by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #8 Dystopian Valley

This is a reflection on an article by Yves Bellinghausen in Brand Eins (Dec/Jan 2024/25 issue) “01.01.3000 is a Wednesday – About tomorrow and how it can get better”.

In his article “Dystopian Valley”, Bellinghausen describes Silicon Valley as a symbol of positive visions for the future. The author asks whether there is anything left of this spirit today.

Bellinghausen quotes John Perry Barlow from his “Declaration of independence of cyberspace” to illustrate this positive drive for the future. In his 1996 Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace, Barlow wrote: “We are creating a world where everyone can enter without privilege or prejudice based on race, economic power, military strength or social background. Your legal concepts of ownership, expression, identity, movement and context do not apply to us. They are all based on matter, and there is no matter here.” From this quote, it can be concluded that cyberspace is understood as a place of freedom that is awaited with great longing.

Bellinghausen cites Shoshana Zuboff as a counter-position and perspective from today’s world. She is an economist and the author of the book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism”. She writes: “They have appropriated people’s lives and turned them into data in order to make predictions and profits. Surveillance capitalism claims our personal lives as free raw material.” The instrumentalization of cyberspace for capitalism is thus in conflict with the place of freedom that Barlow hopes for. Zuboff concludes in her book: “Let there be a digital future, but let it be a human future first.”

The emancipatory potential of the technology for the people has been left behind and Big Tech is aiming to even further push their political influence and power. Bellinghausen uses Elon Musks latest political engagement in incoming President Donald Trump’s campaign as an example. He speculates, that Musk will be assigned an administrative position. Through some quick research I gathered, that Musk has been tasked with leading Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Aleks Phillips from BBC News states that “It is a role that is expected to garner him influence over government policy – and the regulatory environment facing his enterprises.“

Bellinghausen continues to state that many Silicon Valley companies were founded with humanitarian concepts in mind, but thanks to enormous amounts of venture capital, they grew into monopolies that aggressively beat out out their competitors. He uses Google as an example. Google was founded in 1998 by two Stanford students with the aim of organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible. The company’s famous motto was: “Don’t be evil.” Around 2000 Google fought against Microsoft’s monopoly. Then they themselves became a giant and began to devour one industry after another, fueled by venture capitalists‘ desire for returns.

Bellinghausen concludes that Google perfected the platform capitalism by acting as a free broker in the digital economy, collecting data from its users and passing it on to the highest bidder when selling advertising space. But unlike in the early days, these are no longer humanitarian visions for the future.

Links:

https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence

https://shoshanazuboff.com

https://a16z.com/why-software-is-eating-the-world

by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #7 My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Introduction

Exploring Graz as an exchange student, I think it is important to experience local cultural institutions. I made use of a last minute offer for students at Schauspielhaus and watched a production of “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, based on the novel of the same name by Ottessa Moshfegh.

In my experience Graz is a lively cultural center with loads of theatrical institutions. Everywhere in the city posters of new plays are posted and I regularly witness people cueing at the ticket office. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former European Capital of Culture (2003), Graz offers an impressive mix of historical and modern stages. I felt I had to witness at least one (if not a few more) plays at Schauspielhaus Graz. In this blog post, I’ll share my reflections on the play.

The Novel

Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel, published in 2018, tells the story of a young woman (26) in the early 2000s who suffers from inner emptiness and depression, despite external privileges such as beauty, education and wealth. She also struggles with the passing of her parents. She decides to put herself into a self-imposed “hibernation” for a year with the help of pills in order to escape the struggles and noise of the modern world.

Sleep felt productive. Something was getting sorted out. I knew in my heart—this was, perhaps, the only thing my heart knew back then—that when I’d slept enough, I’d be okay. I’d be renewed, reborn. I would be a whole new person, every one of my cells regenerated enough times that the old cells were just distant, foggy memories. My past life would be but a dream, and I could start over without regrets, bolstered by the bliss and serenity that I would have accumulated in my year of rest and relaxation.

― Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation

The production

As I enter the Schauspielhaus Graz, there are a lot of people shuffling about the foyer. It is a lively atmosphere. Even though the themes of the novel are quite dark, the audience seems to be eager and excited to watch the story unfold. The story of a young woman who wants to retreat into a drug-induced sleep for a year drew my attention – but I kept wondering how do you bring sleep and inner retreat to the stage? While the audience enters the theater hall actors are already on stage, anticipating the start of the play. One of the actors, playing the role of the main characters dog, moves about the stage barking. It is clear from the very first scenes that the production makes great use of surreal dream worlds. The main character seems like a sleepwalking observer of her own life. In contrast to the main character, other characters like her therapist, her ex-boss and her mother seem even more dramatic, over-the-top and demanding. The Surrealism connects throughout the play and is especially displayed in the stage design and lighting atmosphere. The protagonist’s thoughts were staged using projections, songs and sound design. Her inner retreat leaves a lot of questions and the scenes are not connected in a way that I am used to.

Reflection

After the performance, I left the theater with mixed feelings. The production was bolder than I had expected – weirder, more graphic, more surreal. But that’s exactly why I chose it as an IMPULSE for this research blog. The story surprised me, irritated me and stayed in my head. All the while showcased in a beautifully designed aesthetic setting.

Additionally the production made use of techniques we are currently learning at FH, such as projection mapping. Projections and scene lighting made it possible to visualize inner conflicts, states of awake and asleep, as well as the desire for alienation and the search for a way out of one’s own reality.

I feel like the discussed themes such as radical denial, escapism, social criticism, depression, mental health and self-discovery inspired me for future projects. The exploration of mental health was powerful. Addiction to medication as escapism was not romanticized, but shown as a downward spiral. How often in our hectic world and performance society do we ignore our need for calm and for a ‚reset‘? And how dangerous can this need become when it turns into complete isolation?

When I think about the play, I am left with a feeling of unease – but also the realization that theater should do exactly that: challenge, disturb and have a lasting effect.

Links

https://schauspielhaus-graz.buehnen-graz.com/produktion/mein-jahr-der-ruhe-und-entspannung

https://www.cityofdesign.graz.at

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/55508660

by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #6 RaumFAIRteilung

As an exchange student in Graz I would like to immerse myself in local discussions and cultural activities. My friend invited me to join them at a talk organized by the LENDWIRBEL team at Kunsthaus. The series of events is called „RaumFAIRteilung – Wem gehört die Stadt? ”.

The event series consists of three different sessions with different focal points. The talks give the opportunity to gain deeper insights into the topic of fair distribution of space and to discuss forward-looking ideas with scientists.

What is LENDWIRBEL?

The LENDWIRBEL stands for the communal design of a neighborhood, for the social and tolerant use of space. On their website the LENDWIRBEL states that the LENDWIRBEL was born in 2007 from a loose idea of residents and workers in Lend. People didn’t stay within their own walls, but met on the street and brought a whirl to Lend, a city district in Graz. After a few years of implementation, the association „LENDWIRBEL – Verein für nachbarschaftliche Stadtentwicklung ” was founded in 2014. The organization has been carried out by a predominantly voluntary core team of interested people for several years.

What is RaumFAIRteilung?

The LENDWIRBEL team saw need for this lecture series and discourse because urban space is increasingly becoming a highly contested resource:

  • Housing is becoming more expensive.
  • Public spaces are disappearing.
  • Marginalized groups are often displaced.

Through the series of lectures, the LENDWIRBEL team would like to strengthen the discourse within the LENDWIRBEL association. They want to critically examine the challenges and potential of public space and develop new perspectives, including for future events. They engage critically with current topics at eye level and open the space for questions like: How can we make space fairer and accessible to all? How can we achieve solidarity with one another that does not exclude anyone?

The talk I visited was held by scientist Yvonne Franz on gentrification and what roles different actors play in urban gentrification processes.

