How to Build a Powerful UX Team

How to Build
A Powerful UX Team
 
Darren Hood
Manager, User Experience | Bosch
Adjunct Instructor | Kent State University

Source: ChaiOne & Stecklein, 2004
How to Build a Powerful UX Team
Darren Hood | April 2016

Source: Jeneanne Rae

The Bermuda triangle and
today’s world of UX have
something in common…..
Unexplained accidents,
disorientation, the inability
to maintain a sense of
direction, turbulence,
disappearing travellers, etc.
Today, my hope is to share
info to help you overcome
associated pitfalls.
List of known Bermuda Triangle accidents: http://www.unp.me/
f8/list-of-all-known-bermuda-triangle-accidents-108289/

Agenda.
Changing Landscape
of Skill Assessment Optimal Hiring Strategies Key Dos and Don’ts
1 2 3

Feature Three
Lorem ipsum dolor sit.
0 3
CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF
SKILL ASSESSMENT

Human-Computer Interaction/HMI
Information architecture
User interface design
Yesteryear, identifying
and assessing skills
was very simple.
Skill sets were minimal
and identifying key
contributors was
relatively cut and dry.
Nomenclature
Wayfinding
Taxonomies
Visual design
Aesthetics
Design pattern libraries
Information
management
Information foraging
Color psychology
Accessibility
System analysis
Value sensitive design
Ethnography
User testing
Pictorial realism
Heuristic analysis
Usability
Common convention
Error handling
Cognition
Readability
Scannability
Findability
Intuition.
System/Real world match
Consistency
Minimalism.
Site maps
Style guides
Iconography

Today, with the
expanding world of
technology and the
growing spectrum of
mental models with
users and UX
encompassing
multiple disciplines,
things are quite
different…..
Stakes are higher, but
there is an evaluatory
skill deficit.
UXUser interface design
Visual design
Aesthetics
Color psychology
Accessibility
Information architecture
Nomenclature
Wayfinding
Taxonomies
Design pattern libraries
Information
management
Information foraging
Human-Computer Interaction/HMI
System analysis
Value sensitive design
Ethnography
User testing
Pictorial realism
Heuristic analysis
Usability
Common convention
Error handling
Mobile design
Responsive design
Cognition
Readability
Scannability Findability
Intuition.
System/Real world match
Consistency
Minimalism.
Wireframing
Prototyping
E-Commerce
Persuasive design
Task flows/analysis
Needs analysis
UX strategy
Storyboarding
Journey mapping
Scenarios
Site maps
Style guides
Iconography
Ergonomics
Sound design
Augmented reality
Virtual reality
Risk mitigation
Typography
Copywriting
Customer experience (CX)
Brand experience (BX)
Lean UX
Agile methodologies
Email marketing
Online advertising
Interactive TV
Web analytics
Data analysis
Data synehesis
Risk mitigation
Instructional design
Blended learning
Competitive analysis
Focus group moderation
Remote user testing
Vendor management
guerilla research

Don’t Forget About
Soft Skills.
Many people are hired for
what they know and then
release for their lack of soft
skills. In addition, soft skills
draw a “line in the sand”
when it comes to identifying
truly top talent. Query
candidates to confirm their
aptitude in such areas.
Collaboration
Interpersonal
communication
Excellent listener
Emotional intelligence
Mediation
Interpersonal communication
Excellent listener
Excelling at collaboration
Emotional intelligence
Skillful mediator

But Wait….
There’s More!
In addition to soft skills, there
are several other skills related
to the world of UX that are
extremely valuable. Evaluate
what said skills would do for
your team and gauge
candidates’ levels of skills and
knowledge in these areas.
Storytelling
Lean/Agile
System analysis
Emerging technologies
Education/Evangelism
Lean and agile knowledge
System analysis
Storytelling
Emerging technologies
Education/Evangelism

Remember UX
Skill Levels. Entry Level
Early-to-Mid
Senior
7+ years of experience
May be multi-skilled
Capable of mentoring all levels
2-7 years of experience
May require supervision at times
Capable of mentoring junior UXers
0 - 2 years of experience
Able to grow, coachable
Qualified retrofits*
2
1 3
May be multi-skilled
Skilled at multitasking
Excellent multitasker
Can provide educational support
Interns
Requires supervision

Feature Three
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0 3
OPTIMAL HIRING STRATEGIES

Conceptualizers
Analyzing and synthesizing data
Implementers
Ensuring things get done and
excellent at creating plans
Innovators
Coming up with new ideas
Optimizers
Driving efficiency
Strategy #1
The Problem Solver Grid.

Strategy #2
Completing
The Team Puzzle.
A blend of skills makes for a more diverse team.
Hiring the RIGHT person or persons paves the
way for greater levels of innovation and greater
capabilities to advocate for users.
RemoteUserResearch
InformationArchitecture
VisualDesign/Ergonomics
Remote&Ethnography
Interviewing/VisualDesign
ContentStrategy

Strategy #2
Completing
The Team Puzzle.
A blend of skills makes for a more diverse team.
Hiring the RIGHT person or persons paves the
way for greater levels of innovation and greater
capabilities to advocate for users.
HMI/Research
Ergonomics/Research
Ergonomics
Ergonomics/Ethnography
Ethnography/Interviewing
HMI/Interviewing

Strategy #3
Gauging the
Team Spectrum.
What is your team’s power
level before a hire? What’s
its potential afterwards.
Gauge your team’s status
and potential to help you
identify the best candidates.
Responsive
Mobile
Information Architecture
Content Strategy
55%
15%
20%
10%
55%
20%
15%
10%

KEY DOS & DON’TS

DO …..engage in a little UX Potpourri.

