1. WTF is UX?
And Why Your Career Depends On It
September, 2015
Joe Szabo, Vice President, User Experience
BBDO Canada

2. Joe Szabo
User Experience Designer

3. 2000
Copywriter

4. Zima banner ad circa 1994

5. zima.com circa 1994

6. GM.ca circa 2003

7. WTF is UX?

8. 1. what is UX?
2. how does it work?
3. what is the value of UX?

9. WTF is UX?

11. 14 people, 42 data points

12. user-centric approach

13. “Explain/define UX. What it is, what it
isn't, how valuable it is, how it applies to
various channels.”

14. innovations in communication design

15. 1377 - the Jikji is printed using movable metal

16. 1440 - Johannes Gutenberg introduces the printing press to the West

17. 1883 - Benjamin Day designs the first form of communications to rely
solely on advertising revenue

18. 1959 - Bill Bernbach creates the Art Director / Copywriter model

19. art director + copywriter

20. 1995 - The Internet Goes Mainstream

21. Google X Project Loom providing internet access to the world

22. The Evolution of Control

23. control the brands
control the content
control the people

24. UX researcher
UX designer
UI designer
visual designer
content strategist
interaction designer
front-end developer
user experience design roles

25. user experience designers
are primarily concerned with how the
product “feels”

26. “ We should show users the
'Thank You' page once they have
finished signing up. ”

27. user interface (UI) designers are particular
about how the product is laid out

28. “ The login and sign up links should
be moved to the top right corner. ”

29. a visual design is known as
a ‘pixel pusher’

30. “ The kerning is off and the button
should be 1 pixel to the left! ”

31. UX researchers are the champions
of user needs

32. “ From our research, a typical user... ”

33. interaction designers deal with what the
interface does after a user touches it

34. “ The menu should ease-in from
the left in 800ms ”

35. the internet is constantly evolving
UX encompasses all interactions with a brand
there are many roles within UX
UX designers don’t make things “digital”
UX is not just websites
key takeaways

36. “I would like to see how it (UX) can help
shape/guide creative thinking for
campaigns rather than being brought in
after the concept or tactics are
established.”

37. how does UX work?

38. UX supports the user journey
Omni-channel is not about designing “single experiences”
It’s about supporting a connected, user journey across devices and phases of engagement

39. step 1: analysis & ideation
1. Stakeholder Interviews: Understand fully and completely the
problem we are trying to solve.
2. Contextual Interviews: Understand what users need from your
brands, when and why.
3. Personas: Group archetypes into like-minded individuals.
4. Ideas: How do we solve our client’s problem?

43. 4 simple things
1. get EMPATHY (intent + motivation + context = behaviour )
2. put your client’s business on a 360 degree engagement cycle
3. channel strategy and tactics that support users’ needs
4. prioritize the opportunities according to the value to the business, the user
and technical feasibility

44. involve UX designers sooner and upfront
spend more time defining the problem
insist on multi-disciplinary teams
be open to new process (clients are)
key takeaways

45. “Would love to see UX approach the
consumer journey... How a consumer
sees a billboard then a TV spot, then a
transit ad then a promoted tweet. Would
be cool to design campaigns using UX
principles.”

46. “ Consumers are hacking the
customer journey to work for
them how, when, where and why
they need to accomplish their
tasks and goals.”
Brian Solis

51. x
x

53. UX has become the journey
from connected device
to connected device
from one context
to another
UX is the journey

54. customers are hacking their journey
omni-channel is better than multi-channel
don’t think about a message
think about the journey your customer is on
think about how you can be relevant to her
key takeaways

55. “Continue to show enough value for UX in
front of clients that they don't hesitate to
pay for it.”

56. what is the value of UX?

57. ROI
increased sales
increased productivity
increase customer satisfaction & loyalty
decreased training & support costs
decreased development time & costs
decreased maintenance costs

59. brands
apple
coca-cola
herman-miller
IBM
nike
procter & gamble
starbucks

61. identify key variables for design ROI
formulas can prove what UX is worth
the best brands in the world think design (it shows
in the experience and the financial statement)
key takeaways

67. improving pictures doubled weekly revenue
to $400 per week

68. the simple change from a star to a heart increased
engagement by over 30%

69. look for patterns in your data
put empathy in your design solution
think outside of your comfort zone
simple changes can make a huge difference
key takeaways

70. “ No single competency is enabling
us to elevate the ______ brand
more than our global leadership in
mobile, digital, and loyalty. ”

73. let technology do whatever a user can do,
so she doesn't have to

74. + 20% of Starbucks total sales
come from their mobile app

75. let technology do what the user can do
keep mobile experiences simple
digital can deliver ridiculous revenues
key takeaways

78. technology can change an entire business model
and how consumers feel about your brand
key takeaways

79. “ Is there one thing I can read to more
fully understand your approach to user
experience?”

80. 2 UX resources

81. 1 book

82. 1 movie: “design disruptors”

83. “ What can I do, as a creative, to help
make a better UX experience? ”

84. Joe Szabo
User Experience Designer

85. questions?