it’s not you. it’s your antipattern.

Fran Diamond Edward Stojakovic

@frandiam @estojakovic #antipatterns @midwestUX

agenda why patterns

What are patterns? Why do we use them?

what are antipatterns?

So then, what are antipatterns?

UX antipatterns

5 UX environment antipatterns

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why patterns

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PATTERNS IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Fractals Pattern Libraries

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Applied Patterns

Myers-Briggs

Fran is INTJ Ed is ENTJ

Christopher Alexander

“A Pattern Language”

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Credit: Visit Hillborough | http://flic.kr/p/4YHsbe

An architectural pattern

A typical interface

design pattern

http://ui-patterns.com/patterns/ProductPage

...but then what are “antipatterns”

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ANTIPATTERNS

narrowly broadly

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Design / Architecture Human Behavior / Worklife

What you care about

What you can affect

applied antipatterns

difficult person… supporting structure

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always starts with good intentions

software industry

Costs applied to project failures

other industries

Communications Finance Technology Personnel Work Environments

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Why it matters to UX can be really tricky

We are less mature industry Separate our contribution from environment

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finding antipatterns

1. research

2. personal experience

3. interviews

4. identification

5. survey confirmation

6. review / summary

a template <antipattern name>

1.  Central Concept 2.  Dysfunction 3.  Vignette 4.  Explanation 5.  Band-aid 6.  Self-repair 7.  Refactoring 8.  Observations 9.  identification

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5 UX environment antipatterns

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Narcissus Analysis Team consults a narrow set of standards and/or competitor’s work to address project needs without looking to outside frameworks or consumer input 1

Credit: Cea | http://flic.kr/p/bV3oG2

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Re-set the objectives to be more than simply meet standards Don’t assume that competitors set the standards Consider heuristics as baseline but not the end of the analysis Involve consumers in analysis

> Narcissus Analysis

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Process Clash Friction arises when advocates of different processes must work together without a proven hybrid process 2

Credit: visualpun.ch: http://flic.kr/p/ejT77u

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Re-training & cross-training to develop a “third way” process to incorporate best of both worlds. Communication & straightforward acknowledgement of different approaches to make decisions more transparent and help both sides feel their approach is being heard and used. Accept different teams bring value

> Process Clash

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Fairness Doctrine Blind obsession with fairness and uniformity in management becomes an excuse for not dealing with difficult or problematic people 3

Credit: Chris-Havard Berge http://flic.kr/p/6TgfPK

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There will always be poor performers--deal with problems directly and quickly. Teams often do not have inherent power or authority to remove ineffective members; they need management support to do so.

> Fairness Doctrine

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Kiosk City Data/document sharing is key to a team’s work but given the plethora of ways to share documents creates confusion and lack of adoption. 4

Credit: dcmaster | http://flic.kr/p/7khBvX

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Allow each project and new team member as a chance to determine how best to share documents. Focus on deliverables rather than interim work. Even though project is over, capture all documents in a common place

Kiosk City

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Moral Hazard Insulating a decision-maker from the consequences of their decision 5

Moral Hazard It’s not a problem, it’s a policy!

Credit: sbfisher:

Credit: osckay | http://flic.kr/p/mYXqr

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Know who is responsible and who is accountable Beware the morally compromised leader CYA or see-ya

> Moral Hazard

summary +

Maybe it is the environment Empathy wins

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Maybe it is you! We don’t always have control

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We’d love to hear from you #antipatterns

contact Leo Burnett Chicago

email

twitter

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fran.diamond @leoburnett.com

edward.stojakovic @leoburnett.com

@frandiam

@estojakovic