DON’T
….. hire or promote in your own image. It
is foolish to replicate your strength and
idiotic to replicate your weakness.
~Dee W. Hock

DO
….. make sure your recruiters have at
least a basic understanding of UX and UX
professionals.

DON’T
….. let unskilled people interview your 
UX candidates.

DO
….. check for knowledge of evolutionary
UX elements (e.g., CX and BX).

DON’T ….. give psychological tests.

DO
….. demonstrate an understanding of a UX
professional’s persona in interviews.
Knowledge of the discipline isn’t enough.

DON’T
….. discount a UXer’s value (e.g., thinking
the work doesn’t take any effort). Skilled
UXers will recognize the trait and withdraw
from consideration or depart the company.

DO
….. a resilience check. Perform an inquiry to
find out how candidates rebounded from
failure or disappointment. The “never say die”
attitude is quintessential for members of
powerful teams.

DON’T ….. play fraternal games.

DO ….. exalt balance over smarts.

DON’T ….. hinder growth.

DO ….. consider interns.

DON’T
….. assume that lower salaries are
equivalent to savings. You get what you
pay for. And paying someone less will be
reflected in the final products — resulting
in losses.

DO
….. identify candidates who possess
“infectious” energy and knowledge levels.
Knowledgeable team members who are willing
to share can build confidence in stakeholders
and broaden a team’s impact, especially on
teams engaging in the institutionalization of
UX within the organization.

DON’T
….. insist on being the smartest person on
the team. According to Liz Wiseman, as the
leader, focusing on your own intelligence
and your resolve to be the smartest person
in the room has a diminishing effect on
everyone else. You actually hurt the team
and siphon its power.

DO
….. seek TRUE team players. As Patrick
Lencioni (author of The Five Dysfunctions of
a Team) states, “Not finance. Not strategy.
Not technology. It is teamwork that remains
the ultimate competitive advantage, both
because it is so powerful and so rare.”

DON’T ….. fudge the facts when assessing the team.

DO ….. be a multiplier.

DON’T
….. take the cheap route by trying to combine
multiple roles into one person. There is NO
SUCH THING as a UX developer. And UX
professionals, by trade, are NOT responsible
for providing assets for the presentation layer.

WRAPPING UP

• Have you been hiring all specialists? If
so, start considering what Arnie Lund
calls “tweeners” (i.e., people with
multiple UX skill sets).
• Don’t reject a candidate because you
consider him or her to be “weak.” Could
be a diamond in the rough. Evaluate a
person’s coachability and proceed
accordingly. A person’s weaknesses
don’t matter if they can be coached.
• Picture your current UXers as a
construction team. Based on the current
aptitudes and skills, what can they
accomplish today? Identify the skills that
would take them to the next level and
search accordingly.
Closing Notes.

• Passion is a fuel — a fuel that can
energize your team and have
tremendous impact upon your
organization. Always make sure to gauge
a candidate’s passion level AND where
its limits are.
• Avoid the “cloak of nepotism.” Some
people are so void of the ability to
properly evaluate skill and envision
scenarios that they only hire people they
or someone they know knows. In so
doing, they potentially cripple their teams
and operations. Don’t be one of them.
• Every dollar invested in UX brings a
return of up to $200, but ONLY if skilled
people are hired.
Closing Notes.

• One’s ability to create wireframes and
prototypes, conduct remote or
ethnographical research, or construct the
best information architecture in the world
WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT supersede
one’s ability to manage clients, advocate
for users, or mediate between politically-
driven and egotistical clients.
• The key to selecting candidates to
strengthen YOUR UX team isn’t about the
candidate as much as it is about YOUR
ability to properly evaluate and identify
what each candidate brings to the table
and what it means to your operation.
• Lastly, when deciding between
candidates, always ask yourself…. Which
candidate(s) will benefit our users most?
Closing Notes.

• Remember…. there is no such thing as a
UX Developer. Beware of an “opportunity”
where the job description says something
like “Strong knowledge of HTML, CSS,
JavaScript/JQuery, ObjectiveC (iOS), C++.”
• Many companies and managers (still)
believe that UX = UI, instead of seeing UI
as a subset of UX. In addition, they (still)
think that any and every UX professional is
capable of providing presentation layer
support. This simply isn’t true. You could
end up in the “Bermuda Triangle.”
• On another “Bermuda Triangle” note, don’t
be starstruck by a company’s reputation.
When interviewing, make sure you
understand what a UX team’s org chart
looks like and gauge UX knowledge of
leadership before accepting any offers.
Closing Notes
for Job Seekers.

by Liz Wiseman with Greg McKeown
ISBN: 978-0061964398
Multipliers
HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence
by Arnie Lund
ISBN: 000-0123854962
User Experience Management: Essential Skills  
for Leading Effective UX Teams
by Richard Canfield
ISBN: 978-1491929209
Design Leadership: How Top Design Leaders Build and 
Grow Successful Organizations
by Patrick Lencioni
ISBN: 978-0787960759
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
by Leah BuleyASIN: B011T78LBM
The User Experience Team of One
RESOURCES
by Harvard Business Review (compilation)
ISBN: 978-1633690196

Thank you!
Questions?
! @darrenhood !@uxpulse

How to Build a Powerful UX Team

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