XING at User Experience Lisbon

Watch out! High risk of infection: the “visual virus” at work. May 16, 2013

Britta Ullrich Senior UX Manager

About my multiple personalities…

Senior UX Manager

2

I do qualitative research to find out what makes our users tick, what their needs are, and how

they rate XING.


Senior UX Manager

3

Singing Bowls

I give sound massages to enhance relaxation, in particular among people that tend to get tangled

up in their thoughts.


Senior UX Manager

4

Singing Bowls Visual Facilitator

I teach adults basic drawing skills that they can use at work!

My vision is to spread the visual virus all over the world!

1. Understand why visuals work @ work

2. See some hands-on examples

3. A treasure chest of secret tips

What’s in it for you…

You might be asked…

YES! Drawing

at work?

Source: customsouthparks.com

Why visuals work @ work…

# Holistically active


# Holistically active # Info overload


# Holistically active # Info overload # Globalization

Some hands-on examples…

Some hands on examples …

“I add post-its for planning and flexibility.”

Susanne, Senior HR Manager & Agile Admirer

“I use visuals as a time schedule to navigate through the meeting.”

Sandra, Team Lead User Care

“It’s about being fast – mistakes happen.” ;)

“It was our 1st anniversary using Kanban – an appreciation & a great laugh for the team.”

Friederike, Community Manager & Agile Kanban Coach

“This picture was a present and motivator for the team!”


“Promoting the option to take part in our regular in-house Agile workshops worked really well.”


“The participants appreciated the hand-drawn certificate for our internal Agile workshop.”

Sabrina, Project Management Student

“We were under pressure to meet deadlines and had to present to the whole department.”

Daniel, Team Lead User Care

“We didn’t want to bore our colleagues with PPT slides. ”

Ulrike, Director User Care

“Hand-made drawings are more personal and help the audience to remember the story!”

Timm, CPO

“The new testing concept was understood really quickly.”

Britta, Sr. UX Manager

“Visual card sortings work well for intuitively ordering our process.”

Zita, Interaction Designer

“It’s great for breaking down complex processes.”

Patrick, Product Manager

“It’s important to differentiate between different target groups.” Faye, Marketing Manager

“Easy to draw, but has a lot more impact than just writing down the words.” Leonie, Visual Designer

“We tried to find a picture that summarized our team values.” Julika, Frontend Engineer


“This picture explains the exercise much better than words can.”


“Visual notes on my iPad help me to remember the most important facts!”

Eva, Jr. Manager User Insights


Visual brainstorming sessions spark our imagination!


XING’s visual dictionary in Confluence


Even XING’s door signs have been “infected”

A treasure chest of secret tips…

# Visual Alphabet


# Equipment # Visual Alphabet


# Equipment # Visual Alphabet # Shadow & Effects


So what?

It changed the way we work…

“I focus even more on

storylines.” CPO

“I now draw a lot, which makes my work so much more

enjoyable.” Communication Designer

“My moderation style has been turned on its head. It’s great fun

for everyone inv0lved, including myself.”

Senior Human Resources Manager & Agile Admirer

And it changed the way my colleagues think about UX…

“I still admire people who can sketch in real time.” :-)

CPO

“I am even more impressed by what

they do.” Team Lead Community Management

“I was impressed with the UX team’s competence (not that I

doubted it before ;-)) and it gave me more insights into the kind

of work they’re involved in.” Senior Manager Quality Assurance

Food for thought…

Visuals @ work…

1. …enhance understanding, focus, & memory!

2. …are not about art but ideas – draw quickly!

3. …increase fun and appreciation levels!

Cheers!

Questions? Britta Ullrich

Senior UX Manager @ XING

Visual Trainer @ VizWorks

About.me/brittaullrich

Twitter @Sabrittas