@ImINaBAR asks...

Q:
How do you test your ideas and then actual implementations of a UX redesign (and copy) or you just launch blindly? I'm specially interested when there's not a huge budget for UX.

A: 
Very few of the projects I’ve been involved with have actually had designated budget for pre-launch user testing or even research. But I think it would be a reach to say I’ve ever just launched a product “blindly.” As a UX practitioner, it is my responsibility to do my research, interview stakeholders, ask the right questions to understand what it is I’m trying to solve, identify a focused target user group, understand who “I” am (as a brand, product, etc.) and have a really defined idea of what it is I am asking of or trying to provide to the end user. If I’ve done my job well at any level, a “blind” guess is usually fairly well informed by all the steps it took to get to any realized idea. Getting something out that has been thoughtfully crafted will turn feedback very quickly, from which we learn, re-work and throw it out again. Sometimes the live product out in the real world IS the test, especially if we aren’t able to budget for user tests on prototypes or early concepts. There are a lot of quick and easy testing methods that can get you informed feedback, which typically include simply getting the idea away from you - the designer/developer - and getting it in front of people you can observe whether that’s a few people from another department down the hall or asking someone at another table during lunch if they have 5 minutes to look at a thing you’re working on, and tell you what they think. Beta testing is a real version of the product that openly solicits user feedback from a targeted group, this is an incredibly useful approach. 

All that said, it is hugely important to distinguish acute awareness between what I’ve just described and simply churning things out quickly that may be poorly executed or not well-thought. A responsible UX practitioner has done a lot of thinking, asking, researching and iterating to get to a point where anything released is not careless or blind. A careless release can risk creating a very negative experience that may scare people away from trusting you with a second chance, no matter how improved it may be down the road. 

You will always learn from watching ACTUAL humans interacting with your ideas and if you genuinely understand experience design, your initial launch really is far from blind. Budget or no budget, asking people around you for insight and feedback will give you a lot of information about the path you’re going down.

Hope this helps at some level. If you have more questions about specific UX methods (like card sorting, interviewing, site maps, sketches, etc.) we can definitely go further down those roads.

Thanks for your question!

Anonymous asks...

Q: 
Have you ever had to fire a client?

A:
Yes. I tend to refer to it as, "breaking up with a client." I'm not really sure that's semantically any more positive and I've not had to break up with clients many times, but yes I have had to. Breaking up with a client is not a fun experience for either party.

Here's a thing I've learned from it. 
A few days ago I posted a response to a question on 'micro-managey' clients which included a personal opinion statistic stating 9.9 times out of 10, if a client seems micro-managey, the problem is with us, not the client - thusly if WE improve our communication skills/efforts, we can significantly reduce the volume of not awesome clients. One thing I may not have mentioned is why  I stand by this statement - it definitely has to do with lessons learned from good and bad experiences, including breaking up with clients.

Working with clients for more than 17 years now in the capacity of design and having my fair share of turbulent stories to tell, I learned the importance of the vetting process. We owe it to ourselves and to our clients to ask the right questions up front and determine if there is going to be open and honest communication throughout the project and personality and ethics fit before any money changes hands or any contracts are signed. It's also important to note that "open and honest communication" does not mean that things are super awesome and rosy 100% of the time. You may disagree (frequently, even) but knowing you have open and honest communication helps ensure you will hash things out in a respectful manner and arrive at a place where there's understanding.

If you're taking on every project that comes through the door just because it fits in your calendar and/or pays something, or out of sheer need for work, these are fair but it's also fair to acknowledge this will definitely set that 'not-awesome client' statistic to a much higher frequency. Putting time into evaluating the relationship up front has GREATLY reduced client break-ups for me and has GREATLY improved mutual joy in the project all around. 

I hope you find some of this helpful. I'd love to hear what others have learned from the client break up process.

@GeekAndDad asks...

Q:
My question is about creative writing. I routinely get a first creative burst zoomed out onto the paper (ok, into the computer usually) and then don't really know what to do next. Sometimes I have the whole story, sometimes just some of the key pieces (because it went by so fast in my head that I couldn't write fast enough to capture it all).

