The XDF: Foolproof's framework for designing great experiences

November 2014 1 @elsaplumley #foolproofsg #IXDASG

London | Norwich | Singapore

IxDA meet-up: A framework for designing great experiences

Elsa Plumley

November 2014

@elsaplumley

#foolproofsg

#IXDASG


Hello I’m Elsa. I have 10yrs experience in industry

I’m a life-long student: psychology, interface design,

marketing, visual design, front-end web development

I am currently working as a Director at Foolproof in London


What is your job?


Hello I’m Elsa. I’m an Experience Designer.


Experience Design is a design practice focused on human outcomes

What is Experience Design?


An interface is a means to

an end, not the end itself.

To be a great designer, you need to look

through the interface and see the

people you are trying to help on the

other side.




We are not designing this…



We are actually designing this

“That process felt really quick and easy, I’d recommend it to a friend”



We are actually designing this

Feelings e.g.

Behaviours e.g.

This is what we mean by ‘human outcomes’

“I feel confident about what I’m doing

on this website”

“It feels like this company really

understands what matters to me”

Customer uses the website instead of

calling the customer service centre

Shopper buys the product from us

instead of a competitor

@elsaplumley #foolproofsg #IXDASG November 2014 10

Your job is not what you think it is.

Focus on the people, not the interface.


Designing human

outcomes is hard.

Using insights takes some of the guesswork out of

how to engineer the right reaction in someone.

And it reduces the risk of getting it wrong.

Gather data. Watch people. Understand how they

currently act and think and feel. Understand their

biases and errors. And their motivations and needs

and desires.



It’s not all about The User.


Our Experience Design philosophy

Where is the business?



The most successful

designs work for

businesses AND users



This is not 1999.

You need to think

about business

outcomes.



Designing business

outcomes is hard.

Figure out what you are trying to achieve for your

business. Don’t shy away from discussions about

commercials and Key Performance Indicators.

Cultivate interest in them like you do for customer

behaviours and design patterns.


A framework for designing great experiences


Introducing the Experience Design Framework

The problem: Designing experiences is hard.

Designing consistently great*

experiences is even harder.

*engaging and satisfying for users AND

commercial viable for businesses



Our framework can

help you focus on

the right things. It’s useful for problems large and

small. It helps keep you focused on

the humans you are trying to reach

as well as the business you are

trying to help.



The Experience Design Framework (XDF)

Agree what you want to

achieve.

Understand what is

known about the

problem and what still

needs to be explored.

Plan how to fill gaps in

knowledge.

Explore user and

business requirements

to fill gaps in knowledge.

Explore a range of

potential solutions and

choose the most

suitable based on user

and business feedback.

Design the solution in

detail.

Iterate and refine the

solution using user and

business feedback.

Communicate the

solution with impact.

Ensure it is implemented

as intended.

Gather feedback to

validate that it has the

desired business impact.

Evaluate the quality of your thinking, learn and improve the solution



Cultivate the right

attitude.

– Be economical: don’t waste time and effort

where it isn’t needed

– Be pragmatic: you will need to find

compromises that work for everyone

– Always look to learn: see mistakes as

opportunities to change and improve

– Be open to feedback: don’t assume you are

right. Use real data to guide your decisions.

– Take your ego out of the equation: don’t take

feedback personally. It’s not about you.


Lifting the curtain: developing the framework

Lifting the curtain: tips for developing a framework

The Experience Design Framework was created to help us scale excellence

We are a fast growing company. The

XDF helps ensure that every part of

our business is staying true to our

philosophy and is applying the best

practices we’ve developed.



What we learnt:

– Give people slightly less structure than you

think they need, to encourage learning and

creativity

– Documenting is not enough. Think about how

to communicate and drive adoption too

– The framework is most useful for those with

mid-skills level but getting people with high-

skills levels to buy-in is most important



You are welcome to

use our framework.

[email protected]

We are always looking for suggestions and ideas to

improve it.

But please share your feedback!

mailto:[email protected]



Remember these 3 things:

– Your job is to help people, not create wireframes

– Your designs have to help businesses too

– Plan, Explore, Create, Deliver

Thank you!

Questions?