Hi Kelvin: Here are a few tips I have applied and learned:
* Understand the project/product/users/product team etc - what problems is the product team trying to solve and learn how can you help. Start with their needs first and foremost. * Use terms people understand - if they want you to run a Focus Group (but you think its better to run a Usability Test or something else), call it a Focus Group and educate around it. Don't spend energy up front trying to convince them that your method is better. * Start small and grow - start with a UX method that provides some real insights and then build around that. Sometimes it may not always be the perfect approach. * Use examples people understand - show products that have benefited from good research or improved design and why people love it. Speak to people's emotions and make them passionate about why you can help. * Find allies - People in your organization/other product teams who can provide good stories about where user research or design or usability testing or has helped improve a product forward. * Avoid jargon - UCD and other like terms for people outside of our field sound scary and may be another thing they have to learn in addition to their own job. Just as Engineering terms "can" sound scary to us. Its less about convincing them that your way is better, rather showing how the stuff we do may be able to compliment their approach. Find a common language. Lead with what people understand. * Turn insights into actionable design improvements - again less about the focus on the academic and more about what you can do to help improve the product. Also see - * Selling UX - http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2008/10/selling-ux.php * Selling Usability in(to) Organizations - http://www.slideshare.net/dszuc/selling-usability-in-organizations-presentation * Selling Usability - http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Usability-Experience-Infiltration-Tactics/dp/1442103736 rgds, Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=41562 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
