Re: A failure to communicate...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Anthony Colfelt [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: 03 April 2003 11:00
> To: [email protected]
>
> I think the thread of this post is bang on. I've found that
> often, the time spent on devising a convincing (or just
> clear) way of communicating a process and it's deliverables
> can make the difference between people buying into UCD or
> trying to sabotage it.
>
> < We've so far had good success in getting management
> interested in the same old UCD methods (with a few of our own
> tweaks) by packaging them in language promising to make the
> projects run more smoothly by increasing team communications. >
>
> This is the key really. Ultimately it's management who will
> see through new or changed work methods and it's imperative
> that they're enthusiastic about a process before you embark
> on it. Material relating to Return On Investment from using
> UCD is also great for convincing those that pay the bills.
> Ulitmately management will want to feel that this is a better
> investment monetarily than 'the old way'. It all has to make
> Dollars and Sense... (sorry, V. bad joke)
>
> The difficulties I've experienced is in convincing hardcore
> tech folk, who often become frustrated with the time it takes
> before they can get their hands dirty. We're currently trying
> to work out better ways of dovetailing the tech development
> into a design phase. I would love to hear from people who've
> had success in enthusing a tech team about UCD and have hints
> on how to keep them engaged and contributing all the way
> through a process rather than just during build.

I'm liking this thread very much, although I'm not sure that it's really a
UCD thing - effective presentation and communication of specifications /
artefacts is vital whatever methodology you're using, so I'm not entirely
sure how this becomes a UCD selling point.

However, the line above about ROI, resonates with me - I'm currently trying
to sell [inspire !] the need for UCD / User Experience into a mainly
tech-focused team, who, understandably, want proof that trying this out will
be worth it.

Are there any sources apart from the ones usually used [eg from the last UPA
journal] documenting real ROI from investing in the UCD process. I'd dearly
love to see some of this stuff - my feeling [and it is only that !] is that
most of the numbers floated on UCD / UX etc are a bit fuzzy and
non-rigorous. They're probably correct, or at least in the right vicinity,
but I'm not sure that a court would convict on the evidence. I think this
relative lack of documented and tested case history is a serious weakness,
and a large impediment to successfully pushing this to teams who may just
view this as just another fad.

cheers

anu

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