Understanding Client Dynamics for UX Designers - Girl Geeks Toronto presentation

© 2014 Morag Johnston | @MoragJ 1

UNDERSTANDINGCLIENT DYNAMICSGIRL GEEKS TORONTOSEPTEMBER 24, 2014

MORAG JOHNSTON


“What the heck just happened in

there?”


WHY TALK ABOUT CLIENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS?

Create a great user experience

Affect business outcomes

Generate repeat business


AGENDA

1.Approach

2.Project Context

3.At the Table

4.Toward a Client Persona


CHRONOLOGYHTML coder/web designer

Production Manager

Information Architect / Team Manager

Independent IA

Business Analyst & Web Strategist

Manager, Analysis & Planning

Director, Digital Product Strategy & User Experience

Director, UX Design Centre of Excellence

Custom CMS

Legal Publishing

Online Training

eCommerce

Finance/Wealth Management

Pension Administration

Travel eComm

Digital Rights Management

Digital Media

Television

Telecom

1995

2014


APPROACH

Based on 20+ years of consulting experience

A no judgment zone

Minimal cynicism and bitterness


http://shitclientssay.net/

http://shitclientssay.tumblr.com/

http://shitmyclientsays.tumblr.com/


Designers are not users.


Designers are not clients.


Designers are intrinsically motivated.


“When you ask creative people how they did something, they

feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw

something. It seemed obvious to them

after a while.”

-- Steve Jobs

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/creativity-habits_n_4859769.html

14Image: http://hqworld.net/gallery/data/media/20/tip_of_the_iceberg.jpg

Creating the User

Experience

Annual project portfolio

Organizational objectives

Political, Economic, Social and Technology Environment

The Project /

Business

CONTEXT


Bid on contract

Awarded contract

Team formed

Made aware of project

External Project Team

Internal Project Team

PRIOR TO KICK-OFF

Kick-off meeting


Bid on contract

Awarded contract

Team formed

Made aware of project

External Project Team

Internal Project Team

Why does this

project exist?

Why were you picked?

Why this team?

Kick-off meeting


WHY DOES THIS PROJECT EXIST?

Follow the money.

• Minimizing risk VS. maximizing market impact

• Customer-centric VS. short term profit• Response to a competitor• Legislative requirement• Visual identity and copy refresh


WHY WERE YOU PICKED?

• Reputation• Shake things up VS. play safe

• Strength of the account team • What was promised?• Did the client meet the execution

team? • Proposal

• What’s fixed: budget, people, timeline?• Process: do they understand or care?


WHY THIS CLIENT TEAM?

• A-Team• Right skills, availability, connections &

personalities

• Not the A-Team• A-Team was busy on a higher priority

• Company doesn’t realize how big this is

• Someone asked for more responsibility

© 2014 Morag Johnston | @MoragJ 20Image: http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/plan/groups/meetings-and-conferences/

AT THE TABLE


AT THE TABLE

•Listen to titles & introductions

•Where do people sit?

•What are they doing?

•Who does most of the talking?

•RACI?

22http://intimateexcellent.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/snapshots-cyrano-production-design-meeting/

CLIENT PERSONAS


PERSONA PARAMETER GROUPING THEORY

1.Personal Investment

2.Business Contribution Ability

3.Design Contribution Ability


CORPORATE

PERSONAL

OPENCLOSED

OBJECTIVES VS. VULNERABILITY


CORPORATE

PERSONAL

OPENCLOSED

OBJECTIVES VS. VULNERABILITY

Optimally productive

May takecredit

Make themlook good

Do nothing in public


Expert in their core competency

Learning the ropes

DigitallySavvy

Learning the ropes

BUSINESS VS. DIGITAL BUSINESS


BUSINESS VS. DIGITAL BUSINESS

Great business requirements

Create allies,

carefully

Educate as best possible

Why arethey here?

Expert in their core competency

Learning the ropes

DigitallySavvy

Learning the ropes


Design process experience

Little to no design experience

Team augmentation

Completelyout-sourced

DESIGN EXPERIENCE VS. INVOLVEMENT

Internal UX Design team


DESIGN EXPERIENCE VS. PROJECT INVOLVEMENT

Learn from their experience

Design process experience

Team augmentation

Completelyout-sourced

Help them solution

differently

Threatened or grateful?

Strong project management framework

Little to no design process experience

Looking for a partner

Looking to learn from you


CLIENT PERSONA RANGEGET YOUR HOPES UP GNASH YOUR TEETH

Working to corporate objectives Working their own personal agenda

Open to discussion Afraid of looking stupid

Digital business savvy No digital experience

Subject matter expert New to the business

Willing to share experience No design process experience

Grateful Threatened

Looking for a partner Can’t think differently


IN CONCLUSION

Empathy

Communication

Boundaries

Understanding Client Dynamics for UX Designers - Girl Geeks Toronto presentation

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