Lean UX Implementation at Scorpion - Pilot Project
Work
Overview
Scorpion is a SaaS company that provides digital marketing solutions for local businesses—powered by AI and industry expertise. Since joining the design team four years ago, I have always envisioned a robust UX process that could propel our products to greater heights. In January 2024, we embarked on an exciting journey with the launch of a pilot project focused on Lean UX implementation. The “Lean, Mean UX Machine Team” aims to establish a comprehensive UX framework from the ground up. Our goal is to meticulously decide on tools such as research repository software, identify key collaborators, define research types, and set a consistent cadence for our processes. We are carefully planning every step is being to ensure we create an efficient, user-centered design approach that enhances our product success.
As we build our new UX process at Scorpion, we're focused on refining and improving our strategies. Our team is committed to learning from real-life UX experiences and best practices. By encouraging continuous learning and collaboration, we aim to deliver outstanding user experiences. We'll keep you updated on our progress and insights as we work towards creating a top-notch UX process that drives innovation and user satisfaction.
Project Duration
December 2023–Present
The Problem
At Scorpion, we faced a challenge with our fast-paced environment that embraced a "let's-design-it-build-it-and-see-if-the-users-like-it" culture. This approach often leads to misaligned products, user dissatisfaction, and increased costs due to constant redesigns and fixes.
Goal
We recognized the need to educate our team on the importance of a structured UX process to ensure our designs are user-centric from the start. By shifting our focus to research, collaboration, and iterative design, we aim to create products that truly meet our users' needs and expectations while reducing the costs associated with poor initial design.
My Responsibilities
I am leading the inception of Lean UX at Scorpion, spearheading the pilot project with a detailed plan that includes workshops and templates. I have created an agenda for meetings and activities and developed a Lean UX guide for future teams. Additionally, I collaborated with our project manager to set up a Lean UX directory in our project management tool to track progress and manage time effectively.
Starting from the Start
Identifying Key Pain Points
In our fast-paced environment at Scorpion, we quickly recognized the need to establish a structured UX process. Although initially met with skepticism from stakeholders concerned about time, cost, and resource demands, we knew even a basic UX framework could significantly enhance our product development. This realization was driven by identifying key pain points typical in non-UX-centric organizations, such as disconnected research efforts and assumptions-based feature decisions.
Our current UX process analysis revealed several areas for improvement, highlighting the need for a more user-centered approach to drive meaningful innovation and improve user satisfaction.
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Presently, research is conducted primarily by the Product Marketing team, with findings stored in Confluence, and the design team largely uninvolved.
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Feature decisions are often made based on competitive analysis, client feedback, and internal assumptions,
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Most user validation is gathered post-launch, primarily through client complaints and interviews focusing on key features.
With this feedback, we created an outline of what to do next. It wasn't going to be easy, but we had a plan.
Our Next Steps
1
Establish a UX Vision and Strategy:
Develop a aclear UX vision and strategy that aligns with Scorpion's overall goals. Communicate this vision to all departments to ensure everyone understands the importance of UX in the company's success.
Action: We will selected a small feature for our pilot project and gathered an internal group of early adopters for our first UX study. Our approach is to show the effectiveness of the process and then present stakeholders with a success story. We need to proceed cautiously to avoid alarming stakeholders and senior staff who might halt the new UX initiative prematurely.
2
Create Cross-Functional UX Teams:
Form cross-functional teams that include members from design, development, marketing, and product management. This ensures that UX considerations are integrated into every stage of product development.
Action: We have formed a team consisting of eight individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds, including two Designers, one Product Manager, three Devs (Front-End, Back-End Developer, QA), one Product Marketer, and one Project Manager.
3
Integrate Designers into the Research Process:
Involve designers in the research process from the beginning. This helps them understand user needs and pain points firsthand and ensures that research insights directly inform design decisions.
Action: This initiative is led by the design team and will guarantee the participation of at least one designer in every UX study conducted for each feature.
4
Centralize and Share Research Findings:
Create a centralized research repository that is accessible to all teams, including design. Use collaborative tools like shared digital whiteboards and regular research sharing sessions to keep everyone informed and aligned.
Action: The startup UX team's initial move was to search for a tool that could be adopted by all company departments. This would provide a centralized location for data accessibility. Following several demos and discussions, Great Question was chosen for its research capabilities and AI integration in data synthesis.
5
Use Evidence-Based Decision Making:
Prioritize features and decisions based on user research data, usability testing, and analytics. Ensure that user insights and validation are key criteria in the feature development process.
Action: Ongoing. While some decisions are evidence-based, there is still significant work needed in this area. We are currently developing a plan to integrate this practice into our everyday process.
6
Conduct Regular Usability Testing:
Schedule regular usability testing sessions throughout the design and development process. This helps to identify and address usability issues early and ensures that the product meets user needs.
Action: We are starting a basic usability testing process for the first time, led by the UX team, which will expand over the next few weeks. As we establish a cadence and learn more as a team, we will seamlessly integrate research into the "think" design phase and the "make" process in Agile.
7
Implement Rapid Prototyping and Iteration:
Use rapid prototyping and iterative design methods to quickly create and test design solutions with users. Gather feedback and make necessary adjustments before moving to development.
Action: Currently, we create prototypes in Figma and Protopie. Our next step is to collaborate with developers to establish the best approach for rapid prototyping, leveraging our existing component library for easy iterations.
8
Implement Continuous User Feedback Loops:
Set up ongoing user feedback mechanisms, such as in-app surveys, feedback widgets, and user interviews, to gather continuous insights from actual users post-launch.
Action: We are currently developing a plan to integrate this practice into our process.
9
Use Analytics and Behavioral Data:
Complement client feedback with quantitative data from analytics tools to understand user behavior and identify areas for improvement. Regularly review this data to make informed UX improvements.
Action: We are currently developing a plan to integrate this practice into our process.
The Pilot Project
Ongoing
After establishing our vision and strategy, we dedicated several months to laying the foundation for a sustainable Lean UX process. The Lean UX pilot project was seamlessly integrated into the ongoing development of the Communications Suite, both for new features and revisiting existing ones. Moving forward, we will continue refining and enhancing these Lean UX practices, ensuring they support our iterative design approach and adapt as the platform evolves.
Check out the Communication Suite's full case study here: Communications Suite and Scorpion Connect with AI Chat