Delight 2013 | Secrets of the UX Team of One

Secrets of�THE UX TEAM OF ONE Leah Buley ∙ Delight 2013 ∙ Portland, OR

This is me.

Lots of “team of one”

jobs

So many secrets to learn.  

This is where I started doing UX work, pushing pixels

Design a UI Convince an organization to change how it

works

SECRET #1

Invite people in.  

METHODS FOR

Inviting People In�

Project Brief What are expected outcomes for this user-centered design project? Method 5 from The User Experience Team of One

Vision (Why)We live in a fast-changing world. Modern technology encourages an always-on lifestyle that makes it hard to switch off and experi-ence true rest and rejuventation. Partial attention and perpetual busyness have become the norm, and work/life balance seemingly a thing of the past.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Equilibrium is a new offering that uses technology to your advan-tage to help you make better choices about how you use your time, and to maximize quality time in your life. For people who want to work less and play more, the Good Life Labs Consumer Product helps you become master of your own time.

Unlike to-do lists, complicated productivity systems, or ambitious bucket lists, Equilibrium takes the burden of maintenance off your plate and gives you options that lead to long-term happiness.

Requirements (What)Socially networked. Integrates with other social networks. Easy for users to import data from other social networks, and easy for them to share what they’ve been doing in the consumer product with outside networks.

Device interoperable and mobile enabled. Designed for mobile first. Smartphone and SMS capabilities create a daily dialog with the user. PC and tablet experiences invite configuration and deeper integration with content.

Supports formal and informal goal setting. System suggests and detects possible goals, and also enables users to manually create their own goals.

Brings in data from a variety of places. This is the heart of the system. Integrates with tools like Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar, and other productivity software.

Rich information visualizations. Data is repackaged and displayed in suprising and engaging ways.

Design Principles (How)

It does the work for you(minimal maintenance required)

It reflects your passions(mirroring you and what you love)

It’s the opposite of overwhelming(calming and rejuvenating)

Opportunity Workshop What areas of the product can be improved from a UX perspective? Method 4 from The User Experience Team of One

Opportunity Workshop

Brainstorm Weaknesses of the User Experience

Brainstorm Strengths of the User Experience

UX Questionnaire How much do you know about your product and the user experience that it is intended to provide? What else do you need to know? Method 1 from The User Experience Team of One

UX Questionnaire

UX Questionnaire

UX Questionnaire

UX Questionnaire

UX Questionnaire

UX Questionnaire

I used to question my design decisions—a lot

?

Layout a screen Reconcile needs and constraints

SECRET #2

Truly listen.  

METHODS FOR

Truly Listening�

Listening Tour What are the team’s priorities, and how much awareness and support for UX currently exists?

Method 3 from The User Experience Team of One

One-on-One Interviews

Internal Survey

Guerilla Research How do users behave? What do they need, want, and value? How are people using your products today?

Method 8 from The User Experience Team of One

Brainstorm Research Questions

Contextual Research

Journey Line

Journey Line

Design a Superhero

Proto Personas How can you get your team to think empathetically about your customers? Method 9 from The User Experience Team of One

Proto Persona

Super Sketchy Proto Persona

I used to get lost in the pleasure of pushing pixels

Designing Synthesizing, iterating,

combining, re-combining,

refining, simplifying

SECRET #3

Make things �together.  

METHODS FOR

Making Things Together�

Sketching What are some different forms the user experience could take? Method 15 from The User Experience Team of One

WARM GRAY CHISEL TIP MARKER

FAT TIP BLACK MARKER

FINE TIP BLACK MARKER

FINE TIP RED MARKER

NON-PHOTO BLUE PENCIL

Sketching Toolkit

Generative Sketching

Detailed UI Sketches

Storyboard Sketches

Task Flow Sketches

Sharing Sketches

Sketchboards What might the overall system or process look like, and what range of ideas is possible at each point in the process?

Method 16 from The User Experience Team of One

The Sketchboard Canvas (Kraft Paper)

Sketchboard Supplies

Post Up Sketches

A Completed Sketchboard

Sketchboards Are Portable

Annotating the Sketchboard

Courtesy of Brandon Schauer

A One-Week Sketchboard Sprint

I used to try to fit it all in

Placing features Prioritizing the essential

components of an experience

SECRET #4

Recognize ‘good enough’  

METHODS FOR

Recognizing ‘good enough’�

Quick & Dirty Testing How can you get your team to think empathetically about your customers? Part of the Strategy Workshop Method, Method 6 from The User Experience Team of One

Paper Prototype

Which remote research tool should I use? From Clearleft http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearleft/4931570875/

UX Health Check Measure baseline quality of a user experience and assess changes over time. Method 23 from The User Experience Team of One

UX Health Check: Divide UX Into Sections

UX Health Check: For Each Section, Pick a Benchmark

UX Health Check: How Good Do You Need to Be?

UX Health Check: Rate Yourself Against Each Benchmark

UX Health Check: Capture the Discussion

But you’re not a �UX team of one anymore�

mission improve people’s financial lives

annual revenue $4.15 billion

size 8500 employees

innovation at Intuit

IAT

innovation at Intuit

10% time

innovation at Intuit

horizon planning

H1 H2 H3

innovation at Intuit

design for delight

3. Make things together

4. Recognize ‘good enough’

2. Truly listen

1. Invite people in

The Secrets of the UX Team of One�

Invite people in Truly listen

Make things together

Recognize ‘good enough’

SECRET #5

Everything you need is already in you.  

Image Credits Mohawk Sort of Thing from CarbonNYC on Flickr

Computer from The Noun Project

Team designed Luis Prado from The Noun Project

Person designed by Herbert Spencer from The Noun Project

Person designed by Tara from The Noun Project

Strengths and Opportunities from Bart Everson on Flickr

Hands designed by factor[e] design initiative from the Noun Project

Hand designed by Ugur Akdemir from The Noun Project

Ear designed by Søren Michelsen from The Noun Project

Check List designed by Michael Zenaty from The Noun Project

Pen designed by P.J. Onori from The Noun Project

Paper Roll designed by Dan Hetteix from The Noun Project

Warrior designed by NAMIRUS from The Noun Project

Which remote research tool should I use? from Clearleft on Flickr

Thanks! leahbuley@gmail.com

leahbuley.com

@ugleah

Questions�?