Transformation? Into what? The delicate art of balancing user needs in digital projects.John Clapham, @JohnC_Bristol

When transformation is in progress everyone has an opinion; on what should be created, how it should be built, and even whether it should exist at all. The delivery team and it’s sponsors are inundated with information, some helpful, some otherwise. So how do you filter the signal from the noise, and deliver transformative projects with positive, sustainable, outcomes? Drawing on experience delivering Government Digital projects and change in enterprise, this talk looks at how to find the requirements that really matter, and bring change to support them.

Transformation? Into what?

The delicate art of balancing user needs in digital projects.

John Clapham, Freelance Agile Coach@johnC_Bristol

https://www.flickr.com/photos/defenceimages/5183848083/

Digital Media Initiative

£18m £98.4m£125.9m

£18m - forecast cost savings£98.4m£125.9m

£18m - forecast cost savings£98.4m - estimate net cost to licence payers £125.9m

£18m - forecast cost savings£98.4m - estimate net cost to licence payers £125.9m - estimate of spend

£18m - forecast cost savings£98.4m - estimate net cost to licence payers £125.9m - estimate of spend 6 years - Plan, design and (almost) build

“The focus and priorities of DMI were on technology build”

“The focus and priorities of DMI were on technology build and not sufficiently on enabling BBC-wide change”

- National Audit Office report

“…crippling lack of focus on business change…”

-PwC Report

“The ability to transform your product is closely coupled to the ability to transform your business.”

- Me & sensible people

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sesconferenceseries/4459564683/

To build the right thing, we need to know:- Where to look

Digging for gold…

To build the right thing, we need to know:- Where to look- What to collect

Digging for gold…

To build the right thing, we need to know:- Where to look- What to collect- How to sift out value

Digging for gold…

To build the right thing, we need to know:- Where to look- What to collect- How to sift out value- How to verify our finds

Digging for gold…

? Where to look?

Balance time and cost of extraction against yield.

? Just who are our users

An inconvenient truth:

No one person entirely knows your product.

Understand user needs. Research to develop a deep knowledge of who the service users are and what that means for the design of the service.

“Design to optimize the user experience for outsiders, not insiders.”

- Jakob Nielsen

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/16336574248

CENSORED

1. End Users2. Operational Users

1. End Users2. Operational Users3. Stakeholders

Encourage all users to use the digital service (with assisted digital support if required), alongside an appropriate plan to phase out non-digital channels/services.

? What do we collect?

? What are their requirements?

? What are their goals?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vernondali/3966014036/

What users say they do != What they do

https://www.flickr.com/photos/toddle_email_newsletters/14771775790

Emotional vs non-emotional requirements

Put something in the hands of users – quickly

Put something in the hands of users – quickly

…even a competitor’s product

Put something in the hands of users – quickly

…even a competitor’s product…then listen. Carefully.

? How do we sift

“May well be the most important change in human thinking for the last 2300 years.”

Cost of delay?

Censored – How many more tim

es?

? How do we verify our finds?

? How do we verify our finds?

? How do we test and monitor?

? Guerrilla testing

“…the art of pouncing on lone people in cafes and public spaces, and quickly filming them whilst they use a website for a couple of minutes.”

- Martin Belam

? Reflections

- Listen to your users

- Listen to [all] your users

- Listen to [all] your users - Be creative in capturing goals and requirements

- Listen to [all] your users - Be creative in capturing goals and requirements- Be sensitive to transformative requirements

- Listen to [all] your users - Be creative in capturing goals and requirements- Be sensitive to transformative requirements- Find effective ways to select requirements

- Listen to [all] your users - Be creative in capturing goals and requirements- Be sensitive to transformative requirements- Find effective ways to select requirements- Test your ideas

- Listen to [all] your users - Be creative in capturing goals and requirements- Be sensitive to transformative requirements- Find effective ways to select requirements- Test your ideas- Repeat, continuously!

Thanks!John Clapham, Freelance Agile Coach

@johnC_Bristol