Chart Your Path to Product Leadership

Bill DeRoucheyUXcamp Ottawa

Chart Your Path to

Product Leadership

I’ve been thinking about

UX Careers.

I don’t have all the answers.

We are all quite

Lucky.

Our job is to talk to people,

flickr : kunchia

and learn from them,

flickr : kunchia

and then make things for them.

Studio Neat : Cosmonaut

But we have a

Problem.

It’s extremely di!cult to

Plan a UX Career.

As an example, my path...

1993 Production & Layout of Textbooks1998 Web Producer / Writer / Print Manager2003 Freelancing Information Architect2008 Interaction Design of Products2013 Studio Lead, GE Aviation

But then I began to hunt for

Real Problems.

Problems or

Opportunities?

the webwebtouch

2013198819781968 1998 2008 203820282018 20582048

?flexible displays?

personalreplicators?

neural nanoimplants?

datadermal patches?

the webconnectivity

economic churn

2013198819781968 1998 2008 203820282018 20582048

?foodriots?

healthcarecrisis?

energyshortfalls?

risingoceans?

Problems will become more

Dramatic.

FoodEnergy

BankingEducationInsurance

Transportation

WaterScienceSocial CareHealth CareGovernmentEnvironment

That world will need quality

Leadership.

That world will need

Your Skills.

That world will need

You.

Agent of Change

What are the future leadership skills you

Already Know?

How to learn about people in their worlds.

1

How to approach a problem with an open mind.

2

How to dig deep to understand what the real problem is.

3

How to distill, frame, and explain the problem.

4

How to experimentwith solutions.

5

So what skills do you need to

Learn Next?

CustomersContext

BehavioursProcesses

PainsGoals

InteractionsBusiness

People

Technology

Customers SoftwareHardware

MaterialsMobile

Context

BehavioursProcesses

PainsGoals

Interactions

Networks

BusinessPeo

pleTechnology

People

TechnologyBusiness

Customers SoftwareHardware

MaterialsMobile

Context

Behaviours

Budgeting Business Models

Processes

Strategy

PainsGoals

Interactions

Networks

Money

Marketing

Planning Change Management

People

TechnologyBusiness

Customers SoftwareHardware

MaterialsMobile

Context

Behaviours

Budgeting Business Models

Processes

Strategy

YOU

PainsGoals

Interactions

Networks

Money

Marketing

Planning Change Management

People

TechnologyYOU

Who are you trying to help?

What materials do you have to

work with?

How will the solution survive in the world?

Business

ShipStart

The usual way.

Learn about the people.

Explore available technology.

Explore potential solutions.

The better way.

ShipStart Stick

If nothing happens here......then this meant nothing.

How will your solution thrive in the world?

Business is the mechanism for making

Solutions Thrive.

Pitching. How do you get a project started?Financing. How will all this e"ort be paid for?Development. How will it be manufactured?Marketing. How will people learn about it?Adoption. How will people commit to using it?Metrics. How do you know you’re doing well?

In corporate-speak, solutions need to get

Operationalized.

Learning this world helps you to

Shepherd Ideas.

How do you

Get Started?

Recognize your strengths.

1

Practice clarity.

2

Notice when design problems are really business problems.

3

Learn your company’s business model.

4

Uncover barriersto customer adoption.

5

Learn how an industry works.

6

FoodEnergy

BankingEducationInsurance

Transportation

WaterScienceSocial CareHealth CareGovernmentEnvironment

Act as if YOU are the product leader.

7

Start by trying this

Exercise.

You+5 yrs

Youtoday

1. Picture yourself five years older.

You+5 yrs

Youtoday

Leading a Team

2. Pick a vision for what you’ll be doing.

You+5 yrs

Youtoday

Guiding ProjectsMentoring People

Providing Feedback

Leading a Team

3. What are aspects of that vision?

You+5 yrs

Youtoday

Guiding ProjectsMentoring People

Providing Feedback

Leading a Team

4. That’s what you should work on!

You+5 yrs

Youtoday

Guiding ProjectsMentoring People

Providing Feedback

Leading a Team

☺☺

☺

☺☺

☺

5. Find mentors to help you on your path.

Metoday

Me+5 yrs

Project EvangelismIndustry Dynamics

Change Management

Run Complex Initiatives

For example, here’s my plan.

☺☺

☺

☺☺

☺

Youtoday

You+5 yrs

an aspect of thatanother aspect of thatand one more thing

SomethingYou Love

So, what does your future look like?

☺☺

☺

☺☺

☺

Build upon your UX skills to become a leader and solve real problems in the world.

Bill DeRoucheyUXcamp Ottawa

Thank You.