This document discusses different approaches to user experience (UX) design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams. It argues that all teams use the same design process of thinking, making, and checking models, but may start at different points. The key is sharing models to gain understanding, rather than making deliverables. Fidelity and annotation can be used to improve how models communicate understanding. To avoid becoming "UX zombies" focused on process over outcomes, teams should ask questions about their goals and how their work improves understanding of users, interfaces, interactions and systems.

1. HACKING UX
ies
mb
Zo
better design for agile,
lean, and waterfall teams
by
Austin Govella
@austingovella
THE DIRECTOR’S CUT
From “Hacking UX: better maximizing valuelean, andand lean teams” by Austin Govella, Feb 7, 2013
From “The Design Age: design for agile, in agile waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

2. Waterfall UX
UX Zombies
old fashioned
really, really slow
obsessed with getting into
their users’ heads
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

3. Agile UX
Agile Zombies
contemporary
process
everything’s a sprint
obsessed with getting to
users as quickly as possible
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

4. Lean UX
LEAN Zombies
design is a series
of questions
less concerned
with appearances
does everything
as a team
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

5. UX Zombies
Super Lean UX
Team one, daily scrums, and a two week sprint.
We were adding functionality to let users access autogenerated data quality reports. Similar functionality
(reports) existed elsewhere in the app, so the team got
together, discussed the scenarios, and agreed to tweak an
existing design pattern.
We sketched a few screens on the whiteboard, and we
were done.
There were a couple of follow-up questions around how
users would access the new screen, and we handled those
with a couple of hallway conversations.
We designed the feature through conversation.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

6. WHERE WAS THE
DESIGN?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

7. The Models
Design is a modeling discipline. The design process
creates models we use to validate predictions about a
system. Design validates what we expect against what
we perceive. We architect systems that engender
expectations and perceptions. Experience is the gap
between expectation and perception. We design this
gap. We design experience.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

8. Introduction
Design Has 4
Models
1.The
2.The
3.The
4.The
User
Interface
Interaction
System
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

9. The Models
o
Users
You always have a picture in your head about who the
users is. Your team’s image of the user is a collective
version of what everyone has in their heads.
From “The Design Age: maximizing value in agile and lean teams” by Austin Govella, Feb 7, 2013

10. The Models
p
Interfaces
You always have an idea of what the interface will be.
For most of us, this is usually a screen.
From “The Design Age: maximizing value in agile and lean teams” by Austin Govella, Feb 7, 2013

11. The Models
Interactions
o
p
The way that User in your head uses the Interface in
your head over time, that’s the Interaction.
From “The Design Age: maximizing value in agile and lean teams” by Austin Govella, Feb 7, 2013

12. The Models
Systems
o
o
p
o
p
o
p
p
The System is how multiple Interactions affect each other.
From “The Design Age: maximizing value in agile and lean teams” by Austin Govella, Feb 7, 2013

13. WHAT DO WE DO
WITH THE MODELS?
We share them.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

14. WHY DO WE SHARE
OUR MODELS?
To share our understanding.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

15. WHY SHARE OUR
UNDERSTANDING?
So we can iterate and refine.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

16. Introduction
Sharing Models Is
The “process”
Agile, lean, and design all have a
different process for creating,
sharing, and evaluating models.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

17. The Process
2. Plan
1. Review
3. Build
The Agile Process
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

18. The Process
3. Learn
Plan
Review
Build
2. Measure
1. Build
Lean Startup
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

19. The Process
1. Think
Plan
Build
Learn
Review
Measure
Build
3. Check
2. Make
Lean UX
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

20. The Process
Think
Plan
Learn
Review
Check
Measure
Build
Make
It’s A Universal
Process
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

21. The Process
Same Race,
Staggered Starts
AGILE
LEAN
DESIGN
Plan
Learn
Think
Build
Build
Make
Review
Measure
Check
Agile, lean, waterfall, design, whatever all use the same
process. They all have the same steps. They “start” at a
different point.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

22. The Process
Sure, but the
deliverables are
all different, right?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

23. The Process
No.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

24. The Process
You aren’t
delivering a
document.
The deliverable is
understanding.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

25. Introduction
UX Zombies Make
Deliverables
If your process is all about process,
then you are a UX Zombie. It doesn’t
matter if you’re agile, lean, or
waterfall. You’re still a zombie.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

26. The Process
You aren’t
delivering a
document.
The deliverable is
understanding.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

27. A MANIFESTO FOR
USER EXPERIENCE
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

28. Manifesto
Designers don’t design anything.
Organizations design everything.
Just as your best thinker improves
everything, that one person in your
group who doesn’t understand user
experience creates a drag on every
product or service you produce.
To create better experiences, you
have to create better organizations.
You have to improve your organization’s design literacy. You have to
improve the design literacy of
everyone in the group.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

