Building the User Experience Community at SDL
6 likes3,788 views
This document outlines the development of an in-house user experience community at SDL over six years, highlighting best practices and recommendations for growing a strong internal culture in software development. Key strategies discussed include establishing a community, enabling collaboration, nurturing relationships, and creating a shared vision while providing both digital and physical spaces for collaboration. The presentation aims to inspire other teams aiming to build similar communities within larger organizations.
More Related Content
Similar to Building the User Experience Community at SDL (20)
![Best Web Design Agencies in Europe [2025]](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/webdesignagenciesineurope-250828070853-e4b3bd03-thumbnail.jpg?width=560&fit=bounds)
Building the User Experience Community at SDL
- 1. Building the UX Community at SDL Best Practices and Recommendations Philipp Engel, UX Director, SDL
- 2. This presentation describes how we built an in-house user experience community at SDL. We started small, with the literal UX team of one, but grew and expanded the team and the discipline over the last 6 years. In this presentation, we summarize what worked for us and share experiences and best practices. Not only to inspire other user experience teams, but any discipline in a large scale software development organization that intends to grow from a handful of disconnected experts into a strong internal community.
- 3. Our Journey Establish the Community Enable Collaboration Nurture Community Formulate a Mission Statement Set up a Communication Plan Define a Default Process Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration Provide a Physical Space for Collaboration Provide a Space to Hang Out Together Visit Conferences and Meetups Join the Larger Professional Community Define Your Values Create a Culture Establish a Vision Identify Members Define Your Discipline 1 2 3
- 4. 1) Establish the Community Establish the Community Enable Collaboration Nurture Community Formulate a Mission Statement Set up a Communication Plan Define a Default Process Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration Provide a Physical Space for Collaboration Provide a Space to Hang Out Together Visit Conferences and Meetups Join the Larger Professional Community Define Your Values Create a Culture Establish a Vision Identify Members Define Your Discipline 1 2 3
- 6. External Definitions for Your Discipline… What we learned: There is no point in arguing what is the right definition for your discipline. Create one that works for you and your organization.
- 7. Create Your Own Definition UX at SDL in 2010
- 8. Establish an Maturity & Growth Model UX at SDL in 2010
- 10. Look for “go-to persons”, trusted thought leaders for a specific discipline Identify a Community Leader UXI
- 11. Find folks that care about your discipline or area of expertise and get them together. At SDL we started the UX community with a mixed group of technical writers, UI developers, product managers, and testers. Identify and Invite Members UXI Customer Support Product Manager UX Designer Technical Writer Developer
- 12. SDL UX Community 2015 Catalin Timofti UX Designer, Cluj Nikki Veldhuis UX Designer, Amsterdam Adela Muresan UX Designer, Cluj Elske Schrauwen UX Designer, Amsterdam Peter Boersma UX Strategist, Amsterdam Ariel Vargas UX Designer, Amsterdam Fernando Quiros UX & Visual Designer, Amsterdam Philipp Engel UX Director, Amsterdam Arne de Booij UX Strategist, Amsterdam Hristo Spasunin Visual Designer & Developer, Sofia Riccardo Russomanno Visual Designer, Amsterdam Carrie Kim UX Strategist, Seattle Joao Lopes UX Strategist, Mechelen Scott Darcy UX Designer, Wakefield Brian Shurtleff UX Designer, Cluj/LA Jaap Jan van den Bosch UX Designer, Amsterdam Sander Viegers UX Strategist, Amsterdam Today the UX Community at SDL is comprised of UX strategists, user researchers, interaction designers, and visual UI designers.
- 14. What is happening out There? We researched trends and developments disrupting our industry. The Social Enterprise People, not files, are the center of activity Touch & Gesture Interaction as a primary input method Generation C Connected all the time Consumerization & Software as a Service Mobile Computing The rise of mobile PCs over desktop PCs
- 15. Develop a Vision and Tell a Story We demonstrated opportunities those trends and developments hold for us if mapped to our products and services…
- 16. Make Your Vision Concrete 2Username 3 2Username 3 Community Social Media Targeting Online Campaigns Mailings 38 Workflow Tasks Welcome Username Domainusername 9 Customer Engagement User Preferences Audience Web Sites Web Content Content Management Multimedia Content 245 Engage your community, spread ownership, take them on a journey!
