can be an option if there is a clear mandate and some board level backing. However, if there is no such commitment then an early exit is the only viable solution.

It is more important to add value where UE is considered integral to the design process than fighting a battle without the required support and strategic foresight.

            

       

owning the user experience

So, here is another question: Who owns the user experience in a digital agency, the UE or the Research & Insight (R&I) teams? It transpires that R&I are closer to the user and are better positioned to champion user involvement in the design process. My brief exposure and experience of digital agencies suggests that UE teams have been relegated to Interaction Design and IA; not to say that either is not important, but it appears that they have lost touch with the end users of their designs.

The problem with R&I owning the user experience is that the people within R&I teams tend to have a market research background and carry with them different sensitivities to user needs and requirements. While some of the tools and methods used in traditional market research are familiar to UE professionals, market researchers are more interested in numbers, trends, and market segmentations than getting under the users' skin and creating an environment that fosters innovation. For example, they may propose focus groups as a means of collecting user requirements while it has been proven that focus groups are notorious for understanding user needs. However, focus groups can reveal a trend, however unreliable, that the creative team will pick up and develop a final design and product.

I would argue it is time for UE teams to reclaim ownership of the user experience and work closely with R&I to A) ensure that the right methods and tools are used, and B) evangelise user involvement within agencies by presenting successful case studies.

I know there have been arguments that the user experience should be owned by the entire company and not only by a UE team. While I fully agree with this position, the user centred approach to design needs to be managed and promoted by a defined entity and not be left to the entire organisation.

all looks and no substance

I have recently been asked to look at a major consumer product website designed and built by a leading global digital agency, and provide some feedback. The site is highly interactive and makes heavy use of Flash. The whole project is the result of a creative drive to enhance the brand and immerse users in the brand identity. The site certainly looks stunning but begin to scratch the surface and you find that it lacks substance. User journeys are incomplete and sticky. Interaction is hampered by unnecessary steps that result in a disjointed experience of the site. While the site delivers a powerful brand image it fails to deliver a powerful brand experience. What is alarming is that the site was design and built with blessing of user experience experts.
That makes me wonder then, what is the role of UE in a digital agency?
Are they there to provide hygiene services? - clearly did not work this time
Are they there because the agency needs to be seen to employ a user centered methodology?
Are they there  so the agency can tick that 'usability' box?

or are they there to employ user centred methodologies to uncover latent user needs and work closely with creatives to innovate based on their insights? just wondering...

user experience needs to be at the heart of design

You've certainly heard this before. I am sure I am stating the obvious and boring you with common sense statements. However, it appears it is not that common sense. Let me explain: for the last three years I've worked for a user centered design consultancy and quite often clients would come to us at the final stages of their design asking for and seeking some user centred approach to their beleaguered projects. We would do our best and in some cases do  exceedingly well in redirecting focus and helping deliver a final product designed around the user needs. However, I've always been frustrated with being involved at the later stages of a project rather than being there at its infancy where I could make more significant contributions and help save time and money + deliver a user centred product. I was convinced that the only way, or rather, the most obvious way is to work directly for the client, be part of their team, so I can influence the project from its early day. So, I updated my CV and got a job at one of the best digital agencies around. Well if there is anywhere I can influence direction it will be here where all big builds come to exist.
Wrong? I honestly do not know yet, but I somehow have the feeling that I will face the same struggles as an insider as I did as an outsider. I still have t look for a few answer: where does the power lies? is it the creatives, technologists or UEs that lead? If it is not the UEs, how can I then upset the staus quo? how can I make sure they all know that leaving the user on the sidelines amounts to designing and delivering projects purely for own indulgence, some sort of creative masturbation?
Well we'll see....