How can designers effectively integrate in an Agile Framework
If you are a designer newly introduced to agile processes you may feel it’s challenging and may even think it is irrelevant to you. Getting adapted to all the new terminologies and wondering whether those meetings are worth your time… Been there, done that. Designers mostly feel disconnected to the most of the processes as they usually work two sprints ahead of the squad/team. And Agile as a framework is most optimized for the devs, but how can UX work within the sprint and get maximum out of it. Why the designer should be present and actively participate in all sprint ceremonies? Here are some of my lessons from practicing agile UX for the past year.
Empathizing with your Devs
Dev and design are always said to be at loggerheads with each other. We can bridge this gap only by being present, empathising and actively communicating with them. By participating in ceremonies the designer gets to understand why a certain task is not achievable and what are the technical constraints et al. Also, you get a chance to present your case from the experience perspective. Sometimes design can be very aspirational, these interactions with the development will help us find a middle ground, also devs can give you the best feedback and raise the right questions which can lead you to think alternatively.
Shipping Quality Experiences
Though designers closely work with the product manager, by not actively involved in the sprint ceremonies you risk losing sight of the bigger picture, product vision, and its intended outcomes. If you are not closely involved with the dev process you might even run the risk of shipping a sub-par experience in the product that you don’t intend to do. You might miss out on the key areas where UX contribution is necessary. In those scenarios, if you are not available the squad might make assumptions and therefore it might lead to inconsistent experience across the product.
It is also imperative for the designers to understand how epics/user stories are planned or groomed. As a designer, we should help ensure that product owners make the right decisions for users and the product when choosing which backlog items which come next because they may be caught between prioritizing between implementation realities from the engineering team, strategic goals from business stakeholders, core performance metrics, etc
Embedding UX culture within the team
Just by actively participating in the ceremonies you get a chance to evangelize UX within the team. Eliminate opinion-based design with user-centered evidence. Over a while, you will see your team becoming flag bearers for the experience. My team has surprised me several times questioning my decisions which led us in the right direction. As a designer one should make the user experience everyone’s job. Everyone in the team should talk the user’s language. This way everyone starts caring for the user’s need over anything else.
Also, it’s a good practice to keep your team informed on your current activities during daily stand-ups. This way they will start to understand the rigor that goes into the design and research process
Here is an example of how Veracode has wonderfully integrated UX as a culture in the organization.
https://uxpamagazine.org/forge-a-guild-elevate-your-ux-team-to-superhero-status/
Agile for the Win
There is no going back. Though a bitter experience initially, agile is a better process than your traditional development processes such as a waterfall. However, all is not smooth- you will discover new problems and also find your way through it. My piece of advice will be to embrace this change and solve problems as you go, agile is a framework and you are free to experiment and customise it according to you and your team’s needs. If you feel a particular process is hindering your work, please feel free to discuss with your colleagues and find an optimal solution for it.
Most people I spoke to admitted that the process is always not smooth, but are in a much better place, than when they first started. Agile teams agree that this framework facilitates transparency. Issues are identified sooner and features are delivered faster. Agile has minimized last-minute surprises and allowed everyone involved in product development process to predict timelines more efficiently.
Few things to keep in mind…
- Go with an open mindset, agile calls for a lot of meetings and accountability, however, one must overlook this fact and understand this helps in transparency and collaboration
- Ensure to attend as many as sprint ceremonies as possible- Design contribution is essential in every ceremony although it may appear otherwise. Within a few meetings, you will identify how you can contribute effectively to each ceremony.
- The goal of the designer is to enable the team to complete their work efficiently, therefore it’s imperative to collaborate with the devs and understand where they need more clarity and make it available before they start the sprint.
- Involve them in the process- UX is not only the designer’s business, therefore involve them in your process, explain the rationale behind designs, seek feedback, invite them to take part in customer calls and other possible ways you can think of.
- Co-locating with the squad is a good idea, although some may argue otherwise. The designer need to make themselves available at all times and enable/unblock the team whenever required. This in-turn, improves communication and ensures quality control.
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Bharghavi Kirubasankar
