Keeping the Vision Alive: Techniques for Communication Throughout the Project Lifecycle

Lisa Ba'le President [email protected]

Duane Degler Vice President [email protected]

Keeping the Vision Alive TECHNIQUES FOR COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT LIFECYCLE

INTERACTION15 CONFERENCE • 9 February, 2015

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@design4context Keeping the Vision Alive Interac=on15 2

© Design for Context


Presenters

PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER Understand user needs and tasks. Design applica=ons that work the way people expect them to.

Lisa Ba'le

VICE PRESIDENT

Focus on organiza=onal and user success. Help navigate complexity via design and informa=on architecture.

Duane Degler




VISION




A user-‐centered design process leads to

crea=ng a vision for a major redesign, a

new product, a strategically important

next genera=on of a product suite.

USER-‐CENTERED DESIGN




VISIONARY PROTOTYPE

Provides a holisRc view of what the experience will be like when the future product is complete, used as a constant reference point.

Clickable Prototype Watch videos




Par=cularly when projects extend over a long

period, challenges come up: technical

constraints, scope changes, new feature

requests, poli=cs, changes in leadership…

CHALLENGES

h'p://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/24376371/2/stock-‐photo-‐24376371-‐business-‐people-‐talking-‐on-‐conference-‐call




APer facilita=ng the crea=on of a vision

for a redesign or new product, the UX

team oPen becomes responsible for

keeping the vision alive.

KEEPERS OF THE VISION




COMMUNICATING THE VISION




ExecuRves

Project Leads

Development Team

WE COMMUNICATE THE VISION TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES…




ExecuRves

Project Leads

Development Team


Early Middle Late




Project Leads

Development Team


Early Middle Late

What is the vision?

How is it be'er than what we had before?

How much have we accomplished so far?

What is our roadmap to achieve it?

ExecuPves




VISUALIZATION OF PROCESS AND PAIN POINTS

Allow decision makers to visualize pain points in a current process and show how the vision is simpler and cleaner.

Customer DB

Sales Leads

External /Manual Processes

Mark as prospect

Customer found?

Open report in Excel

Remove duplicates

Yes

No

View customer

info

Run prospect report, export

Search for customer in sales system

Create record in sales system

Review customer record

Mark record as new prospect, add notes

Valid new prospect?

Current System

Send to Sales Team

Open Prospect

Spreadsheet

Customer Service Team

Sales Team




VISUALIZATION OF PROCESS AND PAIN POINTS

Allow decision makers to visualize pain points in a current process and show how the vision is simpler and cleaner.

Full CRM

External /Manual Processes

Mark as prospect

View customer

info

Open Prospects

List

Review customer record

Mark record as ready for contact

Valid new prospect?

Future System

No external or manual processing

Customer Service Team

Sales Team




ROADMAP IdenRfy feature groups and explain what will be done for each of them in the short term, mid term, and long term.

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

1. People (Customer/Prospect DB)

2. CommunicaRons

3. Workflow

4. Knowledge Base

5. Issue Tracking

6. Sales Leads




ROADMAP Over Rme, track the feature groups and show which ones are done, which are in progress, which have not started yet.

Group Short Term Mid-‐Term Long-‐Term Framework Clarify structure,

navigaRon Streamline look and feel

Streamline access levels

Expand access for external users

Establish interacRon model between elements

Enhance interacRons between element

Define complex interacRons elements

Customer/Prospect DB

Consolidated data Develop base view Enhanced, context sensiRve views and access points

Develop responsive view

Further develop tools and views

IdenRfy views and access points

Support history tracking dependencies

CommunicaPons IdenRfy types and prioriRes

Integrated views independent of mechanism

Clarify views and relaRonships


Automate response opRons

Define model with person and issues

Integrate with 3rd party tools

Workflow IdenRfy rules and user interacRons

Build rules engine Define work management opRons

Build work management opRons

Establish interacRon model

Build base noRficaRons and access points

Enhance noRficaRon and access points







Introduce 2nd Rer interacRons elements

Finalize machine learning framework



Develop reporRng views for dashboard


Add cloud-‐based abstracRon layer













Re-‐evaluate performance metrics



Provide API for customer integraRons


Completed In progress At risk




PROJECT GOALS Build towards goals, not features. Understanding goals and keeping a focus on them throughout a project is essenRal.

