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Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker of Clockwork Active Media Systems and Geek Girls Guide share their insights on creating a user-centered culture. Starting with the big things (what management can do) to the tactical things (what individual team members can do), they'll also answer questions like "How does work culture impact the success of a project?" and "What can you do to create a support system that empowers people to influence change within an organization?" They'll also share stories from their years of exploring and creating user-centered cultures in the workplace.
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MIMA:Cultivating a User-Centered Culture
January 19, 2011
# mima
Meghan (@irishgirl) Nancy (@nylons)
Who are the Geek Girls?
Follow. Friend. Stalk.Work: clockwork.net
Blog & Podcast: geekgirlsguide.com
Facebook: facebook.com/geekgirlsguide
Twitter: @geekgirlsguide
User-centered Design
A philosophy in which the needs, wants,
and limitations of end users of an
interface or document are given
extensive attention at each stage of
the design process.
- Wikipedia
User-centered Culture
A philosophy in which the needs, wants,
and limitations of end users of a
product or service are given
extensive attention at every level of
the organization.
- Geek Girls
Divides exist between:
• Leadership & Employees
• Agencies & Clients
• Web Developers & End Users
A Few Truths
Leadership &
Employees
Corporate structures haven’t changed (much) since the 1800s.
But there were damn good reasons for charts like these.
In both markets and among employees, people are speaking to each other in a powerful new way.
“Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.
These conversations are enabling powerful new forms of social organization and knowledge exchange to emerge.”
1999
2009
Agencies &
Clients
Agencies haven’t changed (much) since the 1960s.
“They need me and my big ideas.”
Old-school creativesare used to controlling the deliverable.
Old-school managersare used to controlling...everything.
Developers &
Users
Typical Developer Typical User
Male Female
19 - 29 35 - 54
White White
College Educated High School Education
Doing job for 3 yrs or less
Sources:http://aneventapart.com/alasurvey2009/http://www.istrategylabs.com/2010/01/facebook-demographics-and-statistics-report-2010-145-growth-in-1-year/http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2009/tables.html
Mini-jackasspriceless.
5
Embracing users meansembracing chaos.
It’s not easy.
You (mostly) don’t matter.
Users do.
Everyone is a user.
A note on nomenclature:
PART I:
Company culture is a product.
Employees are users.
Happy people do good work.
It’s not about kegs and foosball.
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/2618698358/
What makes us happy?
Autonomy: control time, technique, team, or task.
Mastery: make progress and get better.
Purpose: be part of something bigger.
Define your values.
It begins with leadership, but involves everyone.
1
Align hiring decisionswith your values.
Job skills are table stakes.
2
Emotional Intelligence
The ability to identify, assess, and manage
the emotions of self,others, and groups.
Necessary for leadership,
client management and end-user
sensitivity.
Communicate openly.
When resources are scarce,the way you communicatecan either inspire panic or collaboration.
Resources are always scarce.
3
Cultivate a sense of ownership.
Everybody owns the promises made,the method of delivery, and the final product.
4
PART II:
Companies are products.
Clients are users.
Find clients that alignwith your values.
Don’t be afraid to say no.
1
Communicate openly.
Speak their language,don’t expect them to speak yours.
Be honest about what’s realistic.
2
Listen.
Don’t just listen to what they say,try to understand what they mean.
3
Treat the client as the expert.
You’re the idiot in the room.
4
PART III:
Web apps are products.
Users are users.
Extend your valuesto your end product.
Be who you say you areand it will be reflected in your work.
1
Don’t allow“us vs. them” attitudes.
To be user-centered, you have to care.
2
Listen.
Ask the right questions,find the real story.
3
Communicate.
Error messages show how much you care.
Image source: http://blog.braintraffic.com/2009/01/error-error-on-the-wall/
4
Push your boundaries.
Remember what being a userfeels like.
5
Recommended Reading
• The Cluetrain Manifesto
• Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky
• Drive, Daniel Pink
• Happy Hour is From 9 to 5, Alexander Kjerulf
• Peak, Chip Conley
• Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work, Jason Fried
Thank you.
If you hated us, tell us.If you loved us, tell the Internet.
