The document discusses how agile development and user-centered design (UCD) can work well together despite originating around the same time as a reaction to waterfall development. Both approaches avoid lengthy upfront documentation and releasing in large chunks, and share attributes like iterative development and usability testing. The document provides tips for integrating UCD activities like user research, prototyping, and testing into agile cycles through techniques like collaborative sketching sessions, testing designs ahead of development, and ensuring time for acting on findings. The overarching message is that the entire team must take responsibility for the user experience.

1. Agile and UCD do
play nicely together
Jo Packer - 29th September
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

2. Agile and UCD essentially try to
solve the same problem
• They began around the same time
• Are a reaction to the waterfall method that people were
struggling with
• Both move away from lengthy up-front specification
documents
• Both avoid releasing in epic chunks
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

3. KEY
FEATURES
OF
UCD
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

4. AGILE
AND
UCD
ARE
PRETTY
SIMILIAR
IF
YOU
THINK
ABOUT
IT
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

5. ATTRIBUTES
OF
AGILE
AND
UCD
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

6. BE
AWARE
OF
POTENTIAL
SIDE
EFFECTS
OF
UCD
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

7. “TRYINGTO DESIGN THE WHOLE
THING UP FRONT IS SIMPLYTOO
HARD AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, NOT A
BENEFICIAL WAY OF DEVELOPING
SOFTWARE “
Alan Cooper
The Inmates Are RunningThe Asylum
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

8. BE
AWARE
OF
POTENTIAL
SIDE
EFFECTS
OF
AGILE
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

9. GETTING
THE
BALANCE
RIGHT
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

10. “PROJECT SUCCESS IS NOT PRODUCT
SUCCESS”
Jeff Patton,Agile Alliance
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

11. MAKE
THE
PRODUCTS
WE
BUILD
MORE
ENGAGING
FOR
THE
PEOPLE
THAT
USE
THEM
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

12. EXCEED
PEOPLE’S
EXPECTATIONS
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

13. LETS
RAISE
THE
BAR
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

14. INTERACTIONS
CAN
BE
FUN
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

15. INTERACTIONS
CAN
BE
FUN
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

16. GAME
MECHANICS
ARE
FUN
AND
WORK
IF
USED
CORRECTLY
THEY
HAVE
CAN
A
MASSIVE
IMPACT
ON
USER
BEHAVIOUR
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

17. UX
ACTIVITIES
NEED
TO
BE
MODIFIED
TO
FIT
AGILE
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

18. AGILE
CYCLES
NEED
TO
BE
MODIFIED
TO
ACCOMADATE
UX
ACTIVITY
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

19. HOW
DOES
STRATEGY
FIT
IN?
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

20. SOME
SCRUM
IMPLIMENTATIONS
ADVOCATE
UX
ACTIVITY
IN
CYCLE
0
Diagram
courtesy
of
Anthony
Colfelt
-­‐
Crea6ve
Design
Director
‘Different’
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

21. DON’T
FALL
INTO
A
COMMON
AGILE
UX
STATE
OF
AFFAIRS
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

22. 13 tips to help Agile and UCD
play nicely together
• Always communicate the business and user value of a piece
of work
• Run collaborative sketching / ideas sessions with designers,
developers and QA
• Keep your design iterations one step ahead of development
iterations.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

23. 13 tips to help Agile and UCD
play nicely together
• Work closely with those responsible for the visual design of
the product. Try working in Photoshop together.
• Try keeping your designs to paper sketches and go straight to
front-end development if the product already has a theme /
layout / style defined.
• If you need to make wireframes pick a tool you are fast and
familiar with. 95% should be ideas, 5% tool.
• Build prototypes to test out interactions without the expense
and time of working with production code and going through
the build and QA process.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

24. 13 tips to help Agile and UCD
play nicely together
• Testing with your customers is really important. Test out new
features early and often.
• Regularly test flows and whole areas of your product to
enhance your understanding of how people are using it and
pin point problems they may be facing.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

25. • Ensure shorter feedback loops on user research.Try to
feedback top 5 to the team the next day.
• Block out enough time to analyse and digest research findings
and observations to gain deeper customer insights.
• Ensure time is worked into the schedule for acting on user
research findings.
• Try and become more intimate with the production process
and understanding the materials you are working with.
13 tips to help Agile and UCD
play nicely together
Wednesday, 13 October 2010

26. “THE USER EXPERIENCE OF OUR
PRODUCT IS NOTTHE RESPONSIBILITY OF
ONE PERSON OR DEPARTMENT.
WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE.”
Jo Packer, Songkick
Wednesday, 13 October 2010