- 17. Cross Silos and Build Bridges in the Organization SDL Customer Ecosystem Design Strategy & Touchpoints SDL Channels Campaign & Microsites Social Media Apps DISCOVER SDL.com (Corporate Web Site) Translationzone (Market specific Web Site) Language Cloud (Offering specific Web Site) Online Store (embedded) EXPLORE & BUY Support & Training Developer Space Documentation Video Channel Blogs, Forums, Groups, Ideas ASK & ENGAGE App Marketplace SINGLE ID My SDL ID Account Data, Analytics, Insights Carbon 2.0 Product UI Guidelines Lucia Navigation, Screen Templates, Catalina Controls “Espresso” Web Design Guidelines Page types for Landing pages, content pages, etc. “Espresso” Web Design Guidelines Page types for My SDL & Community “Espresso” Web Design Guidelines (less strict) General page layouts, footer USE Products Plans Trials Public/Private Job Marketplace Collaboration CXC/LC -‐ ENTERPRISES USE Collaboration Public Job Marketplace Trials Plans Products LC -‐ TRANSLATORS & LSP’s Embed your vision in a larger context.
- 18. Formulate a Mission Statement
- 19. Formulate a Mission Statement At SDL we create user experiences that are: Unified SDL product suite with a unified user interface and a harmonized user experience Integrated SDL products are integrated in a way in that they share common components, enrich each other by providing functionality in- context, have optimized flows between applications Personalized Key elements of the user interface can be personalized such as notifications, view settings, information dashboards, and navigation Collaborative Embedded social features allow users to connect, stay informed, communicate, and by these means collaborate Relevant Bring relevant functionality and information to the user when she needs them and avoid information overload Context aware Optimized for the context (online/offline, location, etc.) and the device the user is using, including desktop, tablet, and mobile devices Touch enabled SDL products are optimized for touch input as well as traditional input methods such as keyboard and pointing devices. User can use these methods in combination, based on personal preference or individually based on device capabilities
- 21. Communication, sharing, transparency Team over the individual Focus on goals and results, not just process Curious open minds driving change and innovation Diversity, equality, respect in the community Ambitions to make the world a better place What We Value in SDL’s UX Community
- 22. Create a Culture
- 23. We are a democracy, not a dictatorship • We have multiple distributed teams • It is all about teams iterating together and sharing information • Design decisions are de-centralized • Independent product UX teams for each product/development project • Centralized UX group for coordinating design decisions, vision and strategy development We agree on the same values and goals • We create transparency, we share our work, and collaborate We share UX concepts, designs, research results, and final deliverables with the internal UX community • We collaborate across the organization, work closely together with other product teams • We aim to understand what other teams did and why they did it like this • We provide regular design workshops, give demos, and seek for feedback • We ensure improved and updated designs are properly documented and communicated to all teams allowing them to adopt new designs across teams there too We get together and collaborate • When new projects start – we get multiple relevant product UX teams together in ”design war rooms" and discuss the design direction (What design patterns, screens, controls, etc. are available in other products that can be reused?) • We only leave the room with a common understanding of the design direction forward • We test our assumptions and iterate Some Principles
- 24. UX Community Culture Who we are 17 Designers, 9 Nationalities Diverse global group of design researchers, data nerds, user advocates, micro-‐interaction lovers & pixel-‐perfect UI designers Hungry for innovation, creative processes, strive for intuitive interactions & beautiful interfaces Our focus on service experience make us connect, collaborate, bridge teams, and connect with individuals throughout SDL, always with the customer in mind. What we do User Experience Strategy Research, innovation, experience architecture, service design, design process User Experience Guidelines Design guideline development, documentation, distribution User Experience Design Interaction design, prototyping, UI design & guidelines, UI controls & documentation, and usability testing with product/project focus. How we work 5 Timezones, 7 Offices • UX Community Meeting (Weekly) • UX Strategy Meetings (Weekly) • UI Alignment Meetings (tbd.) • UX Summit (Yearly) • “UX Walls” in Team Spaces • All Designs on UX WIKI • UX Facebook Hangout • Dribbble Space
- 25. 2) Enable Collaboration Establish the Community Enable Collaboration Nurture Community Formulate a Mission Statement Set up a Communication Plan Define a Default Process Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration Provide a Physical Space for Collaboration Provide a Space to Hang Out Together Visit Conferences and Meetups Join the Larger Professional Community Define Your Values Create a Culture Establish a Vision Identify Members Define Your Discipline 1 2 3
- 26. Set up a Communication Plan
- 27. UX Community Call (Weekly) UX Strategy Meeting (Weekly) UX Summit (Yearly) Product Line Meetings (On-demand) Individual One2Ones (Bi-Weekly) Design Deep Dives (SDL focus, on-demand) Design Critique Sessions (Outside world focus, on-demand) SDL UX Communication Plan
- 28. Weekly UX Community Calls What we learned: Don’t do standup meetings… better have someone present their current work every week. Keeps meetings interesting and encourages sharing and regular feedback.
- 29. Yearly UX Summit What we learned: Get distributed teams together in a room at least ones a year (for 2-3 days) is invaluable. Face time and actually getting to know each other is is the foundation for remote collaboration.
