The practice of user experience has grown more sophisticated, produced higher quality online products, and gained wider acceptance beyond the design community. Still, so many potentially wonderful experiences disappoint and many talented design teams are excluded from decisions that fundamentally affect the experience. Why? Two words: ineffective communication. Attendees will learn specific, proven techniques that can be applied in their own work environment to streamline communication and build more team cohesion. Sarah will present a variety of tools and strategies that have proven useful and highly effective for building arguments, communicating clearly with stakeholders, building trust, and gaining a seat at the strategic table. Attendees will leave empowered to apply these techniques in their own practice and develop their own tools to suit their personality and work environment.

1. Bullet Proof Communication
Techniques: A UX Strategist's Guide
Sarah B. Nelson, Principal of User Experience

2. hu man
user experience

4. 50% of our job
0% of our training

5. “The frightening and most difficult thing
about being what someone calls a ‘creative
person’ is that you have absolutely no idea
where any of your thoughts come from,
and you have no idea where they’re going
to come from tomorrow.”
— from “Art and Copy”

7. image of meeting room

13. work smarter
not harder

14. essentials
basic communication
skills
ideas
creative ways to
communicate

15. essentials
listening
know yourself
understand others

16. essentials
listening
know yourself
understand others

17. Let’s do this*
1. Meet the person next to you
2. Choose a Listener and Speaker
3. Speaker: Speak for 1.5 minutes
4. Listener: Just listen. Don’t comment or speak.
Talk about an object that you have
or want to have that you love.
* thanks to Kevin Brooks for this great exercise

19. essentials
listening
know yourself
understand others

20. “Emotional Literacy is made up of ‘the ability
to understand your emotions, the ability to
listen to others and empathise with their
emotions, and the ability to express emotions
productively. To be emotionally literate is to
be able to handle emotions in a way that
improves your personal power and improves
the quality of life around you. Emotional
literacy improves relationships, creates loving
possibilities between people, makes co-
operative work possible, and facilitates the
feeling of community.”
— Charles Steiner

21. Fear

22. essentials
listening
know yourself
understand others

24. essentials
basic communication
skills
ideas
creative ways to
communicate

25. participatory design

26. Designing with users,
not for users.

27. st akeh old ers
either
Users aren’t designers.

29. VP Marketing designer engineers
designer CFO
designer
CEO
VP Call Center

30. ideas
go visual
ditch the deck
create experiences

31. apps-on.com

32. uistencils.com

33. other visual tools
worksheets
posters
paper dolls

34. persona idea number
compelling
title considerations
for other
personas
clear space
for ideas

35. designer
designer CFO operations

36. other visual tools
worksheets
posters
paper dolls

38. These posters were used to add detail to a concept
then evaluate its desirability to users, feasibility for
implementation, and viability in the marketplace.

39. other visual tools
worksheets
posters
paper dolls

44. ideas
go visual
ditch the deck
create experiences

45. Foundation Engagement
Concept Development
Analysis & Vision
Customer Research 4 weeks
Discovery 2 weeks
1 week
2 weeks
Interviews and Workshops
Customer Interviews
Concept Development
Sketch and Concept Workshop
Customer Identification
& Prioritization
Metrics Analysis
Value Proposition Articulation Customer Testing
Persona Workshop
Brand, Visual, and Competitive Analysis
Message Articulation
ting
Concept Development and Tes Rackspace
Analyzing the results What is the best model for expressin
g the
Talking with Your Customers Did our hypothesis hold up? brand while delivering on the need
s of customers?
Your Customers tified customers?
What is our hypothesis about our iden What opportunities exist? Do our ideas work?
Who are they? What specifically do we need to know from them?
What do you know about them? e now? Fanatical Will customers accept this?
e? How are they experiencing Rackspac Imagining the Future Will it meet our success criteria?
What do they want from Rackspac Support? a design and
Wha t do you want them to experience? What do these findings mean from
business view point?
Understanding the Metrics e.com look like?
Your Business How do people actually behave on
the site? What could a re-imagined Rackspac
What implications are there for product o erings and Experience Principles
How will you measure success? Where are the bumps? What’s work
ing?
other Rackspace experiences?
What KPIs are you using and are they
the right ones?
opportunities? experience be? Walk in the customers’ shoes
are you striving for?
Where are the What should the core aspects of the
What outcomes
What is the competitive landscape? n Focus, focus, focus
Understanding the Competitio ors?
petit
How do customers think about your
com Collaborate and include
Your Organization Where does Rackspace sit in their mental mod
el?
What attributes are unique to Rack
space’s culture?
Where space could Rackspac e occupy if it doesn’t already? Hypothesize, make and test
How will that culture a ect the success of this project?
?
Who needs to be involved? And how
Kim, and Sarah B. Nelson
| prepared byt Dan Harrelson, Julie
arch Engagement | April 27, 2011
Hot Studio | Proposal for Rackspace Strategy and Rese

46. Volvelle image

47. ideas
go visual
ditch the deck
create experiences

50. design the process
1) visualize the outcome
2) know the attendees
3) design it, then forget it

51. design the process
1) visualize the outcome
2) know the attendees
3) design it, then forget it

52. design the process
1) visualize the outcome
2) know the attendees
3) design it, then forget it

53. design the process
1) visualize the outcome
2) know the attendees
3) design it, then forget it

54. thank you
sarah.nelson@hotstudio.com
www.hotstudio.com
sarah.b.nelson@gmail.com
www.sarahbnelson.com
@sarahbeee
sarahbnelson.tumblr.com