UX Everywhere: how to think like a user experience planner

Editor's Notes

• #4: You’re not going to learn anything about websites or mobile apps, or user experience design. We’re focusing on UX THINKING, and how that applies to planning in mass or integrated environments.
• #8: Quote from: https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2359803/just-what-is-ux-design-thinking
• #9: UX design thinking works to find the overlap between the needs of the users with the business objectives of the client. It impacts all brand touchpoints, including digital ones. Image modified from: http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/designing-digital-strategies-part-2-connected-user-experiences/
• #10: UX is not the same thing as IA. Information Architecture is a specific discipline concerned with the organization of information to ensure its swift, intuitive navigation.
• #11: User Experience considers the experience of the user as a whole: their expectations, their level of interest, their attitudes – even how they feel. While information architecture (IA) is a component of UX, UX is broader and more holistic. (In digital agencies, a UX planner works with IA to make sure that any specific UX principles are applied to design). Though most people referring to UX think of the process in terms of design work – for example, whether the look and feel of a web page design creates a positive impression on visitors – it may also encompass conducting market research, creating personas, defining the brand voice and other principles that shape the experience. www.warc.com/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?ID=495bc868-abf2-49c5-ba40-a544c46e47b6&MasterContentRef=495bc868-abf2-49c5-ba40-a544c46e47b6&Campaign=admap-prize_14&utm_campaign=admap-prize_14
• #12: UX, short for user experience, is a multidisciplinary approach that touches ALL THE ELEMENTS of a brand experience. It attempts to identify the way users feel about using (or anticipating using) a product, system or service, in order to manipulate these reactions.   Image from: Jar creative
• #13: Can extend to many practices: visual design, interaction design, information architecture, content strategy, creative direction, or strategic planning.
• #15: Changed audience behaviours & expectations (the audience acts different) Evolving business structures & needs (the clients need different) We need more, sharper tools in our tool-belt (our careers will be different) Most of the changes are happening because of the impact of digital. This doesn’t mean we all need to become digital UX planners, but it does mean we all need to start thinking about digital in a more robust way. UX thinking is the best tool for that.
• #16: Content is not consumed in a linear way (if it ever was) We have so many self directed avenues available that we will always choose follow our own If our messages don’t matter to our audience, they won’t ignore it. They’ll never see it. As a result: The brand experience belongs to the customer, because they experience and can create it So if experience trumps branding, experience design can trump (but usually is additive) to brand and channel planning
• #17: in the last few years, the worlds of advertising and product design are converging. CMOs are spending more on technology than CTOs. The web is more important than TV. Digital products and services are more important than communications and messaging for customer engagement and brand creation. Two-way conversations between brands and consumers are more important than one-way, top-down campaigns. Marketing spend is taking a sharp turn towards digital, with budgets being reallocated to digital channels. http://method.com/ideas/10x10/the-experience-tells-the-story http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/digital-marketing/digital-marketing-spend-infographic.jsp
• #18: Our industry awards the UX thinkers When was the last time you met a young creative superstar who only did TV and print? http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/cd1722ba-8333-11e5-8e80-1574112844fd.html#axzz3x2oH2yoI
• #20: ux+planners = systematic analysis + storytelling UX IS NOT JUST ABOUT FUNCTIONALITY. IT’S ABOUT USER NEEDS: both emotional and tangible. We spend a lot of time on that upfront/initial phase of consumer understanding, because everything (everything!) builds off of it. "The two sides of this are important (and sometimes, people work in teams, if that’s the best way to get both sides) are so important: the ‘ux side’ looks for pain points and works to identify tactics that will add value, the ‘traditional planner’ side looks for dissonance and interesting elements and insights that will stand out. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/4-things-strategists-can-learn-from-ux-designers.html
• #21: Obviously brand goals are important, but they aren’t the thing we start with. Unless we understand what the consumer wants to accomplish, how do you get them to them to want the thing the brand has to offer?? Brand goals tend to be blunt (‘sales’ or ‘awareness’) and can be accomplished in a myriad of ways. But consumer goals are more specific , so we start there.
• #22: Not just about what people think, but about what they do. Ultimately, advertising is about changing a behaviour – a purchase behaviour, a sharing behaviour, a behaviour around use cases or spend. Ultimately that’ really what the brand wants to affect. Beliefs are one way to influence behaviour, but they aren’t the end goal.
• #23: Rather than focusing on what we want to ask consumers to do, we focus on what THEY WANT TO DO. Then, we try to intercept those tasks with messages that align with them. This ensures that what we’re telling them or asking them actually is relevant to what they are trying to do.
• #24: While brand values are still important, we’re more focused on how they manifest itself in an experience. This is really obvious if your building something digital, or something in-store, but it’s also applicable to things like how it is to find info, if you tell people to call or click or write if there’s a problem, if there’s a human or a machine involved in solving things.
• #26: We often create campaign channel plans that think of each element has thematically connected, without thinking through their connections to users own behaviour (they do what they want/plan on doing, not what we wish them to do, so you have to align with their behaviours), or to each other (ie how do they find out about the info or entertainment or tools in the other channels, from the other channels? (often, they can’t). So multiple channels serve to reach more people, but not necessarily provide those people with a richer experience (ie the channels are siloed and people experience multiples by chance) http://www.singlegrain.com/blog-posts/content-marketing/7-ux-lessons-apply-content-campaigns/
• #29: Slight tweaks. They are subtle but they have a big impact. Brand goals are the end goal, not the start point. If you don’t understand the users’s needs, you can’t impact how they meet those needs. (And that’s usually how you reach brand goals) Funnels are the brands view of what the consumer ideally does. But it’s way more useful to understand the users’ own process. In ux, we focus more on tasks than ‘states’ like awareness, since tasks are what we want to affect.
