UX on Agile – how to make it work

Pradeep Joseph

UX Design Manager

Juniper Networks, Bangalore

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Agile for Dummies

Wikipedia says: Agile Software Development is a group of software development methodologies based on iterative and incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams.

Not features, but User Stories

Scrum Chicken Pig Sashimi *

* Not off a Japanese restaurant menu

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Agile for Dummies

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Project backlog

Feedback

Demo

2-3 weeks sprint

planning

Dev & Testing Fit &

finish

How does it affect design?

Not the way I used to work

Prototyping – sorry, no wastage of code

Design within a time frame – always

Follow-up eats into design time

Catch up mode, hard to be ahead of the curve

Feedback, user testing becomes shallow

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1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

According to Craig Villamor, Extreme usability: adapting research approaches for Agile development @ CHI 2008

5 phases of Agile adoption for UX people

1. Involve from the beginning

2. No “Us” vs. “Them”

3. Do what is needed

4. Art of letting go

5. Persistence pays

+1

How to make it work

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1.Involve from the beginning

The invitation may never come

Assume leadership, reach out

Ask Questions, Question Answers

Place yourself “in” the Team

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2. No “Us” vs. “Them”

There is only ONE team

Understand your team

Skin in the game

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3. Do what is needed – in time

Just needed, in time

What you do matters, not How you do

Guerilla methods

Improvise and adapt techniques

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4. Art of letting go

Develop allies

You can’t carry it all alone

Keep ego under check

Encourage, motivate but direct

Don’t police but patrol

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5. Persistence pays

Communicate – why UX is good

Communicate – why we need UX

Communicate – how you can help

I have already told them but check they’ve done it or not

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+1. This too shall pass

Put team goals first

Lose battles to win the war

Keep the larger picture in mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Think of Randy Pausch

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1. Involve from the beginning

How to make it work

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+1. This too shall pass

5. Persistence pays

4. Art of letting go

3. Do what is needed

2. No “Us” vs. “Them”

1-5 from 2 years of experience

+1 from 13 years of experience

pradeepjoseph@yahoo.com

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Now, where is my lunch?