Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. What the Heck Just Happened in There? User experience designers spend a lot of time adding to and refining their professional toolkit: research methods, workshop methods, prototyping tools, presentation tools, what's new in interaction, devices and visual design trends. It can become their world. As a result, they …
The Range of Stakeholder / Client Personas
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. There are 64 potential client personas possible according to this model. The best and worst clients summarized: The full matrix, in development, is here. In the end, your success will be highly determined by the following three actions: Empathize with your client’s mindset (end user research is always inferred) …
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The Stakeholder / Client’s Design Contribution
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. There are two dimensions to a client’s ability to make a design contribution to a project: Understands the software design process, and development methodologies – waterfall, iterative, agile, and experience in design process Client involvement: understands the quirks of completing design projects within the organization. This may include …
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Ability to Contribute
Copied from "Business Contribution" on UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. There are two dimensions considered in a client’s ability to make a business contribution to a digital project: Subject matter / core competency expertise Digital business expertise Subject Matter Expertise Ten years ago, there was a very clear delineation between the digital project team delivering …
Trust Within a Team
Copied from "Personal Investment" on UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. The unsaid questions present in any group are: Are you working with me, with us, or only for you? Are you telling me the truth? Will you participate in this project to the fullest of your abilities or am I going to have to carry your …
Stakeholder / Client Personas: a Theory
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. At the beginning of a project with a new client, the client team can appear to be an amorphous mass. Personalities and decision-making hierarchy emerge as the project progresses. As individual personalities emerge, it becomes easier to know how to communicate, and how to exert influence over the team …
Why Did Your Team Win the Work?
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. Congratulations! You won the job! Obviously your firm was the best fit. Working on the proposal all weekend without pay was worth it! Alternately, you lost. My condolences. Working all weekend seems like a pretty bad idea right now, doesn't it? Do you know why you won the …
About UnderstandingClients.com
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. This website sprung from my presentation Understanding Client Dynamics at Girl Geeks Toronto in September of 2014. Designers become more valuable to their team when they understand how to achieve a client's goal while creating a great experience for customers and users. When you can demonstrate to your team and to clients that you can …
Designers Are Not Clients
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. Very early on in our design education, we have drilled into us that "designers are not users". We need to understand our users' needs. We cannot assume that users will share our needs, attitudes or comfort with technology, or that our users will have the same mental model about how a …
Where People Sit in Meetings
Copied from UnderstandingClients.com, which I took down. This one is quick and fun. I heard this from my first boss, and a variant follows from one of my university profs. How to read a table: Find the person who is running the meeting. People more worried about establishing control over the meeting will sit at the …
Effective by Design 