Slides from the talk presented by Jen Briselli and Kim Dowd at UXPA Boston 2016: actionable insights for research and design teams to improve collaboration and experience design outcomes.

1. RESEARCH & DESIGN
@jbriselli @kimberlydowdJen Briselli | Kim Dowd

2. Kim
Senior Experience Researcher
Jen
Managing Director, Experience Design

3. Balance
is hard
to find.

4. Balance
is hard
to find.

5. Balance
is hard
to find.
Lack of collaboration = bad experience

6. RESEARCH & DESIGN
@JenBriselli @KimberlyDowd

7. is hard to find.
Balance

8. INSIGHTS & TIPS FOR…
researchers
designers
siloed teams
solo teams
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

9. handoff & disappear model.
Avoid the

10. MAD*POW OVERVIEW | NOV 2015
Adapted from “Double Diamond Model of Product Definition and Design from UK Design Council
DISCOVER SYNTHESIZE GENERATE REFINE
Initial
Insight
Plan/
Strategy
Prototype
EVALUATE
IMPLEMENT
Deployment
Project Lifecycle

11. MAD*POW OVERVIEW | NOV 2015
Adapted from “Double Diamond Model of Product Definition and Design from UK Design Council
DISCOVER SYNTHESIZE GENERATE REFINE
Initial
Insight
Plan/
Strategy
Prototype
EVALUATE
IMPLEMENT
Deployment
Project Lifecycle

12. Planning
Research@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

13. Researchers
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd Planning Research
Involve designers with goal setting
Learn what the research will be
used for & plan study accordingly
Identify issues up front, saves
designer’s time!
Share moderator’s guide to learn
designer’s needs & aid your probes
Designers
Help researchers define the
research goals & plan
Share expectations & questions;
be candid!
Understand the benefits & limitation
of different tools & methods

14. Conducting
Research@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

15. @jbriselli @kimberlydowd Conducting Research
Researchers
Invite the designers in to the
research sessions:
Make it low-commitment
Sell the value
Ask them to help
Bribe with candy
Enlist the research-friendly
designer advocate(s)
Understand the designer’s mental
model & relate findings
Designers
Be available, be interested, show
up!
Take good research notes:
Observations, not assumptions
Observations, not judgments
Observations, not solutions

16. Making Recommendations

17. @jbriselli @kimberlydowd Making Recommendations
Researchers
Meet informally to preview results
and discuss recommendations
Collaborate on recommendations
to move from vague to concrete &
actionable
Works every time!
Designers
Help articulate recommendations
so they’re actionable for design
Help decide the best mode &
format for delivering findings

18. @jbriselli @kimberlydowd
TL;DR:
The meeting with stakeholders should not
be the first time the designer is seeing
recommendations! You’re a team.

19. Creating Solutions
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

20. @jbriselli @kimberlydowd
Creating Solutions
Researchers
Swing by designer’s desk to
participate & reinforce research
Avoid the huge risk of “handoff &
disappear” model at this stage!

21. After I saw that design I thought
‘If you just showed this to me I could
have told you not to do that based on
the research!’
- UX Researcher
“”
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

22. @jbriselli @kimberlydowd
Creating Solutions
Researchers
Swing by designer’s desk to
participate & reinforce research
Avoid the huge risk of “handoff &
disappear” model at this stage!
Designers
Look for opportunities to infuse
research into ideation
Invite researchers into the design
process, especially brainstorming &
critiques

23. Evaluating Solutions

24. Rinse, repeat…
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd
Evaluating Solutions

25. MAD*POW OVERVIEW | NOV 2015
Adapted from “Double Diamond Model of Product Definition and Design from UK Design Council
DISCOVER SYNTHESIZE GENERATE REFINE
Initial
Insight
Plan/
Strategy
Prototype
EVALUATE
IMPLEMENT
Deployment
Beyond a single project…
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

26. Know the Lingo
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

27. Know the Tools
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

28. no substitute for
There is
seeing research
first-hand.
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

29. Many designers don't make time to
watch [research] sessions.
But a few always do… and I can see
the difference in the quality of the
final designs.
- UX Researcher
“”
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

30. Advocate forMake sure you’re playing
for the same trophy.
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

31. Feel investment in each
others’ deliverables.
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

32. Advocate for
necessary resourcing.
Advocate for

33. If you’re siloed…
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

34. View the ‘other’ team as collaborators,
not as clients
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd
Siloed Teams
Add time to the calendar!
Formalized collaboration is still collaboration
Be open to hearing outsider perspectives
(M*P project recaps)
Learn from other teams (M*P buddy system)

35. If you’re a
one-person team…
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd

36. Create separate spaces for design and research:
@jbriselli @kimberlydowd
One-Person Team
Separate the activities and the deliverables
Use a proxy/stand-in
physical
mental
virtual

38. TL;DR

39. Talk to each other.
Don’t disappear.
(Early & often)
(For very long)
Butt in. & Welcome the butting in.

42. THANK YOU!
Jen Briselli
Kim Dowd @kimberlydowd
@jbriselli