So, what's the next step and how do you approach the work that follows that initial creative burst? What's a good strategy for taking it from there to polished completed piece?

A:
I'm going to be perfectly honest here and tell you, I'm still working through this myself. But my current approach is has about three prongs to it, like one of those fancy forks. (Maybe that’s three separate approaches?)
Let’s exchange where we’re at!

Approach #1:
Have a REAL deadline. For me, this usually only happens when someone has asked me to write something and they give me an actual deadline to deliver against. I love this because I know I can do it. There’s some sort of reward at the end (like getting paid and/or published!) And that awesome sense of accomplishment for having completed something.
Left to my own devices (or self-imposed deadlines), I’ll let my mind wander on and on and I’ll write but nothing really has a beginning or an end... it is mostly just a blob of thought poked out into a digital document. :/
A deadline forces me through a brainstorming and initial thought flow process (or two, or three) until I feel like I’ve got enough “bones” to put a proper piece together. Then it’s filling out the the rest, so that it reads a bit more suitable for actual humans. The downfall of this for me so far has been that self-imposed deadlines are virtually worthless. So I struggle with this, and that has led me to a couple other explorations. 

Approach #2:
I’m approaching a little bit like marathon training. Bursts, build-ups and long runs are all hugely important but what I found to be the thing that actually got me through training for and completing a full marathon was having a training partner. I started with one and by the end there were five of us. Having a training partner held me accountable. I had at least one person expecting me to be at checkpoint-charlie at 3:30am in order to get that 16 miles in before the Las Vegas sun heated things up to 110 F by 7am. 
I’ve always wanted to try this: http://nanowrimo.org/ but in all honesty, I'm a little nervous about doing it. But this seems like an awesome exercise to push through a full writing process.
Another thing I’ve more recently stumbled upon is Editorially - which seems like a pretty awesome tool for doing some collaborative writing, regardless of it being feedback only, encouragement based or actual co-writing.

Approach #3:
Question & Answer, or prompt writing. This is something that has allowed me to continue exercising as a writer, without getting stuck on having no idea what to write about. :D  This style has you writing in small but complete bursts. That exercise alone seems like the right path to getting something of fuller length out there in the longer term.
I tried this back in 2011. I discovered it too late to actually participate with a group and I ended up only lasting for 15 days instead of 30. But I really enjoyed it. The practice of responding to prompts or questions was another of those things that, at least for me, helped me get through a complete process, even though it’s a shorter one. Doing that a whole bunch of times helps raise my confidence levels in being able to finish things, and I become more hungry to repeat that sense of accomplishment. Seems to be working out for me so far. 

I think what I’m getting at is, I’m still pretty new at the whole writing thing but with most creative processes I’ve worked through, from metal sculpture to web design, to mobile app design or drawing, etc. it’s always a heck of a lot easier to get to a polished end-point when there’s a target goal in mind. A goal makes “getting there” a process that’s achievable. If we’re not really sure where we’re trying to get, it’s easy to dwindle in and endless loop of brainstorm bursts that never grow into something the world gets to see. I think this may circle back to that second approach I mentioned, and the training partners thing but ya, finding folks to hold us accountable for delivering on our goals helps in motivation, feedback, longevity, and working through the inevitable creative ‘muck.’ 

I’d love to hear about your current process here in the comments section, and maybe others can offer some awesome helpful insights, as well!

Please Don't Use My Name asks...

Q:
I have this client that is SUCH a micro-manager. I keep trying to help them understand that they hired me because I am very good at what I do but still, they micro-manage. What can I say to them to help them trust me? 

A:
Ah yes, the age-old micro-managey client.  While I don't really know the specifics of your situation or history with this client the one thing I can usually point to on this, is communication. 
9.9 times out of 10, if a client seems micro-managey, the problem is with us, not the client. A client will fill gaps, so to speak, if we do not provide them with the information they need that allows them to trust us.  Our process has to be clearly defined in order for them to trust us. And not just in a big general schedule outline - actually talk to them.

