sxswi talk: Getting Unstuck

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Turns out some of the best talks were in the first morning timeslot… sad given how late the evening events went at this conference. Getting Unstuck was a really awesome panel with this unfortunate timeslot… but they managed to keep me engaged (and awake) and I ended up taking copious notes full of great ideas about working with stakeholders, finding inspiration, keeping momentum going, selling your designs..

Liz Danzico- Daylife, Kristian Bengtsson- FutureLab, Chris Messina- Citizen Agency, Luke Wroblewski- Yahoo!, Jeffrey Zeldman- Happy Cog

How can we stay innovative and “unstuck”?

• Put all early work online, ask others to take and expand and repost, very successful (Firefox ex.)
  • Everything out in the open as early as possible
  • Management through conversation
    • Talk a ton before design phase (Batman ex)
    • Hear what people are actually saying, really listen
    • Don’t focus too much on process… get to what users need, despite process
  • Keep info flowing in (ideas, thoughts, inspiration)
    • Data, trends
    • Keep getting the ideas out there & get feedback
    • Write things down so you can think them through
    • Feedback loop- stuck is when it stops
  • Accept constant change, be fearless and have fun
    • “Better to be flamboyant failure than mediocre success”
    • Intention + dialog/ context= success
  • “5 dysfunctions of teams”
  • Showing weakness builds trust
  • Get unstuck by talking to other groups

  Publish to build trust! Get it out there so stakeholders know. This changes the conversation eventually (they start to think it’s their idea)

• Get it out there- people can destroy and it’s reborn better
  • Find negative space in an idea
• We are a soundbite culture, John Kerry ex- long verbose doesn’t soundbite quickly
  • Create soundbites that others can take up, articulate a goal about self and project- keep simple & repeat
  • People lose track, just work- need simple, brand goal to go back to

  In your head everything’s fluffy, round edges. Write it down, give to others to have others jump on- 1`% may be good

• Add value via design process, principles
  • Don’t have to call it “design”
  • eBay ex- M&A create value with babblefish translator- “oh he’s valuable”
  • Help define the problem, don’t be afraid of menial tasks
  • Don’t “sell design”, just add value, without people even knowing he did the “design thing”
• It’s all a political process, interpret and understand everyone’s goal and where they’re coming from
• Need someone in an org thinking about shared understanding & trust
• Small teams good
• IA is a translator/ flight attendant/ prostitute to all stakeholders… make them feel loved and listened too- significantly before showing designs
• Honesty and communication, listening- not just to users/ consider stakeholders as “users”. Show the “love”
• Big companies value process, -can you add value when pitching work without talking process?
  • Party with them, get to know them, simple process
  • Show before an after of previous process
  • “Love process”- includes tough love- why what they’re doing is wrong
  • Most important is to get to know, listen
  • People being hired for way of thinking, NOT process
  • Tell client we understand your context, don’t know what we’ll do yet
  • It’s about a connection, need to know an audience to tell story, no boiler plate, use conversation to help define problem

Lightening round- 1 minute scenario questions for panel

• • Build to think mentality, continuous feedback look
  • Simplify
  • Clear vision
  • Be resourceful
  • Constraints are good
  • Have a need- not just an idea or dogma, empathy good
  • Learn from failure, & fail quickly

Final tips for getting unstuck

• • Listen, dialog, articulate simple goals
  • Communication, open feedback loop
    • Take feedback/ be open/ your idea can get better
    • “yes, and…”
  • Always have at least 1 person focused on solution, common factors instead of differences
  • Be fearless
  • Keep a user in mind- personalized
  • Think about what it’s like to get beers after with client- what’s success? what have you achieved?
  • Common context, make execs responsible for culture

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