During her talk Yvonne talked about early indicators for gentrification and her research on the topic in Vienna and Berlin. She mentioned sociologist Ruth Glass, who coined the term ‚gentrification‘ in 1964 to describe change in London. She mentioned different types of displacement and repression. After about an hour of theoretical input the organizers invited us to partake in an open question round. Once the Q&A wrapped up we gathered in the middle of the room to have a look at postcards that were printed with imagery linked to gentrification.

Key Take-Aways

  • Most shifts like gentrification have early indicators that can be observed through research as early as 10 years before it becomes an issue
  • The increased cost of living, that reduces the accessibility for housing space is sometimes also driven by good social initiatives like the social housing scheme in Vienna. Not everyone can apply or keep up the status for social housing. These people, if the are low-income or not, are driven to the private housing sector that displays even more dynamic pricing than elsewhere.

Links:

www.lendwirbel.at

https://geographie.univie.ac.at/arbeitsgruppen/urban-studies/team/franz-yvonne

by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #5 Speculative Futures

Introduction

In a world that is constantly changing due to technology, social change and environmental factors, the ability to think about the future is becoming increasingly important. In this blog article I will collect some methods and frameworks to introduce the principles of future design thinking.

Speculative design is a method that enables us to reflect on current issues by imagining future scenarios. Its purpose is not to provide concrete solutions to existing problems, but to explore possible, often way out there future scenarios. This design approach questions existing social, ethical and technological structures. The nature of the scenarios encourages discourse and reflection.

Speculative design

Speculative design is an approach that aims to visualize alternative futures instead of focusing solely on optimizing existing systems. The term was coined by designers Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby. In their book Speculative Everything (2013), they describe how design can be used as a tool to stimulate discussions about future developments. The focus is not on the benefits of a design, but on its ability to reveal new perspectives.

Instead of looking for practical solutions, speculative design asks “what if?” questions. For example: What if user data belonged entirely to the users, with full control over its use? Questions like this give rise to scenarios that challenge our understanding of progress.

Speculative design offers a framework to:

  • Encourage Social Dreaming
  • Expand Perspectives
  • Foster Critical Thinking
  • Inspire Innovation

Speculative design uses various methods to make future scenarios tangible:

  • Prototypes and artefacts Physical objects or digital concepts are often developed that represent a fictitious future. These artifacts appear real and make it possible to think about their consequences.
  • Design fiction Design fiction combines speculative design with narrative elements. Alternative realities are made tangible through stories, fictional news articles or advertisements.
  • Experiments and installations Interactive installations or simulations allow users to experience new future scenarios and react to them emotionally.
  • Provocative concepts Some speculative designs are deliberately provocative or dystopian in order to trigger discussions about ethical or social issues.

The Future Cone

The Future Cone is a model that categorizes different future scenarios and helps to analyze long-term developments. It is based on the idea that the future is not fixed, but rather a spectrum of possible developments. The model is often used in futurology, speculative design and strategic planning. The model helps not only to predict a “linear” future, but also to consider alternative paths. With the help of the Future Cone, we can ask ourselves: What future do we want? Which trends should we promote or prevent? What unexpected developments do we need to think about? By speculating on different scenarios and asking these questions, we can shape a more conscious, sustainable and inclusive future.

The Future Cone represents the present as a starting point and opens up into the future like a fan. The entirety of the cone represents all potential futures. It divides possible developments into different categories:

Plausible futures (plausible futures)

These futures are based on current trends, scientific findings and technological developments. They are realistic, but not guaranteed. Example: The progressive automation of jobs.

Probable futures (likely futures)

These are the futures that are most likely to occur if existing trends continue unchanged. Example: The further expansion of artificial intelligence in everyday life.

Possible futures (possible futures)

These scenarios include developments that are theoretically feasible but seem less likely because they depend on radical breakthroughs or unforeseeable events. Example: The complete abolition of the monetary system through a new form of economy.

Preferable futures (desirable futures)

This category includes futures that we should actively strive for because they bring positive social or environmental change. Example: A world with sustainable energy and fair distribution of resources.

Criticism

While speculative design offers many benefits, it is not without its critics. Some argue that it risks becoming too abstract or disconnected from real-world concerns and has little impact on everyday life. Others see speculative design only as a creative exercise without bringing about actual change.

