I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.Managing UX Debt
Jack Moffett Manager App Development – GUI Inmedius, a Boeing Company
@jackmoffett [email protected] designaday.tumblr.com #UXdebt
UX debt is the accumulation of decisions made during design and development that negatively impact the users of a product or service.
Photo by Trey Guinn
TheBig 3
TheBig 3
AcquisitionOutsourcing
Neglect
Acquisition
Acquisition
Acquisition
Acquisition
Acquisition
Acquisition
AcquisitionUX should be involved in evaluation of products considered for acquisition.
AcquisitionUX should be involved in evaluation of products considered for acquisition.
Document the debt as soon as acquisition occurs, and track it.
Outsourcing
OutsourcingUX should collaborate closely with contractors.
OutsourcingUX should collaborate closely with contractors.
Set clear expectations at the outset.
OutsourcingUX should collaborate closely with contractors.
Set clear expectations at the outset.
Schedule regular quality checks and involvement from all parts or your team: design, development, testing, and management.
Neglect
NeglectPut processes in place that assure awareness of development efforts.
NeglectPut processes in place that assure awareness of development efforts.
Team dynamics are hugely important.
NeglectPut processes in place that assure awareness of development efforts.
Team dynamics are hugely important.
Resist the urge to turn a blind eye to things you don’t feel like working on.
IntentionalDebt
IntentionalDebtResistance to change
IntentionalDebtResistance to change
Incremental enhancement
IntentionalDebtResistance to change
Incremental enhancement
Product management strategy
Intentional DebtProduct management strategy
Intentional DebtProduct management strategyFocusing on new features
Intentional DebtProduct management strategyFocusing on new features
customer requests
Intentional DebtProduct management strategyFocusing on new features
customer requests
time to market
Intentional DebtProduct management strategyFocusing on new features
customer requests
time to market
backwards compatibility
unIntentionalDebtMistakes and laziness
unIntentionalDebtMistakes and laziness
Lack of design
unIntentionalDebtMistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
unIntentionalDebtMistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
Separation of design & dev
unIntentionalDebtMistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
Separation of design & dev
Too many cooks
unIntentionalDebtMistakes and laziness
Lack of design
Lack of empowerment
Separation of design & dev
Too many cooks
Customer inefficiencies
IdentifyingUX Debt
IdentifyingUX DebtActive Peripheral AwarenessUX Debt InventoryUser Exposure
Practice Active Peripheral Awareness
Practice Active Peripheral Awareness
Awareness of technology
Practice Active Peripheral Awareness
Awareness of technologyAwareness of design practice
Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.
Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.Better yet, have a teammate take notes. Then switch.
Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.Better yet, have a teammate take notes. Then switch.
Validate it by observing and talking with users.
Perform A UX Debt Inventory
Use the product. Take notes.Better yet, have a teammate take notes. Then switch.
Validate it by observing and talking with users.
Expose Your Team
Expose Your Team“It seems that six weeks was the bare minimum for a two-hour exposure dose. The teams with members who spent the minimum of two hours every six weeks saw far greater improvements to their design’s user experience than teams who didn’t meet the minimum.”
– Jared Spool
Expose Your Team“It seems that six weeks was the bare minimum for a two-hour exposure dose. The teams with members who spent the minimum of two hours every six weeks saw far greater improvements to their design’s user experience than teams who didn’t meet the minimum. And teams with more frequent exposure, say two-hours every three weeks, saw even better results.”
– Jared Spool
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Back EndPerformance, Database, Security
4 UX Debt Categories
Technical
Functional
Back End
Front End
Performance, Database, Security
Browser Version Support
Outdated HTML/Frameworks
Poor Coding Practices
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
Behavioral
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
Behavioral
Scale
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
Behavioral
Scale
Information Architecture
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
Behavioral
Scale
Information Architecture
Priority of Functions
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
Behavioral
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralTool Time
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralTool Time
Consistency
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralTool Time
Consistency
Conventions
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
4 UX Debt Categories
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
UI Chrome
Iconography
Consistency
Fashion
Branding
Copywriting
4TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
Documentation
UX Debt Categories5
4
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
Documentation
UX Debt Categories5
4
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
Documentation
UX Debt Categories5
4
TechnicalFunctional
BehavioralVisual
Documentation
UX Debt Categories5
AddressingUX Debt
AddressingUX Debt
Declare bankruptcy
Addressing UX Debt
Declare bankruptcyPeople think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying “no” to 1,000 things.
Steve Jobs
Addressing UX Debt
Declare bankruptcyCall a do-over
Addressing UX Debt
Declare bankruptcyCall a do-overSkunkwork it
Addressing UX Debt
Declare bankruptcyCall a do-overSkunkwork itPhased approach
Step 1: Prioritization
Step 1:a. Severity & Impact
Prioritization
Step 1:a. Severity & Impact
b. Estimated Time to Address
Prioritization
Step 1:a. Severity & Impact
b. Estimated Time to Address
c. Responsible Party
Prioritization
Step 1:a. Severity & Impact
b. Estimated Time to Address
c. Responsible Party
Prioritization
Step 2:
Photo by John Biehler
Step 2: Schedule
Step 2: Schedule
Not Agile
Step 2:
AgileSchedule
Step 3:
Photo by John Biehler
Step 3: Collaboration
Step 3: Collaboration
UX debt is the responsibility of your entire organization.
AvoidingUX Debt
Photo by Alex Berger
Avoiding UX Debt
Usability Research & Testing
Avoiding UX Debt
Usability Research & TestingPay Attention to Details
Avoiding UX Debt
Usability Research & TestingPay Attention to DetailsModularity
Avoiding UX Debt
Usability Research & TestingPay Attention to DetailsModularityDocumentation
Manageyour UXDebt
Photo by Dave 77459
Thank you!
Jack Moffett Manager App Development – GUI Inmedius, a Boeing Company
@jackmoffett [email protected] designaday.tumblr.com