Decrease call Rme

Increase conversion rate

Faster idenRficaRon of

each caller

More personalized

offers

Offer incenRves

Quick answers to most common

quesRons

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

GOAL (WHY) HOW WHAT (FEATURE SETS)

Sub feature

Feature Sub feature

Sub feature

Sub feature

Sub feature

Sub feature

Sub feature

Sub feature




PROJECT TIMELINE

A Rmeline that looks back over the project history and points out key milestones, phases and achievements—showing what’s been done so far and what’s sRll coming.

Q3 2013 Q4 2013 Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015

Business Process Re-‐engineering

Focus Groups and Surveys

Visionary Prototypes

Build for Beta TesRng Build for Extended Pilot Build for Full Release

Framework

People

CommunicaRons

Workflow

Issue Tracking

Knowledge Management

Sales Leads

Design direc+on agreed on by stakeholders (Dec ‘14)

Demo to Board (May ‘14)

Release for Beta (July ‘14)

Demo to Board (planned Nov ‘14)

Release for Pilot users (planned Jan ‘14)

Today! (Oct ‘14)




ExecuRves

Development Team


Early Middle Late

What is in scope? What are the prioriRes?

What goes into development next?

Where can we scale back?

Project Leads




VISION WALL Surround the project team with arRfacts that express the goals and success criteria.

Image of a team room with flip charts showing goals, criteria for success, user research findings

Challenge: Distributed teams do not have an easy, ambient shared

workspace




PROJECT MULTI-‐TRACK OVERVIEW

Keeping different parts of the project in synch and focused on how they can work together towards a vision.

Q4 2013 Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015

Fram

ework

Custom

er/Prospect

DB

Commun

icaR

ons

Workflow

1.1 EvaluaRon and Feedback

1.2 IteraRve Design and Development: Base Element

1.3 IteraRve Design and Development: Overall look and feel

3.1 Data modeling

2.1 Data modeling

4.2 Build rules engine

2.2 IteraRve Design and Development: Customer/Prospect InformaRon

3.2 3rd Party IntegraRon R&D

4.1 IdenRfy business rules

2.3 History Tracking

3.3 IteraRve Design and Development: CommunicaRons

3.3 IteraRve Design and Development: Workflow InteracRons




FEATURE SUMMARY

Create digesRble summaries of features, explaining what it is and why it helps. Discuss which features have been built so far…

To Do This Week Cases prioriRzed automaRcally for each user.

Tasks and AcPviPes Non-‐case work is listed in the same area as case related work so users have just one place to look.

DASHBOARD A single star=ng point for planning the user’s work and finding any cases that are wai=ng for the user’s ac=on.

Quick Access to ReporPng and Search Users can quickly find their reports and saved searches.

2014 VERSION




FEATURE SUMMARY

… and which features are sRll coming in the future.

DASHBOARD Addi=onal tools will be integrated into the dashboard to give users more visibility on their produc=vity and help them plan ahead, including what-‐if scenarios. FUTURE FEATURES

Credit Calculator Users will see credits earned and credits needed to meet their goals

ProducPvity Data and Tools Views of producRvity data allow users to see their historical performance

Upcoming Work Planning tools allow users to make be'er decisions today




USER STORY OVERVIEW

A quick overview of user stories in a process flow, to help the team visualize the relaRonships between user stories.

CUSTOMER

CUSTOMER

SER

VICE

REPRE

SENTA

TIVE

Epic #21: Process a service request

Request a service

Customer found?

Epic #15: Create new customer

Find available services

Service available?

Address valid?

Receive new service request

US #1032 Find

customer record

US #1041

Verify address

US #1016 US #1017

Edit address

US #1018

Browse services

US #1058

Search services

US #1059

Preview a service

US #1060 View

recommendaRons

US #1061 Submit service request

US #1035 US #1033

Receive confirmaRon

US #1036

US #1042

US #1034

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No




USER STORY SPREADSHEET WITH GRAPHS

Extend the user story list to show status of stories.




ExecuRves

Project Leads

Development Team


Early Middle Late

How does __ feature fit in?

What alternaRves are there?

Is this a short term or a long term design?




ELABORATION OF DESIGN

Over Rme, parts of the original visionary prototype are elaborated in more detailed wireframes.