Conclusion

Speculative design and similiar methods offer a way to explore trends to promote and prevent for our future. It helps us to define what kind of future we would like to create. It helps to identify opportunities and risks at an early stage.

By opening up new perspectives speculative design can stimulate reflection. Companies, scientists and policy makers can benefit from this method to make sustainable, ethical and future-oriented decisions.

Speculative design is an invitation to actively shape the future. That is why I believe it to be an important practice, even though it does not solve current problems it sparks thought processes. The skillset we are building at FH to create immersive and interactive work in an exhibition setting would apply nicely to such a design process and practice.

Links

Futures Cone: what it is and its uses

https://dunneandraby.co.uk/content/books/690/0

Zukünfte gestalten
by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #4 ProtoPie Crash Course

Introduction

Prototyping is one of the important phases in the design process to make ideas tangible. In one of our courses we were tasked to develop a ProtoPie prototype of one of our projects. We chose to develop our concept from the gamification course this semester.

I really loved this approach to high-fidelity prototyping. In my experience Figma sometimes limits what is feasible to showcase in a prototype. ProtoPie allows me to create realistic prototypes that are similar to a final product. In this research article, I will share how I went about getting started in ProtoPie, how I learned the software and how it differs from Figma.

What is ProtoPie?

ProtoPie is a tool that allows you to create interactive prototypes. The prototypes look, feel and behave like a finished software product, even though it is a no-code tool. Unlike static pages a prototypes can simulate real interactions and verify concepts. Button clicks and screen transitions can be simulated in Figma, but ProtoPie offers to simulate complex interactions like voice commands or tilt interactions, for example. You can use your device’s native sensor systems, such as the camera, microphone or even GPS.

How is ProtoPie different from Figma?

Both ProtoPie and Figma are design tools, but they serve different purposes. Figma is my choice when it comes to designing websites, user interfaces and simple prototyping. I love the collaborative aspect of Figma. In ProtoPie we struggled with collaboration. We had to save multiple versions of a file to “collaborate”. One person worked on one part of the prototype, while the other finished a different section and then we combined them. It was not optimal.

However ProtoPie is the better choice for dynamic high-fidelity prototypes. For example, I could build a password validation that shows different reactions depending on the input.

First project

When we started to get to know the software, we decided to do the ProtoPie 101 crash course. It was a really nice e-learning experience. Everything was easy to understand and the accompanying Figma Files were well prepared. The course starts with the basics, which is perfect if you’ve never worked with ProtoPie or other prototyping software beforehand.

I started by learning the core concepts – such as triggers and reactions. They form the basis for interactions. My first project was to import a design from Figma, create a simple button interaction and test it on my smartphone. The Figma to ProtoPie Plugin worked great. The Smartphone App for displaying prototypes was not as user-friendly but worked great after all. By the end of the lessons, I started to get to a hang of it. Most of the advanced features are self explanatory if you understood the basic concepts.

Working with native sensors

After exploring the basic concepts of triggers and reactions, we viewed the list of supported sensors and inputs. Working with native sensors from devices is where ProtoPie really opened up new possibilities to our projects. It means that you can not only create simple touch interactions, but also prototypes that respond to motion, voice, camera or other device inputs. This was a completely new to me, and it sparked new ideas on what is possible with prototyping for projects in my portfolio.

I loved that I could delve into these functions without knowing how to code. For example, I created a prototype that uses my smartphone’s camera input as part of the interaction. I was introduced to voice commands, allowing me to integrate voice control into a prototype – something that is becoming increasingly important in my opinion. I tested this in a simple example where an app responded to the word “start” and then triggered an animation.

After that we focused back on the project we chose to enhance with this ProtoPie prototype. It is an App that connects people through gamified experiences. We compared different sensors and decided to use the native iPhone compass for our game.

