“Oh, $@%&!” It happened again. That gut-wrenching
feeling kicks in and you realize you’re doomed. You have no one to blame but
yourself as you are a week away from the launch of that digital client
initiative you have tirelessly been working on, and you realize only now that it
is not performing how you anticipated. Don’t worry, you are not
alone, we have all been there.
In the agency world, just as in the creative world, a great
deal is often left to chance. One man’s creative vision may not be in line with
that of his teammate and her perspective, let alone that of a demanding client.
How often have you heard this statement: “Ohhh!!!
That’s how that works? I thought it was going to {insert any sort of alternative functionality to what was actually built}.”
As marketers, we sell a story, but as developers of that
story we deliver black and white programming, which performs in a very precise
manner. Don’t get me wrong, we will always rally behind the ‘big picture,’
the beautiful designs and the grand marketing plans, but when push comes to
shove, we are responsible for the delivery of fully functional digital products
– complex products with limits, requirements and specifications.
So how do we align our respective visions?
It’s quite simple actually – channel your inner User
Experience designer.
While strategists, interaction designers and technology professionals
will continue to carry the lion’s share of this effort, the distribution of UX skills across creative and marketing
disciplines will benefit us all.
Here is a primer on
honing your UX chops:
1. Define success.
Obvious, right? But in order for us all (account folks,
designers, developers and even clients) to rally around the one creative idea,
we need to ensure we have a uniform vision of what success looks like. Break
down the idea into discrete parts and assign measurable success metrics – doing
so will crystalize the associated functionality around the intended user
behavior and that common goal. Here is a framework:
What problem are we solving?
Who are we solving the problem for?
What defines success?
2. Document. Document. Document.
Either through low-fi or high-fi means, it is important to
document the intended user experience, sparing none of the details. It may be a
strategic brief, it may be detailed wireframes or blueprints, it may be a hand
sketch on a napkin, but whatever it is, allow this documentation to become the backbone
of your initiative, share it with everyone involved and never lose sight of it.
3. Ask questions like a 4 year-old.
Think like a UX designer (note: I’m not saying UX designers
have 4-year-old mentalities!) and ask questions about everything. Keep in mind,
everything has a function; every button performs an action and returns a
reaction. Learn the intended result of each and every function. Ask questions
of everything, look for gaps in the logic and don’t stop until you have locked
down the details of every stitch of what your team and your vision aim to
deliver.
4. Verify your assumptions.
Early and often, discuss the intended results of your
digital initiative with your designers, developers and teams, and do so with
real world scenarios. Use real content, use real images, and use real data.
—
Understanding comes with experience and experience with time,
but keeping these principles of UX in mind will better enable you to quickly become
well versed and more aware, thus avoiding any last minute confusion and the
potential for failure in missing intended expectations.
—
UX skills and a solid grasp on human factors offers an
essential competitive advantage for marketers working on any digital
assignment. Get to learning.
Here is a short list of UX resources that can help you come
up to speed and be more effective with your digital marketing campaigns:
Articles, Blogs, Books & Websites
Tools (there are loads of other tools, many more robust, but
here is a set of free resources that will give you a solid understanding)…
Gliffy – to create sitemaps
Pencil Project – to build wireframes
IntuitionHQ – to
perform simple user testing