As a designer/UX-er/developer (whatever it is you do) it is entirely your job to communicate your plan, set expectations and deliver upon those fully. Often, we think we are doing all this but if you really look closely you may see some places in your process of communication that you can tighten up. It will often feel like you're over-communicating but our processes are often super confusing to clients. If they could do what we do, they wouldn't hire us. But we need to make the experience of working with us as friendly and easy as the experience we're trying to create for them.
Here's an example from an actual project I coached on a while back, where the designer was going to be working directly with the client on a two week illustration engagement.

10am Monday: Project kickoff, client is told by designer that he will follow up asap with a schedule for the week. (Plans to send first thing in the morning.)
8am Tuesday: Designer receives schedule from client. Designer is frustrated because it is not the right sequence or way he would like to work.

The designer genuinely thought he was communicating awesomely by letting them know he would be providing the schedule and sequence of events. He expected they would be fine until they received it. He was shocked the client responded with their own schedule, especially since he'd been already been working on the schedule he promised. This suddenly felt imposing, like the client didn't trust him, all the good stuff we complain about with clients and the project was just starting.
Where he fell short on his communication was using a vague term like "ASAP" which to him may mean 'first thing tomorrow morning' but to the client could mean 'in an hour or two.' When they haven't heard anything by the end of the day, they sort of panic and thusly, resort to micro-managing the situation. If things aren't defined for them, they will take control of the situation.
We need to set ridiculously clear expectations with clients. Maybe something more like:
"Dear Client, I will have a project schedule in your inbox by 10am PST tomorrow morning."
At which point, you better deliver at or before 10am PST. If you do fall behind or need more time, communicate as swiftly and concisely as possible. A lot of us don't even realize we're using vague terms when we communicate but it happens so often. Being specific sets the expectation that if they check their inbox tomorrow at 10am PST, they will see the schedule as you promised. There is no sense of wondering when they can expect it. 

This is a small example but it's the smallest detail in the words you use when communicating with your clients. Set timing expectations down to the hour, minute and time zone. Whenever possible, set the expectations of what happens after the next step. 
"Dear Client, I will have a project schedule in your inbox by 10am PST tomorrow. Once that is sent, I will begin Step 1 but please contact me if you have any comments or concerns about the schedule. Otherwise, let's plan on our next touch-point call on Wednesday at 2pm PST to review Step 1. Upon review of Step 1, in order to keep on schedule, I will need your feedback no later than 10am PST on Thursday." 

You've clearly set the expectation. There is no question about what's next. Ease them through each step of the schedule by recapping what's been done, what is happening and what to expect next with as much specific detail as you can. Encourage them to communicate with you if there's anything they don't understand but most of the time you'll know you're communicating well when you feel like they trust you.

I could go on about this for a long time and it's important to note, if you didn't start the project off on the path of excellent communication, it's a hard thing to recover from mid-project. It's so, so important to start out on the right foot from the beginning. If that's not possible, you CAN still improve communication at any point in a project and you're likely to see really positive results. I do have an arsenal of examples for different client-communication situations, so if there's something more specific you're working through, by all means, ask more!

The summary is, if your client seems micro-managey, do some introspection and examining of your own communication style. I'll bet that improving your communication efforts, improves the trust, which eventually removes the need for your client to micro-manage.

With humble thanks!

@jaimeejaimee

@hansv asks...

Q:
I have the simplest of questions: Have we met before? You look very familiar.

A:
I do not believe we've met. Hello! Nice to meet you. ;)

Shall we let the world in on our little joke, Hans VerSchooten (4-show-10)?
I think so. (Is this what it means to turn a joke inside-out?) Here's the story:

At the 2013 Úll conference in Ireland, Hans and I were introduced to each other no fewer than seven times in the course of three or four days. It was awesome. After about the third time, we just pretended we'd never met from there on out. Pretty sure we'll do that forever-more. :)

I look forward to re-meeting you again soon, @hansv!