Perfect timing!

Thanks for your thoughts on this article–it’s great to get some additional perspective from another UX practitioner who’s spent time in the trenches.

I can’t say I agree with the argument that presenting time/$$ savings would “do more harm than good” when advocating a UX process. In my experience it’s always been one of the biggest selling points. But you do have to present those claims carefully. A critical component, as I mention later in the article, is managing expectations. Being honest with yourself about the level of acceptance for UX methodologies at your company, and on the team, is important. Take small steps first, on less risky/visible projects if necessary. Clearly communicate throughout the entire process (especially when you’re in the very early stages of introducing these new concepts). And then connect the dots for everyone so that they really see and understand the time/$$ savings.

If you have past experience proving the ROI of UX activities it’s a great way to show exactly how your process has worked before. If you don’t have a case study in your back pocket, find one–there are many examples of how a UX process has saved other companies time and money, online and in many of the great UX books out there.

One to check out is Cost Justifying Usability, by Bias & Mayhew: http://tinyurl.com/36836g

In the end, I think much of it comes down to communication. (As with much of life, I’ve found!)

It’s funny, but often I find myself observing and analyzing the user experience of my own team and company–and applying a similar approach to my teaching/advocating as I use in my research and design of a new product. I talk with my coworkers to find out what the current process is, how they feel about it, what’s working and what isn’t (contextual research, requirements gathering); I test the waters and explore different ways of applying these methodologies (conceptual “design”, user validation); and I document how the process worked before and what the effects are after adopting a UX process (baseline evaluation, comparative results reporting). Sometimes, it almost feels like a process within a process.

One great point you make is that UX activities serve as an excellent PR opportunity! In hindsight, I might have added that as another argument to be made in favor of a UX process. Talking with customers serves multiple beneficial purposes. You gain an understanding of your end users and ultimately build a better product, but you also get to start making a positive impression on them before you’ve even built that product. People really take notice when a company cares enough about their experience to ask them what they think. It’s win-win for everyone. Excellent comment, thanks for adding it to the conversation.

Thanks for the interesting article and discussion. Now if I can just figure out a way to remove those strikethroughs from my previous comment….. hmmmm, is that a functional defect or a usability problem? =)

Basically, this is the “low fruit” you talk about. In a more mature situation it’s harder to make obvious improvements, but in the early stages (and in many companies these “early” stages could be many months, if not years) you can really benefit from being perceived as a problem solver rather than a hassle. Someone who makes less work, not more.

And good luck to everyone taking this on!