This is the deck of my presentation at Interaction 14. Here's the video: https://vimeo.com/86495316 UX is a broad field and designers are increasingly playing a strategic role in many companies. Be that designer. Businesses are increasingly adopting user-centered approaches to create experiences, moving UX design to be one of the core activities driving the company strategy and operations. This is an incredibly valuable opportunity that we designers can take to step up and contribute to create the great experiences and services they envision, taking our vision, tools and understanding to a different level. But we need to learn the new skills to play at this table, a table that's often speaking a different language with a lot of politics and different stakeholders.

1. THE
SHIFT UX DESIGNER AS
BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Davide ‘Folletto’ Casali

2. NIGHT.EU
UX Redirector
Advisor

3. Manifesto Ibridi
manifestoibridi.org

4. @Folletto

5. Who here already have a seat at the CxO / MD table?

6. 1 / Frame
2 / Canvas
3 / Drawing

7. 0 / Foundation

8. BARRIERS TO MAKE UX HAPPEN
Consultant &
agency
attitudes
Politics &
organizational
silos
Lack of
commitment
to UX
Inertia and
resistance to
change
Driven by
technology &
constraints
Client lack of
vision, strategy
& businesscase
Client
doesn’t
measure or
understand
the value of
UX
Lack of
budget
Low
stakeholder
engagement
Ineffective
communication
& persuasion
Consultant
skills &
experience
Lack of
time
Lack of seniorlevel client
sponsor for UX
Lack of
resources
Client doesn’t
understand UX
processes
Thanks to Jason Mesut
Source: Making UX Happen survey of top 3 barriers (94 respondents)

9. My Client Does Not Understand Me

10. My Boss Does Not Understand Me

11. My ____ Does Not Understand Me

12. A story—
a european telco
4 weeks project
overtime
overbudget
frustration
Solved with a 3 hour workshop

13. We love our craft, often more than results.

14. Anger.
Frustration.
Long days.
Misunderstandings.

15. We have met
the enemy
and he is us.

16. Different Reasons for Different People
HUGE
EGO
IMPOSTOR
SYNDROME

17. Early Red Flag:
Any empty criticism against the client.

18. A design that doesn't
get used is a failed
design by definition.

19. — THE SHIFT —
Use the core skills of designers
on a different objective.

20. CONWAY’S LAW
Any organization that designs a system
will produce a design whose structure is a copy
of the organization's communication structure.

21. Designer
Product

22. Designer
Organization
Product

23. 1 / Frame
MINDSET

24. ROI (abbr.)
1. Return On Investment
The earning power of assets measured as
the ratio of the net income (profit less
depreciation) to the average capital
employed (or equity capital) in a company
or project.
Expressed usually as a percentage, return on
investment is a measure of profitability that
indicates whether or not a company is using
its resources in an efficient manner. For
example, if the long-term return on
investment of a company is lower than its
cost-of-capital, then the company will be
better off by liquidating its assets and
depositing the proceeds in a bank. Also
called rate of return, or yield.
Bottom Line (def.)
1. Net Income After Tax
2. What is left after all is said and done.
Learn Their Vocabulary
Budget (noun)
An estimate of costs, revenues, and
resources over a specified period, reflecting
a reading of future financial conditions and
goals.
One of the most important administrative
tools, a budget serves also as a (1) plan of
action for achieving quantified objectives,
(2) standard for measuring performance,
and (3) device for coping with foreseeable
adverse situations.
Scope Creep (def.)
Small changes in a plan or project that
necessitate other changes which lead to still
more changes ... and so on.
Risk Analysis (def.)
1. Corporate: As a component of risk
management, it consists of (1) Identification
of possible negative external and internal
conditions, events, or situations, (2)
Determination of cause-and-effect (causal)
relationships between probable happenings,
their magnitude, and likely outcomes, (3)
Evaluation of various outcomes under
different assumptions, and under different
probabilities that each outcome will take
place, (4) Application of qualitative and
quantitative techniques to reduce
uncertainty of the outcomes and associated
costs, liabilities, or losses.

25. I need the 12 pages designed by Tuesday.
Can you make the logo bigger?
A week is enough right?
Educate
Can you do your design stuff on this deck?
It would save us a lot of trouble if we didn’t have to pay you.
This is her idea and I just think it’s too brilliant to be bothered by rules.

26. Set Expectations
Here’s what you are going to get: ____

27. A story—
cross-country team for USA client
KPI re-alignment project
no objective stated
middlemen
yes-men
Counter-pitched with a new approach

28. 2 / Canvas
CONTEXT

29. DESIGNER
understand
BUSINESS

30. Understand the Business Model
Business Model Canvas

31. Business Needs
Take the brief and identify the end-goal of the project in business terms.

32. Clients from Hell · January 14, 2014
CLIENT: We need you to design an app for our company.
ME: Okay. What would you like the app to do?
CLIENT: Keep me from losing my job.

33. Business Needs
Hidden Request
The untold truth about the project: personal interests, company politics, etc.

34. A story—
a european bank
1+ years contract
RFP identical to existing activities
they wanted to replace existing agency
internal power struggle
We stepped out

35. POLITICS
Who pays?
Who gains?
Who loses?

36. DESIGNER
transform
BUSINESS

37. Marketing
Client
Agency
One Team
Development / IT
Other

38. Rhythm

39. observe
dot
LOOP
do
think
The Dot Loop, the simplest process possible (2010)

40. PLAN
A good project manager is your dearest friend.
1-WEEK
ITERATIONS
DELIVERABLES
REVIEWS
DIFFERENT
STREAMS
MILESTONES
PHASES

41. 3 / Drawing
ENVIRONMENT

42. Campaigns
Maintenance
Backoffice Work
Other units
Impact
Brand perception
Systems
Workflows
Other projects

43. WRITE
Write everything.
Summarize & send to check.
Have a clear call to action.
Go for yes/no replies.
If you use the text log against the client, you lost.

44. Visualize Everything
by Enrico Baldetti

45. Keep Iterating
Keep Setting Expectations

46. 0 / Attitude + System Thinking
1 / Mindset
· Vocabulary
· Educate
· Set Expectations
2 / Context
· Business Model & Need
· Hidden Request
· Politics
· One Team
· Rhythm
3 / Environment
· Impact
· Write
· Visualize

47. Is something missing?
Contact me: @Folletto ;)
!
(I’m writing a book and looking for case studies and feedback)

48. “
To complicate is easy, to simplify is hard.
To complicate, just add,
everyone is able to complicate.
Few are able to simplify.
Bruno Munari
”

49. Thanks.
@Folletto