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How finding an empathetically user-centered perspective on design

builds innovation

I’m in the user’s shoes, now what?

May 2011

Traci LeporePrincipal Interaction Designer

Twitter: @traciuxd

uxmatters.com/authors/traci_lepore

If this is the direction we are moving, the way we work needs to change – we need to be more user-centered

UXD today and the need for a new approach

Design is moving from being an engineering focused practice to a human experience focused practice

With that transition understanding the user’s experience becomes important

The availability of new technologies with more sophisticated and physical interaction requires deeper understanding of context of the experience

Towards a user-centered process

Empathy: The power of entering into another’s personality and imaginatively experiencing his experiences: the power of entering into the feeling or spirit of something…and so appreciating it fully. (Greek: en, in, pathos, feeling)

The designer learns from experiencing the user and works for the experience of the user

The designer, user and product are not separate - successful design of experiences requires empathy

Empathy is the heart of UXD

It’s a natural parallel artistic process to turn to for help

Theater teaches us empathy

Theatrical approaches to UXD could provide:A useful way of establishing a common, shared context for

audience participants Instruction in engaging and insightful communication and

teamworkEncouragement of dialog and

suggestions of solutions betweendesigners and users

Opportunity to test those suggestions

Iteration that allows changes to be incorporated immediately and tested again

The route to empathy already exists in typical UXD process and people – it just needs some enhancement

Empathetic UXD should work like an art process…

If UXD was user-centered and empathetic like theater it would have:

A production process that includes: Rapid iteration Cyclical rehearsal, not linear movement

towards the end product Strategy creation and direction

Worked by an ensemble that: Know and trust each other Have shared language and domain knowledge Engage in improvisation & innovative play Have a forum for design negotiation

The Production Process

Immediacy in UXD = iteration…

Maintaining immediacy drives timely empathy

Immediacy: a reflection of the here and now and evolves from observation of the world around us

Maintaining Immediacy requires committing to a truly user-centered process which:

Gathers requirements from users Produces concepts based on

those requirements Validates them with users again

before beginning to develop

And immediacy doesn’t end at the release, immediacy means continual assessment and iteration

Out of the chaos comes structure and delight

Iteration leads to innovation

Try lots of ideas in a short period of time•Get everyone’s input – make use of the ensemble•Use your wealth of stored and shared stimuli and experiences•Experiment and find metaphors and analogies

Throw out what doesn’t work, letting you keep what does•Allows for failure in a safe environment•Keeps you from having to go with the first idea –no matter whether it’s the best or not

Keep the immediacy •Constant check and balance against the user stories and needs•Keeps freshness

The building blocks of iteration

Rehearsal processes aren’t much different than product development

Activity Rehearsal Product development

Representation Actors’ character choices, sets, and technology (lights, sound, etc)

Concepts and prototypes

Repetition (or iteration) Bringing individual actors’ work together and working iteratively during rehearsals and runs of the show

Iterative development and evaluation of use cases, storyboards, and prototypes

Assistance Director, ensemble, and audience feedback

User and stakeholder research and cross-disciplinary help from the product team

Break the straight line by thinking in multiple chunks of the building blocks you put together

The phases of iteration

Rehearsal

Co

mm

itm

ent

Lev

el o

f F

idel

ity

low

high

Run Through PerformanceDress Rehearsal

Ideation

Concept Validation

Usability

Refinement

Ideas, possibilities to pursue

Co

mm

un

ica

tes

Structure, overall flow

Structure, flow, & details (w/o final visual design)

Final branded and fully developed product

Iteration

Ide

as

dro

p o

ff –

co

mm

it

to

via

ble

op

tion

s

Be clear about what phase you are in and what you are communicating

It’s up to you to maintain the forward motion

The UX designer’s role – driving the vision

Getting help along the way:Do the table talk – discuss the

vision and have a shared understanding

Be clear about the story and the intents

Break the work into manageable pieces and the run through multiple pieces together as a whole

Check in with your audience at reasonable points, then fine tune

Promotes empathy, which leads to innovation

The empathetic UXD production process

An immediate, iterative and artistic process pulls it all together

Playmaking Product Development

Iterative cycle Rehearsal Prototype build and test

Distributed, independent, simultaneous invention

Individual actors prepare between rehearsals

Individuals work on separate pieces

Unifying action Rehearsal run Build

A director who facilitates

Director Project Manager/UX Designer

Forum for conversation Rehearsal room Meetings, collaborative forum

Way of setting structure Actors hold structure Wireframes, prototypes, or code holds structure

Ensembles, Improv and Innovation

No one can do it alone and unconnected

It takes a village…

Empathy requires that you understandThe whole picture

•The users•The team•The context and domain of your design problem

•The physical and cultural environment

That an ensemble gives you the best chance of understanding the whole picture

The power of empathy derived from the ensemble drives spontaneity and innovation

Being connected to a whole larger than yourself evokes the kind of empathy that makes magic happen

Ensembles deliver innovation – not magic!

