That's Not A Gun, It's your Finger: It’s Your Finger! Improv, Play, and Collaboration in UX
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Transcript of That's Not A Gun, It's your Finger: It’s Your Finger! Improv, Play, and Collaboration in UX
That’s not a gun. It’s your finger!Improv, play, and collaboration in UX
Catharine Robertson @cathroThe Berndt Group, Baltimore Improv Group
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thechanel/330300067/
Tonight, we are ambitious
1. Learn about improv2. Do some improv!3. Relate improv to UX (user experience)4. Relate improv to team & client
collaboration5. A challenge related to improv &
Baltimore
I Baltimore
http://www.flickr.com/photos/su1droot/4653717780/
Trained to think on my feet
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-marlith-/2533256880/
1996
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwdesigns/734124559/
I call myself an information architect.Some might call what I do UX design.
Elements of user experience
Usability
Adoptability Value
Desirability
Different products, different priorities
Usability
Adoptability Value
DesirabilitySocialnetworks
Games
Online dating
Enterprise software
What I do
• Solve businessproblems
• Meetuser/customerneeds
Clients/projects
• Healthcare• Financial services• Real estate• Nonprofits• Arts• Education• Technology
Another thing I do
• Mike Subelskyfounded BIG & wasmy first improvteacher
• Mike’s zen koan: Ifyou don’t fail at leastonce eachrehearsal, youhaven’t tried hardenough.
• Perform at Chicago Improv Festival & others• Found, direct, perform in Baltimore troupes• Produce Baltimore Improv Festival first 5 years• Write, perform in Stoop Storytelling live radio
shows• Produce/direct/write/perform in Vauxhall:
Postmodern Vaudeville for Baltimore• Not the best improviser, my strengths are more
meta--directing, big picture, producing,audience experience
“Fail big, fail often”
Improv in my work life
• more playful,• more willing to try new things• better at brainstorming• empathy• listening• accept circumstances• kill my darlings• better client interaction• better team collaboration
What is improv?
“Strictly speaking,improvisation ismaking it up asyou go along.”
Del Close & Charna HalpernTruth in Comedy
Improv is a game,and it has one rule.
“Yes, and…”
“Yes, and…”
Agree + add something
“Agreement” = acceptance
• Acceptance ofcircumstances: who,what, where
• Your finger is a gun,you’re a hippo, you’reat a bullfight in Spain
• Conversationshowstoppers
• “Hit the ball back”
“And” = add something
This restaurant looks really fancy. I hope we have enoughmoney.
[Yes, and] I hopeyour bossdoesn’t order thelobster.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonynewell/854258638/
Watching“yes, and…”in action
Play = agreement
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissuderman/858914782/
establish what/who/whereagree on premiseaccept all offers
Viola Spolin on play
• “Were they acting?Get them to play.”
• Improvise choicesonstage, just as inlife.
• Players freed tocreate newopportunities so rulesof play are fulfilled.
• Son Paul Sillsfounding director ofSecond City.
Game: conducted story
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasgowamateur/7705117134/
Sound familiar?
User experience (UX) work also includes:
• Accepting (requirements, constraints)• Listening (to the market, to the client)• Paying attention to the group (your team)
You each contribute to building somethingfor the user.
Similarities
• Vital to the improviser• Best improv shows are
for the audience, notimprovisers
• No viable show withoutan audience
• Vital to the UX person• Best products are
designed with actualuse in mind
• No viable productwithout a user/customer
Audience Users/customers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photocapy/5628703464/http://www.flickr.com/photos/apollonia666/391357963/
Knowyour audience
Knowyourusers
Collaboration in improv
• “Hit the ball back”• Accept the
who/what/wherecircumstances
• Add something ofvalue to keep storymoving
• Listen to scenepartners
• Everyone has a part,even if supporting
• Patterns emerge asthe improvised“game” of a scene
Collaboration in UX
• Agree on premise,constraints (who,what, where)
• “And” addsomething of valuefor users/customers,clients
• User testing iscollaboration withcustomers
• Common goals &strategy lead tobetter product
• When in doubt, testit out
The best collaboration
• Free of judgment (Spolin)• Failure is encouraged (Subelsky)• Inhibitions are shed• Heightening of goals• Making your partner look good makes
the team look great (Mick Napier)• Reduces belly fat (Tina Fey)
What if you don’t like the idea?
TRUST that hitting the ball backwill end up a worthwhile game.
and…
Accept you can’t change theoffer given you.
Yes
Game reprise: Imaginary product
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasgowamateur/7705117134/
Game recap
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What are you saying “yes, and…” toin Baltimore?
Want more?
• Steve Portigal @steveportigal• Liz Danzico @bobulate• Take a class! See a show!
bigimprov.org• Say yes, but don’t just say yes. Add
something!
Catharine Robertson
@cathro@berndtgroup@bigimprov@vauxhallshowBaltimore UX Book Club
Thanks for saying yes to tonight!