Conclusion

The tool helped us complete our concept and make the gamified experience tangible. The hands-on approach made it easy to learn step-by-step and feel successful early on in the learning curve. I want to continue to learn how to use variables and formulas to create more dynamic interactions. I would like to build prototype in the future that makes use of the “Send and Receive” feature. This way I could connect multiple screens together to create a multi-screen experience. I will keep this in the back of my mind for a future project. By the end of the course, I feel like I have a complete toolset in hand for prototypes.

Links

https://www.protopie.io

https://learn.protopie.io/course/protopie-101

by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #3 – Accessibility Cheat Sheet

During the World Usability Congress Graz we listened to a talk from Mari-Ell Mets. She is the head of accessibility at Trinidad Wiseman. Her talk inspired me to write up my own „Accessibility Cheat Sheet“ for web design.

Sadly she talked quite fast and I could only partially keep up. These incomplete notes sparked my interest to have a complete list to refer back to in the future. The final check-list is written in german.

Her talk mentioned the following aspects:

10 accessibility rules to fix 80% of accessibility issues

    • Avoid autoplaying sound, animations or videos
    • Add a „Stop“ button for any moving content
    • Avoid any blinking and flickering at all costs
  2. Contrast colors
    • Text: at least 4,5: 1 regular text, at least 3: 1 big and bold text
    • Use contrasted colours for text and background
    • Use contrasted colours for inputs and clickable icons
    • Avoid adding text on top of images
    • Test with contrast checker (on Chrome, in Figma etc.)
  3. Adapt to user’s settings
  4. Support keyboard
    • Test with Tab Key, Scroll Page and use elements
    • Use native/ semantic html elements as much as possible
    • Avoid sliding, dragging and swiping actions
  5. Make focus visible
    • Don‘t hide the focus style
    • Keep logical focus order
  6. Language
    • specify the lang attribute
    • Change the lang attribute when the language is changed
    • When a part is in a different language also add another lang tag
  7. Info and relationships
    • mark headings as heading tags in correct order
    • Mark tables with table tags, lists with list tags
    • Mark sections (header)
    • Test with screen readers
    • Test with Users that use screan readers
  8. Name, role, value
    • use native/ semantic Elements
    • Research before using ARIA attributes
    • Mark visible states also in code
    • Test with screen reader and voice commands
  9. Text alternatives

Research: How to give feedback on accessibility

This is the final check-list I wrote up after the conference. I had a look at the german Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1). The attached article in the link list helped me gauge what I missed at the initial talk by Mari-Ell Mets.

Accessibility Check für Web

  1. Wahrnehmbarkeit
    • [ ] Screen Reader Check
      • [ ] Alle Bilder und Grafiken können mit Alt Texten versehen werden
    • [ ] Mit personalisierten Browser Settings geprüft
      • [ ] Textgrößen sind anpassbar
    • [ ] Farb-Kontrast geprüft
    • [ ] Informationen werden nicht nur über Farben transportieren
    • [ ] Alle Animationen können pausiert/ gestoppt werden
    • [ ] Videos werden mit Untertiteln angeboten
  2. Bedienbarkeit
    • [ ] Nur mit Tastatur navigierbar
      • [ ] Fokus Stil ist sichtbar
      • [ ] Logische Fokus-Reihenfolge eingehalten
    • [ ] Effekte: Kein Blitzen, Blinken oder Flackern
    • [ ] Eindeutige und klare Linktexte
    • [ ] Alternativen für komplexe Gesten (Drag, Swipe, Slide…)
  3. Verständlichkeit
    • [ ] Kein essenzieller Text auf Bildern/ Grafiken
    • [ ] Bei Bedarf Erläuterungen zu Fachbegriffen, ungewöhnlichen Ausdrücken oder Abkürzungen bereitgestellt
    • [ ] Konsistente Darstellung und Navigation
    • [ ] Unterstützung Eingabefehler zu vermeiden
  4. Robustheit
    • [ ] Kompatibilität mit Webbrowsern gecheckt
    • [ ] Kompatibilität mit Screenreadern gecheckt