- 30. Yearly UX Summit What we learned: Circulate offices. Hosting a UX Summit and gathering the entire community helped increasing visibility for the UX discipline in several offices.
- 31. Yearly UX Summit What we learned: Get stuff on the walls! Make it physical and tangible. Post-it’s rock! Invite related disciplines too (we invited other designers from Marketing which improved collaboration across departments).
- 32. Yearly UX Summit What we learned: Organize workshops (e.g. around design thinking and service design) and avoid long presentations. People get to know each other when working in groups, and get inspired when solving design problems together.
- 33. Design Critique Sessions (Outside World Focus) What we learned: Collect and bring awesome product and service design examples and explain what you love about them. Fosters discussions about design quality and recent trends.
- 34. Design Deep-Dives (SDL Focus) What we learned: Print major screens and get them all on the wall. Helps aligning interaction flows and visual UI design details.
- 35. Define a Default Process
- 36. Product Management (PM’s, PO’s, Business Analysts, Market Researchers) Engineering (Architects, Developers, Testers, Ops) User Experience (User Researchers, Designers, Design Strategists) Bring Disciplines Together Business (viability) Technology (feasibility) People (desirability) Innovation Happens Here!
- 37. Define Overall Process Customer Ecosystem Product Line Product LineProduct Line Product LineProduct Line Product LineProduct Line DevOps Leadership Experience Design & Guidelines Teams Focus on Design, Details, Execution, Guidelines, Documentation, Distribution SCRUM Teams (Dev/Doc/QA) Code, Consistency, Efficiency (Reusability) & Compliancy Experience Strategy Team Focus on Research, Innovation, Data, Strategy Product Management Team Focus on Market, Direction & Roadmaps
- 38. Define Actors, Actions, and Deliverables Action Deliverable Actor Feedback Experience Strategist ProductM anager Input User& M arket Research Document DocumentResearch D ata and Insights ProductBrief,Goals,Epics ProductRoadm ap UX Strategy UX Strategy Review UX Strategy Draft Reject Experience Strategist ProductM anager UX Strategy (Personas,Scenarios,Goals,Functional Specification,Prototypes) Present Update Document Interaction & UID esign (perstory) Review (perstory) Interaction & UID esign Draft Interaction & VisualUID esign (ProductspecificScreens,UIControls& UIControlLibraryControls,Docum entation) Start Project Experience D esigner Experience Strategist ProductO w ner/UID eveloper Reject Present Update Document Experience Guidelines Im plem entation (perstory) Functional& Usability Testing (perstory) Im plem ented Story Approved Story Approve Approve UID eveloper Tester Experience D esigner Reject Demo Implement Update / Fix
- 39. Align Actors & Actions ProductStrategy / ProductRoadm aps Experience Strategy Experience Design UIDevelopm ent/ Testing § Product Objectives (Business Goals, Success Metrics) § Functional Specification (Prioritized list of requirements) § User Needs (Research, Personas, Journeys, Service Blueprints, etc.) § UX Strategy (Goals, Experience Metrics, IA, Design Concepts, Prototypes) § Interaction Design (Conceptual Models, Metaphors, Flows) § Interface Design (Wireframes) § Visual Design (Colors, Icons, Typography, Grids, etc.) § Design Guidelines (Screen Templates, UI Controls, Rules, Documentation) § UI Controls & Example Code (Catalina Controls, Reusable Code, Documentation) PM / UX / Architects UX / PO / DEV Prior to Project During Project Experience Guidelines
- 40. Integrate with Existing Processes (e.g. UX & SCRUM) Input SupportInput Support Feedback & Input Support Support Product Release Dev Story Dev Story Dev Story Dev Story Dev Story Dev Story Dev Story Dev Story Product Backlog Sprint Backlog Sprint Planning Backlog Grooming Daily Scrum Potentially shippable product increment Acceptance / Demo Retrospective Sprint (2-4 weeks) Development Testing Documentation Sprint UX: Detailed Design within Sprints • Interface Design (Wireframes) / Information Design (Wayfinding) / Visual Design (Colors, Icons, Typography, Grids, etc.) • Terminology (Tech writers) • Design Specification / Documentation UX: Usability Testing • User Testing (Users) • Usability Inspections (Testers/Other Designers) • Cognitive Walkthroughs • Heuristic Evaluations • Conceptual Evaluation (Expert reviews) Document Designs Document Designs Document Designs Dev Story Dev Story UX: Design for Sprint 3 UX: Design for Sprint 2 UX: Test / validate completed stories Sprint 2 UX: Design for Sprint 4 UX: Test / validate completed stories Sprint 3 UX: Test / validate completed stories Sprint 4 DEV: Stories not requiring desing DEV: Review Designs DEV: Implement Stories DEV: Review Designs DEV: Implement Stories DEV: Review Designs DEV: Implement Stories DEV: Review Designs DEV: Bug Fixing DEV: System