Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker of Clockwork Active Media Systems and Geek Girls Guide share their insights on creating a user-centered culture. Starting with the big things (what management can do) to the tactical things (what individual team members can do), they'll also answer questions like "How does work culture impact the success of a project?" and "What can you do to create a support system that empowers people to influence change within an organization?" They'll also share stories from their years of exploring and creating user-centered cultures in the workplace.

1. MIMA:
Cultivating a User-Centered Culture
January 19, 2011

2. # mima

3. Meghan (@irishgirl) Nancy (@nylons)
Who are the Geek Girls?

4. Follow. Friend. Stalk.
Work: clockwork.net
Blog & Podcast: geekgirlsguide.com
Facebook: facebook.com/geekgirlsguide
Twitter: @geekgirlsguide

5. User-centered Design
A philosophy in which the needs, wants,
and limitations of end users of an
interface or document are given
extensive attention at each stage of
the design process.
- Wikipedia

6. User-centered Culture
A philosophy in which the needs, wants,
and limitations of end users of a
product or service are given
extensive attention at every level of
the organization.
- Geek Girls

7. A Few Truths
Divides exist between:
• Leadership & Employees
• Agencies & Clients
• Web Developers & End Users

8. Leadership
&
Employees

9. Corporate structures haven’t
changed (much) since the 1800s.

10. But there were damn good reasons
for charts like these.

11. 1999 “Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.
In both markets and among
employees, people are speaking to
each other in a powerful new way.
These conversations are enabling
powerful new forms of social
organization and knowledge
exchange to emerge.”

12. 2009

13. Agencies
&
Clients

14. Agencies haven’t changed (much)
since the 1960s.

15. “They need me and my big ideas.”

16. Old-school creatives
are used to controlling the deliverable.
Old-school managers
are used to controlling...everything.

17. Developers
&
Users

18. Typical Developer Typical User
Male Female
19 - 29 35 - 54
White White
College Educated High School Education
Doing job for 3 yrs or less
Sources:
http://aneventapart.com/alasurvey2009/
http://www.istrategylabs.com/2010/01/facebook-demographics-and-statistics-report-2010-145-growth-in-1-year/
http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2009/tables.html

19. Mini-jackass 5
priceless.

20. Embracing users means
embracing chaos.
It’s not easy.

21. You (mostly) don’t matter.
Users do.

22. A note on nomenclature:
Everyone is a user.

23. PART I:
Company culture is a product.
Employees are users.

24. Happy people do good work.
It’s not about kegs and foosball.
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/2618698358/

25. What makes us happy?
Autonomy: control time,
technique, team, or task.
Mastery: make progress
and get better.
Purpose: be part of
something bigger.

26. 1
Define your values.
It begins with leadership,
but involves everyone.

27. 2
Align hiring decisions
with your values.
Job skills are table stakes.

28. Emotional Intelligence
The ability to identify,
assess, and manage
the emotions of self,
others, and groups.
Necessary for
leadership,
client management
and end-user
sensitivity.

29. 3 Communicate openly.
When resources are scarce,
the way you communicate
can either inspire panic or
collaboration.
Resources are always scarce.

30. 4
Cultivate a sense of ownership.
Everybody owns the promises made,
the method of delivery, and the final
product.

31. PART II:
Companies are products.
Clients are users.

32. 1
Find clients that align
with your values.
Don’t be afraid to say no.

33. 2
Communicate openly.
Speak their language,
don’t expect them to speak yours.
Be honest about what’s realistic.

34. 3
Listen.
Don’t just listen to what they say,
try to understand what they mean.

35. 4
Treat the client as the expert.
You’re the idiot in the room.

36. PART III:
Web apps are products.
Users are users.

37. 1
Extend your values
to your end product.
Be who you say you are
and it will be reflected in your work.

38. 2
Don’t allow
“us vs. them”
attitudes.
To be user-centered,
you have to care.

39. 3
Listen.
Ask the right questions,
find the real story.

40. 4 Communicate.
Error messages show how much you care.
Image source: http://blog.braintraffic.com/2009/01/error-error-on-the-wall/

41. 5
Push your boundaries.
Remember what being a user
feels like.

42. Recommended Reading
• The Cluetrain Manifesto
• Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky
• Drive, Daniel Pink
• Happy Hour is From 9 to 5, Alexander Kjerulf
• Peak, Chip Conley
• Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work, Jason Fried

43. Thank you.
If you hated us, tell us.
If you loved us, tell the Internet.