• #30: Prevents stereotyping about types of people and types of customers (ie the category newbie vs the brand expert) Prevents rose coloured glasses Prevents brand centric interpretations of the audience
• #31: Ignoring the user’s experience of your campaign ups the chances you’ll be inadvertently bad mannered: asking in appropriate questions at inappropriate times, inviting someone in and then not opening the door, etc
• #32: Discussion!
• #39: For an ad campaign, the tasks you’re supporting might be: finding reviews, or finding at shelf, or learning more about the functionality, or figuring out where it’s sold, or splitting the price with someone, or planning for use. (ie: lots of things)! - It’s the difference between thinking from a brand perspective (“how do we get them to buy our brand”) vs a user perspective (“what do I do to solve this problem I have”) http://i0.wp.com/assets.uxbooth.com/uploads/2012/12/01.jpg
• #46: Content is words (too much? The wrong ones? In the wrong place? ) and any messages (are you putting slow-build videos as skippable pre-roll? Or banners that request users to leave the site they are on, for wheatever reason? Wrong content in the wrong place Like asking if you “want to try it on” before you even pick up a sweater, the wrong content or the right content in the wrong place can doom a campaign
• #47: Content is words (too much? The wrong ones? In the wrong place? ) and any messages (are you putting slow-build videos as skippable pre-roll? Or banners that request users to leave the site they are on, for wheatever reason? Wrong content in the wrong place
• #52: Does each touchpoint push or pull the target to the next (more valuable) one? Where should the brand be? Is the tactic relevant to the target’s process? Or it is just a tickbox? Do any tactics live in isolation, with nothing to drive traffic to or from?
• #53: This is a list , in a circle. There’s no additional information being conveyed, and it doesn’t tell you anything about the campaign content.
• #54: This is an ecosystem! Shows how each channel or tactic feeds the others: the reinforce each other, build on layers of messaging. Typical campaign assumes a narrative experience that compels customers. We want them to be interested in doing more. The below chart shows one way this campaign could work. (first image) While the campaign looks good on paper, it’s important to consider the many touch-points a customer could have. This is where building a cognitive map comes into play. The customer should have a seamless experience from restaurant to email to Facebook to Web, no matter where they are in the cause marketing story or the medium from which they choose to interact. Consider that many people don’t think or act in a linear fashion. Looking at all of the different ways a customer can interact with the campaign elements shows you holes in the effort. If you have elements that DON’T have arrows, you’re creating innefficient campaign artifacts. So multiple channels serve to reach more people, but not necessarily provide those people with a richer experience (ie the channels are siloed and people experience multiples by chance), or push them towards the places where their actions make create business value. Image from: http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/designing-digital-strategies-part-2-connected-user-experiences/
• #55: The value exchange !!
• #56: Ask; how many times have you hit skip?? Helps to understand the reality of the value exchange between the audience and the brand Every time there is a CTA (even just to read something) we are asking the user to ‘do something’ and if doesn’t positively affect how they feel given their goal (satisfied, or less confused, or reassurred, or motivated) then they won’t continue down your funnel, or do what you want, or they do: they’ll do it grudgingly, and the brand won’t get any of the credit for them achieving their goal Affects choices around things like contesting, asking for shares , purchase decisions; putting slow-burn videos on pre-roll (it pisses people off because it delays people from getting to their goal, which is NOT watching your video); this is the stuff that causes people to hit ‘skip’ buttons Eliminates the fluff: marketing stuff that sounds good (and might win creatives an award), but that doesn’t move anyone along the funnel then it’s pointless
• #59: Behavioural economics has undermined the power of the single powerful creative execution/idea by demonstrating the power of little, tangible nudges in changing behaviour and (subsequently) attitudes. At the same time, it's getting increasingly difficult to navigate an increasingly complex media world simply by running the numbers and seeing what comes out on top. (ie by choosing media/channels just based on reach). In our own day to days, you’ve probably worked on something where the potential of multi-screening came up: a new behaviour, a new opportunity. http://www.warc.com/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?ID=495bc868-abf2-49c5-ba40-a544c46e47b6&MasterContentRef=495bc868-abf2-49c5-ba40-a544c46e47b6&Campaign=admap-prize_14&utm_campaign=admap-prize_14
• #60: http://www.warc.com/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?ID=495bc868-abf2-49c5-ba40-a544c46e47b6&MasterContentRef=495bc868-abf2-49c5-ba40-a544c46e47b6&Campaign=admap-prize_14&utm_campaign=admap-prize_14
• #61: These changes challenges how advertising agencies engage clients and organize themselves. It challenges copywriting and story teams, rooted in pop culture instinct and entertainment, to collaborate with user experience teams and other “production nerds.” It challenges interaction and interface designers, rooted in human need and usability, to bake story into their designs, and work in integrated ways with marketing teams and advertising “creative.” http://method.com/ideas/10x10/the-experience-tells-the-story
• #62: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/4-things-strategists-can-learn-from-ux-designers.html For instance, UX designers can take the "inspirational insights" from planners and follow them in multiple directions. Do they lead to creating an ad campaign? An editorial program? A mobile experience? Development of a whole new product offering? Which of those directions will provide the most utility to the user and value to the brand? That's where inspiration becomes action as people select from what might be to what should be, based on potential impact.