Incorporating UX into an Agile Methodology

Amy Powell | Texas Law

So What Is Agile?The Agile Manifesto

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

• Working software over comprehensive documentation

• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

• Responding to change over following a plan

Main Parts of Agile• Stories - Key elements of the system (user

tasks)

• Backlog - Prioritized list of story cards

• Sprint - Developmental cycle

• Scrum - Daily team communication

• Burndown Chart - Chart that tracks works

• Spike - Time allowed to learn

Three Principles for Incorporating UX into

Agile

• Iterate: Make Mistakes Faster

• Scale: Do It With Less

• Simplify: Keep It “Good Enough”

“The main change for user experience practitioners who must support an Agile

team is in mindset.”

Iterate -Make Mistakes Faster

• Use Sprint Zero to your advantage

• Work one sprint ahead

• Think in small chunks

“By making your UX work predictive rather than reactive, you will have the answers to user experience questions

before the team asks.”

Scale -Do it with less

• Use low-fi work and guerrilla tactics

• Less reports, more action

• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize

“The trick is to ensure that any small amount of up-front time that you have is

used wisely.”

Simplify -Keep it “good enough”

• Say NO

• Be okay with mistakes

• You don’t need to know it all up front

“Sometimes a team needs to fail slightly in order to realize they have a need for more or different data.”

How I Did It - Sprint 0

Lessons I Learned• It’s easy to second guess yourself through

the whole project. Don’t.

• Be flexible and PAUSE if needed.

• Listen to your team. Learn from them.

• When planning, think in smaller chunks.

Lessons I Learned• A slower pace doesn’t mean less productivity.

• It’s harder than you think to design mobile-first & atomically.

• Purposely make mistakes to find solutions.

• Design Studios are fun but a lot of work.

Deliverables Created in 10 Days

• Competitor Analysis

• Usability Tests & Highlight Video

• Personas

• Design Scenarios

• Online Survey

• Survey Results

• Sketched Wireframes

• Digital Wireframes

• Working Prototype

• User Stories

Final Thoughts on UX + Agile

• UX must work one step ahead

• Use design spikes

• Work as a team

• Work through chaos by prioritizing

• Always know the most valuable thing you can do

• UX is the gatekeeper role

"If there isn’t an evangelical, charismatic and well-respected individual on the team who will push the Agile process, become

that person."