Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Does your company get it?

A lot of companies will say "User experience is so important!" Don't listen to their words, learn how much they respect UX by their process.

Get it

Companies that get it have at least a few of these qualities:

  • UX is an understood, required, and integrated part in the product development process
  • DevelopmentQA, and PMS collaborate with user experience--ask questions during reviews and read deliverables. An engaged team ask smart questions
  • Designs are regularly validated with users or through hallway usability testing
  • UX speaks not just design but analytics and business value 
  • The code base is performance optimized and global changes aren't painful because they use sprite images, error messages in one location, and smart global and template specific .css
  • QA's test cases cite the visual design comps and wireframe specifications
  • The product team is engaged in user testing 

Don't get it

Companies that don't get it are like this:

  • Development either fights tooth and nail with every innovation because it doesn't come free with their framework OR the dev team nods politely as UX presents wireframes/comps then builds whatever they'd like
  • QA and TechDocs are not invited or involved until development is underway or worse, nearly finished. 
  • The company does not give product teams access to users 
  • There is no product vision that guides the long term thinking 
  • No Product Managers or Developers observing any usability testing sessions (face palm on this one!)
  • They ask UX for comps ASAP (in other words, they don't understand the difference between UX and visual design)
  • Requirements do not get their own 

No comments: