Is it possible to teach UX design to internal stakeholders?

Is it possible to teach UX design to internal stakeholders?

Client

Adcetera

Industry

Advertising

Type

Internal Workshop

Timeline

Jan 2023 - May 2023

Tools

MS Powerpoint, sticky notes

Role

Facilitator

Problem

To most outsiders, UX Design is a black box. Often, people are not sure how we get to our final answer. The longer this mystery continues, the more it plagues our work. Instead of getting frustrated at the lack of understanding other teams have regarding UX, we decided to peel back the curtain, show them how we think, and work through a workshop series.

Goal

To enhance understanding and collaboration among other internal teams, the UX team was tasked with running a workshop series to help demystify UX Design.

Deliverables

Took an existing client project and split it into two workshops. 

The first workshop focused on competitor analysis and preparing questions for a discovery session. 

The second workshop focused on doing a usability analysis of the client's current website and making strategic recommendations. 

Workshop 1

Understanding the Client

A big part of a UX designer's role is understanding the business and its competitors. We often do a competitor analysis to better understand who is doing what and how our company can be different.

In this workshop series, participants got into groups and researched the client and its competitors using the resources we gave them. After the preliminary research, we discussed their findings and told them to prepare questions for a mock discovery call.

During the mock discovery call, our Chief Strategy Officer, Pagogh Cho, played the client's role and answered the participant's questions. He also threw in a few curveballs to see how they would think on their feet.

Workshop 2

Usability Analysis

Before making strategic recommendations, UX designers must understand the existing problem. This requires a thorough examination of the product in question. One of the things we look at is usability.

In this workshop series, we introduced a set of usability guidelines to the participants. Afterward, they got into groups and reviewed four pages from the client's website. For each page they reviewed, they had to figure out which usability guideline was not being satisfied.

In the end, we had all the different groups share what usability issues they found and how they would fix them. It led to a fascinating discussion because participants had some creative answers.

Takeaways

The best way to learn something is by doing it. Having internal stakeholders participate in a UX workshop series gave them a first-hand experience of what we designers do. But running a workshop once or twice is not enough. To help others understand UX design, we need to advocate constantly. Whether we are writing an email, presenting to a client, or talking to colleagues at the water cooler, there is always an opportunity to impart some UX wisdom.

I craft digital experiences that feel effortless to users and meaningful to businesses—where usability meets impact.

I craft digital experiences that feel effortless to users and meaningful to businesses—where usability meets impact.

I craft digital experiences that feel effortless to users and meaningful to businesses—where usability meets impact.