[Part 2]: 12 Things Managers Need to Know about Running an Outside-In Design Org

By Frank Spillers

on May 26, 2017 - 2:56pm
man staring at glass

Summary: Outside-In design organizations live and breathe user experience. The main differentiator between a technology driven organization and a Human Centered design approach is in decision-making. With Outside-In, design, business and technology decisions are gathered, validated, measured and infused into the Sales, Marketing, Business and Technology fabric. This post (in 2 parts, see part 1 here) explores those key organizational behaviors we've discovered and worked with for over 15 years. We've included to-do items for managers to action these insights. 

[Part 1]: 12 Things Managers Need to Know about Running an Outside-In Design Org

By Frank Spillers

on April 26, 2017 - 11:55am
man staring at glass

Summary: Outside-In design organizations live and breathe user experience. The main differentiator between a technology driven organization and a Human Centered design approach is in decision-making. With Outside-In design, business and technology decisions are gathered, validated, measured and infused into the Sales, Marketing, Business and Technology fabric. This post (in 2 parts) explores those key organizational behaviors we've discovered and worked with for over 15 years. We've included to-do items for managers to action these insights. 

PART 1: (1-6)

1. Gather Evidence and Data

Why it is important: Evidence based design means that opinions are grounded in customer insights, specifically behavior captured and interpreted by trained UX professionals. Data informs design. Whether conversion optimization or efficiency improvement, you can not run on assumption any longer.

50 Reasons Prototyping Saves You Time

By Admin User

on February 9, 2017 - 1:58pm
prototyping saves you meeting time

Summary: Prototyping is a valuable sketching process involved in generating UX/UI. It saves you time, saves you confusion and helps you visualize quickly and cheaply. Here are 50 reasons why prototyping is critical to do. These benefits point to the need to develop a company culture of prototyping.

1. Prototyping saves you meeting time: Without visual sketching, UI's are discussed ad-nauseum without a "shared picture", you end up talking about a UI instead of ideating a new solution.

2. Sketching is easier to socialize. Quick sketches, no matter how crude, are great ways to quickly commuinicate. 

3. Prototypes help imagine new solutions.

4. Ideas are easier to scrap, change or re-consider with "low effort" prototypes. 

5. Prototypes help you plan.

6. Prototypes help you test your design ideas with users.

What it means to be an Outside-In design organization

By Frank Spillers

on September 28, 2015 - 2:13pm
UX design must be outside in

Outside-In Design means you are making design and business decisions, not from your organizational culture, but from your customers. Companies that rely on the confidence of their internal  business, design and development teams are typically low in empathy and high on assumptions. In this post we shall explore more deeply the structure of an Outside-In approach pertaining to user experience (UX) and business. To get more on this topic, check out our webinar: Building a UX Culture to Rival Apple