Slowing Down The Machine

Megan Schwarz & Brian Bono

Interrupting Process for the Greater Good

Slowing DownThe Machine

#ias14 #SlowDown

Brian BonoAssociate Creative Director

at Commonwealth

Megan SchwarzUser Experience Architect

at Team Detroit

@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333 #ias14 #SlowDown

Hello. And we are...

The Office:1 Client1500 EmployeesA LOT OF PROCESSES


We Get Shit Done.


Process is good. but...


it can feel like a runaway train.


We’ve tried to change ours.

@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333

We’ve failed. So many times.

#ias14 #SlowDown

Then we tried something different.


And it worked.

#ias14 #SlowDown

What did we do differently?


Empathy over Logic

#ias14 #SlowDown

Example 1:Failing with logic


Organize the videos on our YouTube page to make it easier for users to find content.


Our Client’s Request

#ias14 #SlowDown

The team completelyignored us.

Why did logic fail to change our process?


The process isn’t inflexible. People are.


People have attitudes that can impact the potential for change.

Often unconscious mental models

Elements of Organizational Culture


Assumptions

Beliefs and IdeologiesValues

Processes and behaviorsActions

Attitudes

#ias14 #SlowDown

Feelings and emotions

- Schein

Attitudeis learned.

If you want to change attitudes, you need to understand your organizational culture.

#ias14 #SlowDown@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333

em·pa·thy/ˈempəTHē/nounnoun: empathy

1. the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.


Let’s try this again.


Example 2:Succeeding with empathy


Next project: The Awesome App


“So I have this app idea…Can you explore the possibilities

...in two months?”

Our Client’s Request


“Let’s build a prototype

...in two months.”

Our Team’s Reaction


The problem with that


We needed to slow down.

#ias14 #SlowDown@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333

Our Team


Clients

Strategy UX Creative Research

Executive Stakeholder

PMTech Account




Impulsive

Angst

Territorial

Disregard

Apathy

Our Teams’ Attitudes


Impulsive

Angst

Territorial

Disregard

Apathy


Impulsive:Project Impact

I am the user (or my son is… or my mom… or my best friend from high school)

Impulsive: How we got here.


Assumptions

People are rewarded for having answers not asking questions

Values

Start project by brainstorming solutions up front

Actions

Attitudes

#ias14 #SlowDown

Impulsive

Impulsive: Problem ApproachListened to stakeholders individually

Emerged two themes: gaming & utility

Organized notes onto continuum

Showed Brian’s boss


Impulsive: Leadership Division

012 321

Gaming Utility

3



Impulsiveness

Doubt

We were on that doubt like white on rice



Impulsive: Action

Brainstorming solutions was replaced with discussing research

#ias14 #SlowDown

Impulsiveness

Doubt

Excitement


…about research


Impulsive: Result

Team wanted to get involved in research planning

#ias14 #SlowDown


Impulsive

Angst

Territorial

Disregard

Apathy


Angst:Project Impact

We need to be ahead of our competitors to show relevance

Angst: How we got here


Assumptions

Product delivery over product qualityValues

Timeline set to accommodate bare minimum time needed

Actions

Attitudes

#ias14 #SlowDown

Angst

Angst: Problem ApproachAcknowledged team confusion

Implemented a NO DESIGN rule

Kept project idea fuzzy

Didn’t take ownership over idea



Angst

Compliance

Angst: Action

The less we talked about design, the more we were ok with it


Angst

Compliance

Comfort


Angst: Result

We stopped talking about design completely




Impulsive

Angst

Territorial

Disregard

Apathy

Territorial:Project Impact

My influence over the project is determined by my role

Territorial: How we got here


Assumptions

Subject matter experts are divided by departments

Values

People are only involved in the project when they can contribute

Actions

Attitudes

#ias14 #SlowDown

Territorial

Territorial: Problem Approach


Listened to researchers

Validated concerns

Communicated our value

Expressed willingness to learn


Territorial

Cooperation

This wasn’t enough. We were greedy.

Territorial: Action

Started to build a UX strategy from the research


and asked for more

Territorial

Cooperation

Trust


Territorial: Result

Developed questionnaire for user interviews together



Impulsive

Angst

Territorial

Disregard

Apathy


Disregard:Project Impact

The optimal tools to communicate knowledge have already been defined

Disregard: How we got here


Assumptions

Deliverables mark milestones and demonstrate cross department involvement

Values

Deliverable seen as green light to move into the next phase

Actions

Attitudes

#ias14 #SlowDown

Disregard

Disregard: Problem Approach


Team based affinity diagrammingBrainstormed ways to show resultsCreated template for experience mapMade it our own

#ias14 #SlowDown



Disregard

Interest

Disregard: Action


One sentence to rule them all.

- Gamestorming

#ias14 #SlowDown

Disregard

Interest

Commitment


Disregard: Result

All design discussions have connected to this sentence



Impulsive

Angst

Territorial

Disregard

Apathy


Apathy:Project Impact

Organizational culture can only be impacted by leadership

Apathy: How we got here


Assumptions

Organizational culture is reflective of leadership goals

Values

No flexibility for team culture is built into the process

Actions

Attitudes

#ias14 #SlowDown

Apathy

Apathy: Problem Approach


Process unified team

Team understood why behind what

Stakeholders and clients were excited about the result


Apathy

Support

Apathy: Action

Teammates shared project details within departments


Apathy

Support

Advocacy


Apathy: Result

People started coming to us asking about the process



After Two MonthsThe prototype was replaced with a deep understanding of our users and a clear direction for design

We are building on our small wins.Thats how change happens.


We opened their minds with empathy. Then we killed them with logic.


Change doesn’t happen overnight

Its messyIts hardFailure is inevitable

#ias4 #SlowDown@Megan_Schwarz & @bbono333 #ias14 #SlowDown

Keep trying

The Heart of ChangeJohn Kotter and Dan Cohen

GamestormingDave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo

Radical Innovation: Crossing Knowledge Boundaries with Interdisciplinary TeamsAlan Blackwell, Lee Wilson, Alice Street, Charles Boulton, John Knell

Organizational Culture and LeadershipEdgar Schein

Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create, Connect, and InspireBruce Nussbaum

Determining What Good Means http://www.slideshare.net/UXSTRAT/ux-strat-2013-dan-klyn

Dan Klyn

Our Friends (well, we wish they were)


T. Hanks

Slowing Down The Machine

Technology

bbono333 impulsive

bbono333 empathy

slowdown people

slowdown feelings

bbono333 weve

slowdown hello

slowdown angst compliance

bbono333 assumptions