Architecture DEV: Proof of Concepts Design Documentation Completed Stories Documented Designs Completed Stories Documented Designs Documented Designs C Completed Stories C Release Stories C Sprint 1 Sprint 2 Sprint 3 Sprint 4 Stabilization Product/Service - Detailed Designs Per Story: Interface Design (Wireframes) / Information Design (Wayfinding) / Visual Design (Colors, Icons, Typography, Grids, etc.) UI Control Library Product/Service - UX Strategy UX: Evaluation • Beta Feedback (Internal/ External) • Feedback (PS / Partners/ Customer Support) • User Testing (Customers) • Collection of Metrics Post-‐Release UX: High Level Design § UX Strategy (Goals) § UX Research (Personas, Scenarios) § Interaction Design (Conceptual Models, Metaphors, Navigation Design) § Concept evaluation Document Strategy New/enhanced UI Control UX: User Needs § Site visits § Interviews § Questionnaires § Observations § Background research § Competitor studies Pre-‐Project Input Technical Feasability Validation PM: Product Strategy § Product Objectives (Business Goals, Success Metrics) § Functional Specification (Prioritized List of Requirements) Sprint 0 reference to Design Story Design Story This sprint Next sprint
- 41. Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration
- 42. Setup a WIKI for Collaboration What works for us: We maintain a separate space in our development WIKI
- 43. Encourage discussions What we learned: Tagging content, setting up “smart” lists (e.g. for discussions), activity streams, and notifications allow for high level of transparency and provide visibility on what everybody is working on.
- 44. Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration What we learned: Provide version information and status for all pages containing design concepts or UI specs. Provides clarity to stakeholders (e.g. PM & Dev) if they looking at a draft or final version of a page.
- 45. Experiment and pick what works for you…
- 46. Provide Physical Space for Collaboration
- 48. We had unused space…
- 49. We came up with a concept Creative Spaces Town Hall Meetings Social Spaces
- 50. So we got a “Creative Space” Colors Stimulate creative processes Whiteboard covering the whole wall Flexible movable furniture for various use cases (design workshops, hackathons, townhall meetings, product demos, etc.) More: Google Ventures: Your Design Team Needs A War Room. Here's How To Set One Up
- 51. Creative Spaces Write with whiteboard markers on tables Helps every discussion
- 52. Design War Rooms / Walls Design Books Inspiration Personas Design Printouts
- 53. Design War Rooms / Walls
- 54. If Possible, Get the Community to Sit Together Decorate for soccer world cups! Get stuff on the walls!
- 55. 3) Nurture Community Establish the Community Enable Collaboration Nurture Community Formulate a Mission Statement Set up a Communication Plan Define a Default Process Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration Provide a Physical Space for Collaboration Provide a Space to Hang Out Together Visit Conferences and Meetups Join the Larger Professional Community Define Your Values Create a Culture Establish a Vision Identify Members Define Your Discipline 1 2 3
- 56. Provide a Space to Hang Out Together
- 57. SDL UX Community Hangout What works for us: (Almost) everybody is on Facebook and knows how it works. So we set up a private Facebook group for SDL’s UX community where we exchange articles, photos, talk about events, trends, share cat videos… everything except of actual discussions about work. Works great to create a sense of “closeness” with teams that are distributed over offices and time zone.
- 58. SDL UX Community Hangout What works for us: When anybody goes to a conference or meetup we share some pictures and what was discussed – keeps everybody in the loop and triggers our own discussions.
- 59. Participate in the Larger Professional Community
- 60. Gain Visibility in Existing Communities We are on Dribble! Visit our Dribbble Space and follow us: www.dribbble.com/sdl
- 61. Set up a Community Site, Blog, or Forum Shortly we will be launching a UX group in the public SDL Community. Join us there and participate in discussions around UX and design at SDL in general!
- 63. If You Do Cool Stuff Then Talk About It Speak on Conferences
- 64. Visit Conferences, Workshops, and Meetups
- 65. Host a Meetup, Un-conference, etc.
- 66. Host a Meetup, Un-conference, etc.
- 67. Summary Establish the Community Enable Collaboration Nurture Community Formulate a Mission Statement Set up a Communication Plan Define a Default Process Provide a Digital Space for Collaboration Provide a Physical Space for Collaboration Provide a Space to Hang Out Together Visit Conferences and Meetups Join the Larger Professional Community Define Your Values Create a Culture Establish a Vision Identify Members Define Your Discipline 1 2 3
- 68. Thank You! Questions, Feedback? Mail or Follow me!