Leah Buley of Intuit shares advice for UX practitioners looking to get buy in around delightful experience design. Originally presented at Delight 2013, Oct. 7-8, 2013. http://delight.us/conference

1. Secrets ofTHE UX TEAM OF ONE
Leah Buley ∙ Delight 2013 ∙ Portland, OR

2. This is me.

3. Lots of
“team of one”
jobs

4. So many secrets to learn.

5. This is where I started doing UX work, pushing pixels

6. Design a UI Convince an
organization to
change how it
works

7. SECRET #1
Invite people in.

8. METHODS FOR
Inviting People In

9. Project Brief
What are expected
outcomes for this user-
centered design project?
Method 5 from The User Experience Team of One

10. Vision (Why)
We live in a fast-changing world. Modern technology encourages
an always-on lifestyle that makes it hard to switch off and experi-
ence true rest and rejuventation. Partial attention and perpetual
busyness have become the norm, and work/life balance seemingly
a thing of the past.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Equilibrium is a new offering that uses technology to your advan-
tage to help you make better choices about how you use your
time, and to maximize quality time in your life. For people who
want to work less and play more, the Good Life Labs Consumer
Product helps you become master of your own time.
Unlike to-do lists, complicated productivity systems, or ambitious
bucket lists, Equilibrium takes the burden of maintenance off your
plate and gives you options that lead to long-term happiness.
Requirements (What)
Socially networked. Integrates with other social networks. Easy
for users to import data from other social networks, and easy for
them to share what they’ve been doing in the consumer product
with outside networks.
Device interoperable and mobile enabled. Designed for mobile
first. Smartphone and SMS capabilities create a daily dialog with
the user. PC and tablet experiences invite configuration and
deeper integration with content.
Supports formal and informal goal setting. System suggests and
detects possible goals, and also enables users to manually create
their own goals.
Brings in data from a variety of places. This is the heart of the
system. Integrates with tools like Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar,
and other productivity software.
Rich information visualizations. Data is repackaged and displayed
in suprising and engaging ways.
Design Principles (How)
It does the work for you
(minimal maintenance required)
It reflects your passions
(mirroring you and what you love)
It’s the opposite of overwhelming
(calming and rejuvenating)

11. Opportunity Workshop
What areas of the product
can be improved from a UX
perspective?
Method 4 from The User Experience Team of One

12. Opportunity Workshop

13. Brainstorm Weaknesses of the User Experience

14. Brainstorm Strengths of the User Experience

15. UX Questionnaire
How much do you know
about your product and the
user experience that it is
intended to provide? What
else do you need to know?
Method 1 from The User Experience Team of One

16. UX Questionnaire

17. UX Questionnaire

18. UX Questionnaire

19. UX Questionnaire

20. UX Questionnaire

21. UX Questionnaire

22. I used to question my design decisions—a lot
?

23. Layout a screen Reconcile needs
and constraints

24. SECRET #2
Truly listen.

25. METHODS FOR
Truly Listening

26. Listening Tour
What are the team’s
priorities, and how much
awareness and support for
UX currently exists?
Method 3 from The User Experience Team of One

27. One-on-One Interviews

28. Internal Survey

29. Guerilla Research
How do users behave?
What do they need, want,
and value? How are people
using your products today?
Method 8 from The User Experience Team of One

30. Brainstorm Research Questions

31. Contextual Research

32. Journey Line

33. Journey Line

34. Design a Superhero

35. Proto Personas
How can you get your team
to think empathetically
about your customers?
Method 9 from The User Experience Team of One

36. Proto Persona

37. Super Sketchy Proto Persona

38. I used to get lost in the pleasure of pushing pixels

39. Designing Synthesizing,
iterating,
combining, re-
combining,
refining,
simplifying

40. SECRET #3
Make things
together.

41. METHODS FOR
Making Things Together

42. Sketching
What are some different
forms the user experience
could take?
Method 15 from The User Experience Team of One

43. WARM GRAY CHISEL TIP MARKER
FAT TIP BLACK MARKER
FINE TIP BLACK MARKER
FINE TIP RED MARKER
NON-PHOTO BLUE PENCIL
Sketching Toolkit

44. Generative Sketching

45. Detailed UI Sketches

46. Storyboard Sketches

47. Task Flow Sketches

48. Sharing Sketches

49. Sketchboards
What might the overall
system or process look like,
and what range of ideas is
possible at each point in the
process?
Method 16 from The User Experience Team of One

50. The Sketchboard Canvas (Kraft Paper)

51. Sketchboard Supplies

52. Post Up Sketches

53. A Completed Sketchboard

54. Sketchboards Are Portable

55. Annotating the Sketchboard

56. Courtesy of Brandon Schauer
A One-Week Sketchboard Sprint

57. I used to try to fit it all in

58. Placing features Prioritizing
the essential
components of an
experience

59. SECRET #4
Recognize ‘good enough’

60. METHODS FOR
Recognizing ‘good enough’

61. Quick & Dirty Testing
How can you get your team
to think empathetically
about your customers?
Part of the Strategy Workshop Method,
Method 6 from The User Experience Team of One

62. Paper Prototype

63. Which remote research tool should I use? From Clearleft
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearleft/4931570875/

64. UX Health Check
Measure baseline quality of
a user experience and
assess changes over time.
Method 23 from The User Experience Team of One

65. UX Health Check: Divide UX Into Sections

66. UX Health Check: For Each Section, Pick a Benchmark

67. UX Health Check: How Good Do You Need to Be?

68. UX Health Check: Rate Yourself Against Each Benchmark

69. UX Health Check: Capture the Discussion

70. But you’re not a
UX team of one anymore

71. mission improve people’s financial lives
annual revenue $4.15 billion
size 8500 employees

72. innovation at Intuit
IAT

73. innovation at Intuit
10% time

74. innovation at Intuit
horizon planning
H1
H2
H3

75. innovation at Intuit
design for delight

77. 3. Make things together
4. Recognize ‘good enough’
2. Truly listen
1. Invite people in

78. The Secrets of the UX Team of One
Invite people in Truly listen
Make things
together
Recognize ‘good
enough’

79. SECRET #5
Everything you need
is already in you.

81. Image Credits
Mohawk Sort of Thing from CarbonNYC on Flickr
Computer from The Noun Project
Team designed Luis Prado from The Noun Project
Person designed by Herbert Spencer from The Noun Project
Person designed by Tara from The Noun Project
Strengths and Opportunities from Bart Everson on Flickr
Hands designed by factor[e] design initiative from the Noun Project
Hand designed by Ugur Akdemir from The Noun Project
Ear designed by Søren Michelsen from The Noun Project
Check List designed by Michael Zenaty from The Noun Project
Pen designed by P.J. Onori from The Noun Project
Paper Roll designed by Dan Hetteix from The Noun Project
Warrior designed by NAMIRUS from The Noun Project
Which remote research tool should I use? from Clearleft on Flickr

82. Thanks!
leahbuley@gmail.com
leahbuley.com
@ugleah

83. Questions
?