Process & Operations
Everyone wants to know they belong. Swimlanes squelched FOMO.
ROLE UX Management
Working in a Matrix
If managed well, a matrixed environment can be great for the UX team. UX designers balance the business feasibility, the tech viability, and the design desirability while advocating for the user. The matrixed team brings multiple points of view for UX to embrace and filter to the best solution. The key is “managed well” for it to work well.
Good products are not created in isolation.
There are hordes of (hopefully) talented people that bring their different skill sets to a project team. Those people bring different personalities and priorities. Generally, they are on multiple teams with multiple managers with multiple priorities — a.k.a., a matrixed environment.
A few years ago, I was managing the UX team for the integration of a small start-up’s web app into a large, established legal research SaaS application. The start-up had its way of doing things, plus the app was their “baby.” The large, established company was very impressed with the technology but wanted my team to improve the muddled user experience. The start-up’s app was very different from the large SaaS application. It was not a case of applying a design system and calling it a day.
The one thing everyone had in common was worry. Integrating the new features with the old meant change. Change causes worry.
Alleviating Their Worry
One of the best things I did was ask the start-up CEO to require decision-makers to attend at least one of the first moderated usability tests. It was an eye-opener for everyone. The primary user was a legal librarian. They all came with binders and folders of printouts of instructions they needed to use the app. I knew the news would hurt — that app is their baby — but we needed to work together and get moving. The next step was to remind everyone how many loyal customers they had even though it was next to impossible to use. Improving the user experience was only going to make them even more loyal!
FOMO
I was transparent about the process. I saw no reason to reinvent the wheel and used the “5 Ds” — Discover, Define, Design, Develop, and Deploy — the company was already using. The important part was explaining where everyone would be included. No one wanted to be left out.
I worked with a lot of lawyers on staff as Subject Matter Experts. I noticed they used swimlane diagrams to document processes related to the enterprise platform. So I created a swimlane to illustrate everyone’s role in the UX process.
Not a Thing of Beauty. It’s better. It works.
It worked like magic. This simple diagram gave the matrixed team the confidence they needed to feel included and respected. It built their trust in my team because our plans were transparent and intelligible. And it made my team feel empowered to do their jobs, with the respect they deserved.
[ Yes, I blurred some of the steps, but I am happy to walk you through the real copy, just ask. ]
Adaptable
I used the diagram with other companies as well. Each use required minor modifications to suit the teams. The swimlanes provided clarity and accountability; combined with the schedule for each project, it always worked well to manage the matrixed teams. We all want to know we are included and respected in our work … granted some people have more FOMO than others. But that’s humans: so similar and so different at the same time.
My Approach to Leading
I recently talked to Matthew and Mason McSpadden on the Job Stories podcast sponsored by Weld Recruiting, a Nashville-based IT recruiting firm. We discussed my approach to leadership and the importance of listening to consumers and teammates.