{"id":5578,"date":"2017-01-19T17:58:58","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T17:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=5578"},"modified":"2020-09-01T09:19:18","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T08:19:18","slug":"showing-process-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/showing-process-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Showing Your Process is So Important!"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was a young Houstonian, learning algebra my freshman year at Elsik High school (cue the old jokes, or algebra jokes) I hated showing my work. I mean I loathed it! I thought showing my work was for chumps! I thought to myself, \u201cI don\u2019t need to do that, solving the problem and showing the answer is what\u2019s important.\u201d Uh, no. Wrrr-uuuh-ong! This article isn\u2019t about high school math; it\u2019s about showing your work as a UX designer<\/strong>. And if you\u2019re stubborn, like me, and super-efficient, and a master problem solver, also like me, then you know this struggle.<\/p>\n

\"1-t_gzims2fqvnt5n6ny9xqq\"<\/p>\n

What I want you to show<\/h2>\n

You should be showing the following deliverables<\/a>, either, all or some in no particular order:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Blueprints<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Customer Journey maps<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. User stories<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Personas<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Ecosystem maps<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Competitive Analysis<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Value Propositions<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Results from stakeholder interviews<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Analytics\/Data (measuring performance)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Brainstorming (white boarding)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  11. Storyboards<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  12. User flows<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  13. Taxonomies<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  14. Sitemaps<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  15. Use cases and scenarios<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  16. Qualitative user research (process and results)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  17. Quantitative user research (process and results)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  18. Usability testing (process and results)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  19. Card sorting (process and results)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  20. A B Testing (process and results)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  21. Sketches<\/span><\/a> (You probably thought this was all you needed to show. Wrong.<\/i>)<\/li>\n
  22. Wireframes<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  23. Pattern library<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  24. Prototypes<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This is just a comprehensive list, not necessarily the list of deliverables you need for every project. Some projects may only require a few of these deliverables.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Did you see the words: \u201cFinal hero shot\u201d anywhere on this list? Nope. You don\u2019t need to show me that. It would be nice to show but I don't care about that. Just show me the steps you took to govern all the UX. Tell a story. Tell your<\/strong> story. Don't be overwhelmed. You do this, every day; now you just need to document it.<\/p>\n

    <\/div>
    <\/svg><\/div>

    \"Just show me the steps you took to govern all the UX. Tell a story. Tell your story.\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

    Why you don't like to show it<\/h2>\n

    The problem with super smart, high performers, is that you think the world bows at your feet. Now, you can deny this up and down until the cows ???????????? ???? come home, but let\u2019s face it, you\u2019re an ass. There\u2019s an ego that comes with intelligence, and your iceberg took out the titanic. Drop the ego and start being respectful. Part of being respectful, is disseminating the UX details and documents, to your team.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \"Freud's

    Freud's iceberg concept.<\/p><\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/div>
    <\/svg><\/div>

    \"You need to document these processes and show them to your team.\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

    You like solving problems don\u2019t you? You like to show off and say things like \u201cThat customer journey map is easy to make, I can knock it out in an hour.\u201d Well, great! Now you\u2019re starting to see that, the biggest enemy here, is you<\/strong>. You may know the entire process, and you may totally understand how you got there, but that doesn\u2019t put you in a position to be able to eloquently communicate that to: your team, stakeholders, execs, or your clients. You need to document these processes and show them to your team.<\/p>\n

    The issue is, you think it\u2019s okay to not show your work, because you\u2019re so badass and you feel you don\u2019t have to answer to anyone. Not true. You\u2019re obligated, as a User Experience Professional, to constantly communicate the product\u2019s vision and design direction. This isn\u2019t rudimentary high school math, at an over populated urban school \u2014 this is your job! Take it seriously and show your damn work!<\/p>\n

    <\/div>
    <\/svg><\/div>

    \"You\u2019re obligated, as a UX Professional, to constantly communicate the product\u2019s vision\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

    What, not showing your work, says about you<\/h2>\n

    Do you want a high paying job in a super competitive field with perks, bonuses, vacations and an ultra-rewarding end-result of enhancing the lives of millions of users? Do you want to work with smart people who strive for the best? Do you want to be surrounded by a culture of excellence and be rewarded, and recognized for your efforts? Of course you do.<\/p>\n

    \"muffins\"

    Don\u2019t be a mediocre cheese muffin.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Do you know what not showing your work says about you? Not showing your work is the career equivalent of saying: \u201cI want a low paying job, as a dirtbag designer, with no extras, because I\u2019m a mediocre cheese muffin. It also says, none of the critical parts of the UX process, were tools I have any experience in using. Wow! Is that who you are? Is that what you want to be? No. So show your damn work!<\/p>\n

    <\/div>
    <\/svg><\/div>

    \"Not showing your work is the career equivalent of saying: I want a low paying job...\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

    The real reasons why you don\u2019t show your work<\/h2>\n

    Okay so if you\u2019re already drumming up excuses, stop reading this. This article isn\u2019t for wimps. This article is about tough love, and I only want to impart my wisdom to those who are worthy. If you call yourself a user experience professional and you\u2019re still coming up with excuses, allow me to revoke that title from you. There are no excuses anymore. This is reality. To be better, you need objectivity and truth. So the truth can be either of the following:<\/p>\n