A talk I gave at UXCampLondon 2013. Simple criteria to decide, as a User Experience designer, if the Agile methodology is adapted to your next project.

1. UX + Agile
Should you go for it?
Sunday, 1 September 13

2. Blaise Galinier
Lead UX designer at AllofUs
@blasj
Sunday, 1 September 13

3. Disclaimer:
I am not an agile guru.
Sunday, 1 September 13

4. • Iterative process, originally for development
• Work in short “sprints” (e.g. 2 weeks), focusing on a small scope.
• Build the product incrementally
• After each sprint, use what you’ve learnt to reevaluate where you’re
heading
• Informal collaboration (sketching, pair design) instead of heavy
documentation (massive wireframes doc)
• Sounds great!...
Agile in a nutshell
Sunday, 1 September 13

5. • You don’t know what you’ll get in the end. It might not be
what you set off to build originally.
• Your precious designs are not set in stone. They could get
revisited at a later sprint, maybe discarded completely.
• You don’t know when you’ll finish. It will take however long
it needs.
The scary stuff
Sunday, 1 September 13

6. You’re starting a new project.
You’ve been thinking about
“going agile” but...
is this the right time?
Sunday, 1 September 13

7. • Devs are usually comfortable with agile
• Graphic designers / project managers, no so much!
• If they are not, you will have to lead. Do you have the
authority for it?
Has the team done agile
before?
Sunday, 1 September 13

8. • It is better if the whole team (UX + graphic design + dev)
are all on the same site, as agile requires collaboration.
• Devs separate from the rest of the team (e.g. UX +
graphic design in agency + in-house dev or offshore dev):
not so good.
• Don’t go agile if you can’t spend at least 1 or 2 days with
the devs every week.
Is the team in the same
building?
Sunday, 1 September 13

9. • Every sprint, there are decisions to be made. The sooner
they are made, the better.
• Less available stakeholder >> you produce a lot of
documentation before you get a chance to get it approved
• Documentation sitting idle becomes outdated: avoid it!
• Multiple stakeholders = not good for agile
Is the stakeholder very
involved?
Sunday, 1 September 13

10. • In agile, you can’t get both! (it’s like quantum physics)
• If the deadline is fixed, you can’t tell what you’ll get built.
• If the scope is fixed, you can’t tell when you’ll achieve it.
• Agile is about embracing uncertainty...
How flexible is the scope?
How flexible is the deadline?
Sunday, 1 September 13

11. • This is hard to gauge at first.
• Startups are more open to uncertainty than big corporate
clients.
• It helps if you know the stakeholder...
Is the stakeholder OK with
uncertainty?
Sunday, 1 September 13

12. • Trust is what makes the uncertainty acceptable.
• Because in agile the stakeholder doesn’t have a clear
criteria to tell if you’ve done a good job or not.
• Use the early stages of the project to establish that trust.
Does the stakeholder TRUST
you?
Sunday, 1 September 13

13. Fixed cost or ongoing
retainer?
• Fixed cost ≈ fixed project duration ≈ hard deadline
• To make fixed cost work, you need a flexible scope
• Retainers are very good for agile
Sunday, 1 September 13

14. In summary
+Everyone on site
+Flexible scope
+Flexible deadline
+Hand-on stakeholder
+Trusting environment
+Experienced team
+Retainer
-Scattered team
-Aversion to risk / uncertainty
-Fixed cost
-Unmovable deadline
-Multiple stakeholders
Sunday, 1 September 13

15. A few more things
• Accept the fact that you don’t know enough. It’s about learning as
quick as possible. Initial research doesn’t make you invincible.
• Fact: thing don’t go according to plan. Waterfall ignores this.
Agile embraces it.
• Agile doesn’t mean you have to do loads of user testing (although
you’re in a great position to do it).
• The early phase of a project (research/planning/strategy/
envisioning...) is not agile!
Sunday, 1 September 13

16. • Alan Cooper on Agile: http://www.cooper.com/journal/
agile2008/
• http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/08/why-
agile-is-so-hard.php
Some light reading
Sunday, 1 September 13

17. Thank you!
Sunday, 1 September 13