Misconception: Innovation happens spontaneously – therefore is magic

Reality: A lot of individual work and teamwork goes into spontaneity

An ensemble can: Be spontaneous, or improvise in the

moment when needed Successfully work as a group to

brainstorm and evaluate Draw on the skills of a whole

that is larger than any one individual Provide empathy for more than just

the user – but also the group and the environment

An ensemble is more than just a team

Working together in a group is difficult. To be an ensemble and not just a team requires:

Practice in the core principles of improvisation The ability to recombine and reincorporate

things you already know A multidisciplinary team to split the work of

obtaining domain knowledge Shared experiences, language, and gestures Warming up before brainstorming Negotiation during the brainstorming

Ensembles don’t happen overnight just because you put people together

An ongoing preparation task for the individual & group

Ready, set, improvise!

Creativity and spontaneity Build up your stimuli and input reserves Warm up and play games Be OK with failure

Trust and collaboration Know your team Focus on being present

Skillful improvisation Follow the rules of “Yes, and…” Rely on the first two points

The best way to understand the user’s world is to engage in it

Stealing isn’t illegal, it’s encouraged!

Innovation comes from empathetic understanding of

Users Other creators Culture

Which lets you Be in tune with the world Combine listening and action

So you can call on those tools at any time - spontaneously

“Playing Degas” A role playing game to help Picasso understand the innovators around him

Improv that is truly spontaneous requires deeper communication capabilities in the ensemble

Shared language – the secret sauce of improv

“A shared language … becomes a critical factor in the kind of improvisation that leads to innovation. A shared language is the key thing you can rely on and fall back on in moments of spontaneity with your ensemble. And it is what makes improvisation fast, smooth, and seamless.”

Shared language doesn’t have to be verbal; it can include gestures and shared experiences the group has had together.

All design is a negotiation, so take advantage of it!

A forum for design negotiation

Small subgroup of the ensemble define and improvise the embodiment of a specific problem or issue•Leverage the members who know the most about the context•Scaffold structure makes it less scary for the larger group

Presenting the embodied issues to a larger group in a participatory experience by •Let members of the larger group jump in with their variations on the story

•Fill in gaps, and get all perspectivesDefer evaluation until the process has

revealed everyone’s concepts and ideas•Don’t hinder the creativity!

Empathic UXD leads to innovation

We can learn from theater how to derive more empathy in our UXD processes

Today’s UXD world requires more empathy

The way we go about the business of user experience design is changing

There is a move to focus on the human aspects of design, not the technical

This change, along with increasing complexity in available technologies and experiences, make it imperative that designers have an empathetic perspective

Theatrical techniques and methods can help support building that empathetic perspective when infused into various points in already existing design processes

Empathetic UXD perspectives drive innovation

Through an immediate, iterative and artistic process

That builds on understanding of needs by the use of characters and storytelling of requirements

Validates & refines ideas through iterative runs of work - shared with users in participatory exercises

Communicates the design story for buy in

Worked by a group That does the work of building an

ensemble capable of improvising Has a shared language Can negotiate successfully in a

participatory exercise

Find out more on Uxmatters.com

The Holy Grail of Innovation: It Takes an Ensemble to Achieve Inspired Creativity

Sketches and Wireframes and Prototypes! Oh My! Creating Your Own Magical Wizard Experience

I Have an Idea! Forums for Design Conversations and Negotiations

Putting Together a Production: A Rehearsal Strategy for Design

The UX Designer’s Place in the Ensemble: Directing the Vision

What Place Does Theater Have in the Creative Process of Design?

Great books to read

“Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know About How Artists Work” by Robert Austin and Lee Devin

“The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life” by Twyla Tharp

“The Empty Space” by Peter Brook

“Games for Actors and Non-Actors” by Augusto Boal