Gedächtnisstütze für Alt Texte

  • Knapp und präzise: Beschreibe das Wesentliche in wenigen Worten. Beispiel: „Ein roter Stift an einem Arbeitsplatz“
  • Kontext beachten: Relevanz des Bildes für den Text klarstellen. Beispiel: Wenn das Bild Teil einer Seite über die Korrektur von Klausuren ist: „Ein roter Stift an einem Arbeitsplatz als Beispiel für das Korrigieren von Klausuren.“
  • Wichtige Details hervorheben: Nur relevante Merkmale nennen. Beispiel: „Mann, der mit einem Headset telefoniert, in einem belebten Call-Center.“
  • Keine Phrasen wie „Bild von“ verwenden. Beispiel: Anstatt „Bild von einem roten Stift“, einfach „Roter Stift“
  • Zielgruppe im Auge behalten: Ton und Stil passend zur Webseite wählen.

Links:

https://www.barrierefreiheit-dienstekonsolidierung.bund.de/Webs/PB/DE/gesetze-und-richtlinien/barrierefreiheitsstaerkungsgesetz/barrierefreiheitsstaerkungsgesetz-node.html

https://www.barrierefreiheit-dienstekonsolidierung.bund.de/Webs/PB/DE/gesetze-und-richtlinien/wcag/wcag-artikel.html

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/interview-mari-ell-mets-iaap-eu-pakwf

by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #2 – World Usability Congress Graz 2024

This is the second part of notes from the conference talks. To learn more about the conference itself, please refer back to IMPULSE #1.

Crafting Cohesive Journeys for your Customers

Tim Scanlon, Rockwell Automation

Rapidly changing market dynamics impacting Customer Experience (CX) Many (often siloed) efforts within B2B companies address these opportunities with little coordination

  1. Evolving Customer Buying Behaviors
    • B2C experience expectations in the B2B context around better buying experience (* Amazon can do it why can’t you?).
    • Evolution of a digital workforce as demographic shifts affect our customers employee base.
    • Complex globalized supply chains driving digitization and centralization of procurement processes. Shift to mobile and omnichannel experiences requires consistent and connected experiences across all touch points.
  2. New Partner + Supplier + Customer Ecosystems
    • Shift to XaaS impacts customer touchpoints and requires reimagining of experience.
    • Emergence of third-party marketplaces ex. Amazon Business, SAP Ariba, Coupa etc.
    • More Integrated supply and MRO solutions (EX: Supply force, Grainger, Fastenal etc.)
    • Industrial multi-brand E-commerce solutions (EX: Automation direct etc.)
  3. Disruptive Tech and Business Models
    • Gen Al and delivery of adaptive customer interactions
    • IOT – implications for enabling Maintenance Repair Operations (MRO) at point of need via telemetry
    • As-A-service models transforming OEM/SI/Distributor roles/relationships
  4. Parsonalized Customer and Partner End-to-End Interactions
    • Personalized Self Service and guided handoffs between departments are crucial to B28 end-to-end CX
    • Predictive analytics to anticipate trends in customer service inquiries and proactively address issues affecting multiple customers, which can reduce support costs

Data first approach tool for tracking customer journeys: User-friendly Journey Management | TheyDo

Select CX Actions that directly impact business Outcomes:

Revenue 🟢

Cost 🔴

Resilience 🟡

  1. New Customer Acquisition 🟢
  2. Customer Retention 🟢
  3. Customer Enrichment 🟢
  4. Sales & Distribution Channels 🟢
  5. Cost of Acquiring New customers 🔴
  6. Cost of Serving Customers 🔴
  7. Cost of selling new products and services 🔴
  8. Operations, service, and delivery channels 🔴
  9. Business Continuity/ risk mitigation 🟡
  10. Financial Stability 🟡
  11. Brand Reputation 🟡
  12. Employee Experience 🟡
  13. Sustainability/ ESG 🟡
  14. Innovation 🟡

Enterprise Journey Management becomes a collaboration hub Single „version of truth“ connecting CX System to Insights, Opportunities, Solutions, Metrics

  • Single source of truth for customer journeys, personas, insights, opportunities, solutions, goals and metrics.
  • Activate journeys by prioritizing opportunities and solutions, enabling clear decision making for cross-functional collaboration.
  • Ability to make data informed decisions based on clear relationships between Journeys insights, opportunities, solutions and goals.
  • Critical Integrations to real-time data sources enable a direct link to solutions that solve customer problems.

