The Suffering of UX

In our preoccupation with designing the perfect user experience (UX) we fail to comprehend other key components that can play a role in enhancing the overall UX. If we turn a blind eye, then the UX is destined to suffer irrelevant of whether or not we have hammered out the perfect design. Two of the integral components that we must learn to more fully address, along with that flawless UX design itself, are:

Change Management - Change….this small, one syllable word seems to inspire fear among the masses. However, armed with a well-planned change management strategy we do not have to fear this puny little word. An organized change management strategy provides a structured approach to transitioning an organization (people, technology and all) from a current state to a desired future state. Yet, if this strategy is lacking organizations tend to resist and not embrace this change of state, which can lead to a breakdown in the UX and subsequently the implemented solution.

As consultants, we need to be considerate that change is an unnerving task for all involved; therefore, if we strive towards developing a well thought out change management strategy, then we help provide an environment welcoming of change and more supportive of a positive UX. The key to a well thought-out change management strategy lies in launching an effective communications plan that addresses the two most important questions that people need to hear, the “why” are we changing and the “result” or impact on us? In tackling these giants we can help ease organizational fears by providing answers to these daunting questions and allow users the chance to focus explicitly on their solution experience.

Beginning with the End in Mind: The Solution Design Document

Imagine for a moment that you are building a house. You know you want 3 bedrooms, a functional kitchen, and extensive entertainment technology incorporated into every room. Go! Those are nice ideas, but they really don’t narrow it down much, and they certainly aren’t enough to communicate to the myriad of contractors, sub-contractors and trades. What would this house look like? Could your general contractor estimate on these requirements?

You wouldn’t expect such enigmatic ideas to be good enough for a construction project, so why would we expect IT projects to be any different? Most IT projects begin with similar vague ideas. Statements like “central information repository”, “seamless integration with the enterprise systems”, “easy to use graphical user interfaces”, and “improved business processes” are common high-level requirements. These types of statements are traditionally present in project charters and speak to the business goals. But just like that house you want to build, these are not enough to provide the required clarity to all of the stakeholders.

Enter the Solution Design Document

Sandwiched between the project charter and detail technical design documentation, the solution design document fulfills a critically important role in any IT project. Why do we need pretty pictures? What’s all this non-technical stuff good for? What does WebDAV mean? These are the types of questions I’ve received over the years and here is my response;

• It provides the big picture to a broad audience.
• It communicates what the outcome will look like and how it will be achieved.
• It provides sufficient detail to allow project sponsors to make informed decisions.
• It uses language that is not exclusionary or overly technical while at the same time contains detail to be of value to technical resources.

Ideaca's Company Video

Ideaca is proud to be launching our first ever company overview video! Designed with clients, prospects, and employees in mind, we have built something that truely reflects what Ideaca is all about...
 

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Creativity in Leadership

 

Creativity is the individual way in which our mind generates our views, ideas, style…or any other facet of the imagination. Through this comes expression which is the product of creativity and exists in many forms… one of which is leadership.

Being a leader is an immeasurable opportunity for growth.  You are being given the chance to influence and be influenced, learn as well as teach, and guide in your own unique way.  Of course there are some basic guidelines, but each individual will bring their own flare to leading a team to a successful finale.  What you choose to do and say will inevitably create an experience for everyone on the team, including yourself, and give you the capacity to profoundly shape a project and the people who are a part of it.  Your creative abilities may come as new strategies to tackling a tight schedule, your technical understanding, or sheer ability to make people feel important.  Wherever your inherent virtues lie, being put into a lead role will assure they have the chance to develop and shine.

It’s important to have a foundation to build upon, so consider these points the canvas for your creative endeavor:

Be confident  -  You must believe if you want others to believe in you. Carry yourself in a manner that exhibits strength, encourages excitement, and gives a sense of stability.  The way you step forward as a leader permeates the air around you, and has a profound effect on how people see you.  Their belief in your ability to guide instills confidence in them as well, and inspires great performance.  In the midst of this exchange of recognition is the creation of trust, which in the aspect of a project will go a long way.

Know your team - Just as you have your own way of being in the world, so do your team members and recognizing the exceptional qualities that each team member brings to the table will tremendously further your ability to attain success.  Pinpointing a person’s strengths in the beginning will allow you a broader insight down the road into delegating appropriately to utilize the team’s greatest powers when and where they are needed.  In doing this you are aligning with efficiency by pushing forward peoples talents. It gives people a sense of purpose when they know they are essential and why, it drives ambition and productivity and a sense of self. This is a great form of expression.

Know where you are headed – Visualize the end result, or final product.  Know in your mind that you will achieve the best final result possible and exceed expectations and how it will look when you’re there. If you can imagine it, you can make it and this is a force to be reckoned with.  Every project is susceptible to encountering obstacles along the way, but having a vision will help you navigate around roadblocks thus maintaining a clear path to success.

Keep in touch – Communication is vastly key to so much in life and especially in a collaborative situation.  The ebb and flow of a project is directly associated with straight up talking to and amongst one another.  The individual components that each team member is responsible for will amalgamate to form the final, tangible result and in order for that to happen there needs to be a streamline of conversation.  It is vital to not only deliver project updates to the team but to exchange thoughts and ideas. In doing so you are creating an environment of constant awareness of the state of the project as well as combining the team’s brainpower to solution any challenges that may arise. Not to mention it unifies the group socially, which can create an immensely dynamic team when they are called to duty.

When you consider these concepts and ignite them with a passion to do great work and do it with your own style, you can come through the other side having not only delivered an intended product, but having done it with the rare qualities only you possess.  Your character and personality make you a leader unlike any other seen before, or that will be seen.  It is the chance for you to leave a mark that will impact others in a positive way, and hopefully make a difference in some way…somehow.  Because once the project is over what people have left (besides a fantastic new…….[insert your project delivery here]) is the memory of how it came together and the people who made it happen.

- Joelle Thrasher, Portals & Collaboration Consultant

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Ideaca Renews Multiple Microsoft Gold Competencies in the Microsoft Partner Network

We have renewed our gold competencies in Business Intelligence (BI), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Portals and Collaboration and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as well as silver competencies in Virtualization, Web Development, Application Integration and Data Platform.

"These Microsoft competencies showcase our expertise and commitment in today’s technology market and demonstrates our deep knowledge of Microsoft and its products,” said Mike Alkier, Managing Partner, Ideaca.  “Our plan is to accelerate our customers’ success by serving as advisors for their business technology needs.”

“By achieving a portfolio of competencies, partners demonstrate deep expertise and consistent capability on the latest Microsoft technology,” said Jon Roskill, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “These partners show true commitment to meeting customer technology needs today and into the future.”

Check out the full story here.
 

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