29. Manifesto
Organizations face common barriers
to designing better experiences.
These barriers — value, focus, time,
memory, talent, process, and
improvement — represent the
distance between you and the
balanced teams your organization
needs to create better experiences.
Sometimes these cultural barriers
are codified into your organization’s
process. Sometimes they exist as
hidden assumptions in your team
member's minds.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

30. Manifesto
Don’t change what you do.
Change how you do it.
Your design activities don’t change.
Change how you work with your
team. Change how you work, so your
goal is always a better organization
instead of a better product. Change
how you accomplish the design, so
that you are always improving your
team’s design literacy.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

31. Manifesto
Start Today
Don’t look for the next
opportunity.
The one you have in hand is
the opportunity.
— Paul Arden
From “The Design Age: maximizing value in agile and lean teams” by Austin Govella, Feb 7, 2013

32. SO, HOW DO I
CHANGE?
It’s all about fidelity.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

33. Fidelity
Fidelity
How close is your
model is to the
real thing?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

34. Fidelity
sketch
wireframe
visual comp
lower fidelity
higher fidelity
Fidelity is easy to understand when you compare a sketch to
a final visual design.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

35. Fidelity
Four Types Of
Fidelity
1.Visual
2.Behavioral
3.Content
4.Contextual
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

36. Fidelity
Visual Fidelity
Does your model
look like the real
thing?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

37. Fidelity
Visual Fidelity
wireframe
visual comp
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

38. Fidelity
Behavioral
Fidelity
Does your model
behave like the
real thing?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

39. Fidelity
Behavioral
Fidelity
no visible behavior
links, search forms, and a dropdown
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

40. Fidelity
Content Fidelity
How close is your
model’s content
to the real thing’s
content?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

41. Fidelity
Content Fidelity
greeked content
sample content
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

42. Fidelity
Contextual
Fidelity
How close is your
model’s context to
the real thing’s
context?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

43. Fidelity
Contextual
Fidelity
the comp in a browser window
the entire comp
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

44. HOW DO I USE
FIDELITY?
It’s all about understanding.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

45. Understanding
Three Types Of
Understanding
1.Tacit
2.Explicit
3.Implicit
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

46. Understanding
Tacit
Understanding
What does your
audience naturally
understand?
(This is cultural.)
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

47. Understanding
Tacit
Understanding
Most people understand that the magnifying glass means “search”.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

48. Understanding
Explicit
Understanding
What does your
model tell your
audience?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

49. Understanding
Explicit
Understanding
“View My Profile Page” tells your audience what that text does. It’s probably a link
(even though it’s gray) , and it probably takes you to your “profile page”.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

50. Understanding
Implicit
Understanding
What can your
audience learn
about your model?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

51. Understanding
Implicit
Understanding
Click the blue, post button once, and you learn it lets you post a new Tweet. At first glance, you
don’t know what the blue button does, and the interface doesn’t tell you what it does, either.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

52. Understanding
Fidelity Affects
Understanding
Your model’s fidelity affects how well
your audience can answer your
question.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

53. Understanding
Models Are
Hypotheses
What hypothesis are you trying to test? The User, the
Interface, the Interaction, or the System?
Who is your audience?
What does your audience need to understand to
evaluate your hypothesis?
How can you tailor your fidelity to the question you
want to answer?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

54. WHAT IF FIDELITY
ISN’T ENOUGH?
Then you annotate.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

55. Annotation
Annotation
Assists Fidelity
Annotation is a way of improving fidelity without improving fidelity. Parts of your
model that require tacit or implicit understanding can be annotated, so your model
communicates in a more explicit fashion.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

56. SO... HOW DO I USE
THIS TO KILL
UX ZOMBIES?
Ask yourself questions.
Zombies can’t co-exist with questions.
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

57. Questions
When You Want To
Use A Method...
Are you
thinking,
making, or
checking
your models?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

58. Questions
When You Make
An Artifact...
Are you modeling
users,
interfaces,
interactions, or
systems?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

59. Questions
When You Share
An Artifact...
What question are
you asking?
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013

60. FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Download Hacking UX: an illustrated primer, a presentation/e-book on how to hack
your UX process for any team, agile, waterfall, or lean.
My blog about agile, lean, and balanced UX:
www.thinkingandmaking.com/ux-lab
Follow me on Twitter: @austingovella
From “Hacking UX ZOMBIES: better design for agile, lean, and waterfall teams” by Austin Govella, Oct 17, 2013