3 Pragmatic Actions

Think Big, Start Small and Do something

  1. Complete a CX and Journey Management Capability Maturity Assessment. Benchmark. Prioritize gaps.
  2. Establish a standard „CX Data Model“. Ensure broad adoption and integration into mainstream systems connected to touchpoints in your end-to-end journeys. Customer Journey Stages (L1-L3) Personas (Internal & External) Metrics Industry/Application/Solution Mapping
  3. Prioritize CX Actions that are directly connected to high impact Outcomes for mission critical business objectives.

Key Take-away: Customer Journeys are not linear and a system level view brings these things together.

Leading the Experience Revolution: A Comedy of Errors and Triumphs

Helle Jensen, Valtech, Experience director

„UX Leadership – if you really really want to be manager you’re probably not going to be a good one“

  • How can I move something today for myself and for my team?
  • How can I change this organisation?

5 phases of misunderstanding

  1. Frustration (it’s so obvious)
  2. Disappointment (no one gets what we’re doing, no one gets the value of my work)
  3. Resentment (they always get it their way)
  4. Anger (this project is shit, I don’t want to work on this)
  5. Resignation (whatever, my soul is not in it)

Realign: Lean in to it. Make things right.

Don’t stick to the initial plan and realize where your team is at.

How do we deal with stakeholders?

  • Connect perceived soft skills (UX and Design) to business objectives (numbers, KPIs)
  • „Talk to Sales“ can’t usually be backed by data. Myth: „We know what the customer wants“. Talk to one customer – key to unlock more interviews
  • Sow little seeds along the way. Highlight benefits. Emphasize avoided losses. Use business focus/ business benefits rather than UX benefits
  • Use FOMO/ scarcity
  • Social Proof
  • Reciprocity – return the favor if you’ve done a favor (help them handle other stakeholders)
  • Mirroring – show people that you understand them
  • Foot in the door
  • Making them think it was their idea. „As you pointed out earlier…(insert your idea)“
  • Actively listen – be empathetic

UX Dream Team

  • The most important thing about building a team is thinking about finding the right people. Not the best people. But how they work together. People dynamic affect each other.
  • Figuring out the different personality types and how they solve problems
  • Trusting gut feelings
  • Telling people about your gut feeling and sharing those expectations and impressions

What mix of people Helen thinks makes the best team:

💛Yellow – involved, door swings open

❤️Red – decisive, take the lead

💙Blue – bring structure, make a plan, follow it

💚Green – people focused one, how is everyone feeling?

  • everyone is a mix and of course people should not be put into boxes but she feels imagining the configuration helps her find the best solution for teams.
  • It also depends on the task and mood

Have everyone’s back, no matter what stupid shit they do – because they did something. Maybe have a talk about if they’ll do it again in the future but have their back. Navigate the chaos. Embrace the chaos.

Always ask yourself: How can I excite people?

Building a UX-oriented organisational culture

Dominique Winter, OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA / Die Produktwerker eG, Product Development Coach

Change means instability → The system of the organisation tries to stabilise itself.

Write Persona Stories → Perspektive der Persona einnehmen/ menschliche Perspektive einnehmen

For a new behavior, the people in the organization…

  • …must be able to adopt the desired behavior,
  • …be allowed to apply it,
  • …be shown to do it (role modeling) and …be encouraged to do so by formal mechanisms.

Links:

User-friendly Journey Management | TheyDo

https://www.valtech.com/blog/i-just-need-a-redesign-and-a-mega-fast-horse

https://produktwerker.de/author/dwinter

by Annika Drießen -

IMPULSE #1 – World Usability Congress Graz 2024

The World Usability Congress took place in Graz from October 15 to 17, 2024, shining a light on international professionals and experts in the field of UX (User Experience) and CX (Customer Experience). The conference offers workshops and talks that deal with current challenges and innovations in the industry. The workshops and talks were held by speakers who work in global operating companies such as Facebook, PwC, Zalando, SAP, Amazon & IBM.

