Process: Teamwork

This article was inspired by a discussion at last week’s Silicon Valley IxDA meeting, where Daniel Szuc and Josephine Wong spoke on the topic “Sleepwalking + Designing for a Healthy Future,” which got me thinking about what qualities one must have to be an effective UX professional. So much of success derives from mindset rather than skillsets, and mindset takes a lifetime to develop—or, for those of us who believe in reincarnation, multiple lifetimes. Your mindset derives from your life experiences and the way you respond to them, as well as what you learn from those who influence you greatly—such as your parents, mentors, and spiritual teachers. Read More

UX designers always strive toward providing optimal usability to users. Many have adopted design-thinking methods to help them accomplish this goal. In this article, I’ll share some circumstances in which the design-thinking process might obtain either constructive or destructive outcomes. But, first, I’ll begin with some fundamentals about maturing a design through iteration when multiple stakeholders are involved.

User Experience and UX Design

Fundamental to User Experience is keeping our primary focus on gaining a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, their abilities, and their limitations. But UX researchers and designers must also take into account the business goals and objectives of the group managing a project. Following the UX design best practices that Don Norman and many others defined—and NN/g, IDEO, Frog, Apple, and many practitioners of user-centered design have institutionalized—is helpful in creating user-friendly products and applications. Well-designed products and applications increase the return on investment (ROI) for product owners and business leaders. Read More

The truth is: if you’re not collaborating, you’re not a team. Collaboration is fundamental to teamwork. Without collaboration, you just have a group of people doing their own thing, not a team working toward a common goal.

According to a study by British health provider Bupa, people who are part of a team are 24% more likely to report that they are happy. Collaborative employees are also 50% more effective when it comes to task completion and fostering greater motivation and engagement. However, over 75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional because of a lack of accountability, unclear governance, or ambiguous project goals.

Achieving the level of successful team collaboration that most managers want can sometimes seem daunting. But don’t worry. In this article, I’ll give you ten strategies for promoting team collaboration, creating a stronger work culture, and fostering a more productive workplace. Read More