Vision prototype

Wireframes




SHOW FEATURES IN CONTEXT

Within a user story, provide a “big picture” wireframe and idenRfy areas that aren’t in scope for the current story.




USER STORY SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM VERSIONS

SomeRmes a short-‐term design soluRon differs from the intended design. When possible, signpost this.




ExecuRves

Project Leads

Development Team


Early Middle Late




AND AFTER THE PROJECT ENDS…




Our work has a long half-‐life and project

teams face many challenges over =me…

What else can we do to empower them

for long-‐term success?

PERSPECTIVE




Vision

Org / Business PerspecRves

Specific Project PerspecRves

Project Approach

Design Approach

Design Specifics

BIG PICTURE IN MIND, ALWAYS




STRATEGIES

ThoughWul communica=ons and story-‐telling

supports project and implementa=on teams

in =mes when you aren’t there.




CulRvate seeds of

understanding, ownership, and

advocacy

NURTURE CHAMPIONS




Provide materials that help the team

maintain the design and its intent over

=me, and expand as needed.

DOCUMENTATION




MAP OUT THE JOURNEY Clear dependencies

Manageable steps

Visible alignment










Define complex interacRons elements



Develop responsive view























Introduce 2nd Rer interacRons elements

Finalize machine learning framework



Develop reporRng views for dashboard


Add cloud-‐based abstracRon layer













Re-‐evaluate performance metrics



Provide API for customer integraRons


EVOLVING ROADMAP

Completed In progress At risk




Grant -‐ PracPcing engineer 28 years old KNOWLEDGE Engineering subject ma'er ●●●○○ EXPERIENCE Years of job experience ●●○○○ TECHNOLOGY Computer/web knowledge ●●●●○

DEMOGRAPHICS & CHARACTERISTICS •  Can travel, but might do it less now •  Busy

WORK / RESPONSIBILITIES

•  Working engineer •  Master’s not PhD RELATIONSHIP TO TRADE ORGANIZATION

•  Not acRve member; not enough Rme to volunteer •  A'ends local chapter meeRngs

BACKGROUND, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

•  Very familiar with the industry

GOALS & MOTIVATIONS

•  Networking •  Wants to get licensed / keep license

USE OF TECHNOLOGY/WEB

•  Tech savvy

IMPLICATIONS FOR SITE DESIGN OR CONTENT Membership in trade organizaRon could help him with career development and networking (conversion)

Create a list of references WHO Research Project Assistant WHEN At any Rme FREQUENCY Daily, potenRally mulRple Rmes a day ENVIRONMENT Online TRIGGER Primary researcher requests a list of potenRal publicaRons that can be used as references

SCENARIO

In preparing to publish a research arRcle in a peer-‐reviewed journal, the Research Project Assistant begins to create a list of references that either in support of the research or against the research so that when the primary researcher is ready to begin wriRng the arRcle, she has a list of relevant references to use.

PROCESS VARIATIONS

•  Depending on the journal in which the references will appear, they will need to created in various formats, such as APA or Chicago.

PERSON VARIATIONS

•  Some Research Assistants keep a list of previously used references on hand with secRons marked so that when the researcher is preparing a new arRcle similar to a previous arRcle she all ready has the needed references

DATA CONSIDERATIONS

•  None

PERSONAS AND SCENARIOS

Re-‐ground people in the

users’ experience




STYLE GUIDES AND PATTERN LIBRARIES




What kind of content is it?

Product markeRng?

Help content?

“About us” info?

Other?

Future product?

Current product?

Product Overview

page

“On the horizon” area

Org strat. and goals?

Dept. details?

Our people?

Clickable org. chart

“2014 Vision” page

Dept. home page

Help repository

Call webmaster

DECISION TREE




SUMMARY

Keep a big picture mindset, and encourage others to do the same

Help team members tell meaningful stories

Create ar=facts to support evolu=on over =me

Lisa Ba'le President [email protected]

Duane Degler Vice President [email protected]

Keeping the Vision Alive

42

INTERACTION15

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Presenta=on is on Slideshare – Go to www.designforcontext.com/publica=ons

@design4context

Keeping the Vision Alive: Techniques for Communication Throughout the Project Lifecycle

Technology

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