These are my notes on the talks I found particularly interesting. The notes on the talks will be split into two research blogs.

Becoming a Changemaker by leading with design

Opening Key Note, Maria Giudice

„Changemakers“

  • People who can see the patterns around them, identify the problems in any situation, figure out ways to solve the problem, organize fluid teams, lead collective action, and then continually adapt as situations change.

Mistakes:

  • Coming in too hot (Learn from other people’s mistakes, opinions and failed projects)
  • Pushing own agenda (Find common ground/ goals, make allies)
  • Taking on too much (small wins drive big change, Essentialism, prioritize time, measurable results, impact matrix)
  • Ignoring customers voice (ongoing customer feedback, co creative process)
  • Failure to communicate effectively (clear communication, compassion, empathy, clear & honest, shared vision and expectations, goals & non-goals)
  • Failure to think about the whole system (research root problem, journey maps, living map, understanding cause and effect)
  • Failure to iterate, adapt and evolve (Feedback loops)
  • Failure is inevitable and there is no finish line (Embrace the low points)

Key Take-aways:

  1. Listen and learn before taking action
  2. Collaborate on a shared vision
  3. Go for the small wins; prioritize
  4. Let your customers speak for you
  5. Communicate effectively and clearly
  6. Think about the whole system
  7. Iterate and evolve
  8. Persist and persevere

Navigating turbulence: Strategies for sustaining a design team in changing times

Swapnali Thakar, Cybersapien Inc.

  • Productive tension (level of direction + remaining agile)
  • Agile Adaptability for Sustainable Confidence: Balancing immediate changes with thoughtful transformations, coupled with adaptive improvement strategies, sustains team confidence and agility amidst dynamic organizational shifts.
  • Need to measure success
  • Journey from mandate to movement
  • Journey from cooperation to collaboration
  • Journey from arrogance to confidence
  • Journey from price to value

Cultivating Trust Amid Uncertainty: Focused on cultivating a supportive culture, it establishes a safe space for team members to express concerns, vital for building and maintaining trust during turbulent times.

Mobilize teams:

  • „It (15 min standups) was an opportunity for me to gauge the team’s mood, I would pay attention to the non-verbal of each individual. If I noticed a team member looking a bit preoccupied, I would connect with the individual afterward in a friendly manner, to see if there was anything I could do to help.“
  • Ideation workshops
  • Make room for designers to specialize in something they are passionate about (example AI)

Cross Pollinate

  • Among team members / Across teams
  • Within the industry / Other industries
  • Cross pollination creates diversity of thought

Clear purpose

  • Increases satisfaction
  • Boosts productivity
  • Drives innovation
  • Creates alignment

Be patient

  • Give yourself time to reflect
  • Give yourself time to transition
  • Rely on your support network

From UX Management to Experience Leadership

Nico Licht, SAP

Companies with top financial performance treat design as…

  • … More than a feeling Measure and drive design performance with the same rigor as revenues and costs
  • …More than a product Break down internal walls between product and design
  • ….More than a department Make user-centric design everyone’s responsibility, not a siloed function
  • …More than a phase De-risk engineering, continually listening, testing, and iterating with end-users

The value of Experience Management

  • Experience management is an effort by organizations to measure and improve the experiences they provide to customers as well as stakeholders like vendors, suppliers, employees, and shareholders.

Measuring “Feelings” (e.g. SUS, PSAT, NPS) is only the first step in a journey towards better experiences. Companies with superior products and services have more loyal customers and much happier employees.

Measure and drive Design Performance, ⭐️ Outcome over Output

Links

  1. https://worldusabilitycongress.com
  2. https://www.amazon.de/Changemakers-Leaders-Design-Insanely-Complex/dp/1959029142?dplnkId=d4cd55e8-5637-47cd-a0ff-892c651e4653&nodl=1
  3. https://medium.com/@StrategicUX
  4. https://stephaniekabi.com/the-new-design-frontier-summary/