Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ux Projext
Ux Projext
11 QUESTIONS TO START A
UX PROJECT
Mariano A. Goren
Second Edition
Copyright © 2016
marianogoren.com
2
CONTENTS
Contents 3
Legal Notes 7
Introduction 9
The Questionnaire 12
Questionnaire breakdown 14
1. What is the problem or need you are aiming to solve for your
clients with your product or service? 15
4. Who are the final users of the product or service we are set to
create together? 18
3
6. Is there any technological limitation we need to have in mind
when thinking of this project implementation? 20
7. In which stage of the project are we? How long has been this
project around? 21
9. Is there any roadmap for the project? (Tip: A Gantt Chart will
do it.) 23
Special Bonus 29
Final words 31
4
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
5
Twitter. marianogoren
Email: contacto@marianogoren.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianogoren/en
6
LEGAL NOTES
Second edition
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright
Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.
v2.12
7
This book is a spin-off of “Become a Senior UX Designer Course.” As a reader of
this book, you can get the full value with an important discount! Visit
www.marianogoren.com/uxcourse
8
INTRODUCTION
The idea behind this little book is to introduce a leaner way to start
any UX related project, reducing the hassle that usually comes with
it.
Let's say you received this prospect’s e-mail and he is interested in
"doing some usability" for his web page.
This is where you use the questionnaire provided here.
In a nutshell, this protocol allows you to quickly and almost
effortlessly, get into the groove of the client.
I found it can be sent through email and/or as a guide to the first
interview with a prospect with the same positive results.
In my experience, it triggers useful conversations inside the client’s
team, allows you to empathize with them and, ultimately,
determine your own goals for the project.
9
WHY ARE WE SENDING THIS?
The questionnaire has several objectives:
- To help you understand their problem and how you can help to
solve it. The idea is to gain insights on these three points of
perspective:
• Where the project comes from
• Where it is now
- To put them to work. As soon as they receive this, you'll see if they
are playing ball. A client who answers your emails once a week is
NOT a nice one to have.
10
- To show your value as a UX professional. After all, this is free
consultancy, which allows them to think and understand their business
from a different perspective.
11
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
1. What is the problem or need you are aiming to solve for your
clients with your product or service?
4. Who are the final users of the product or service we are set to create
together?
5. Who is the responsible for the project result? This is the person
who will be taking risks and making decisions (like in The Highlander
movie, “there can only be one”).
7. In which stage of the project are we? How long has been this
project around?
12
8. When will the project be finished?
9. Is there any roadmap for the project? (Tip: A Gantt Chart will do it.)
13
QUESTIONNAIRE BREAKDOWN
Without further ado, let's start with the questionnaire breakdown.
14
1. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM OR NEED YOU ARE
AIMING TO SOLVE FOR YOUR CLIENTS WITH YOUR
PRODUCT OR SERVICE?
While this question may seem simple, it's really amazing to see how
often stakeholders don’t have a clear vision about what they’re
asking and even have conflicting views on what the project should
achieve.
The idea is to understand their personal perspective and if they have a
clear business model.
I understand User Experience as the discipline that allows
individuals to create bridges between business goals and people’s
needs.
If the project doesn’t have a concrete business objective, it is really
necessary to put that on the table and start the project there.
When this happens, I usually offer some basic consultancy in which
we work on the Business Model Canvas (for established businesses)
or the Value Proposition Canvas (for start-ups).
15
2. WHAT ARE THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
(KPIS) TO HAVE IN MIND? HOW DOES 'SUCCESS'
LOOK IN THIS PROJECT?
These questions bring to the table what our client is hoping will
happen when we’ve finished the project.
It is important to know this usually triggers a series of discussions
which may delay the start of the project itself.
A Key Performance Indicator (or KPI) is the variable to follow - a
measure with which we can understand if the project is a success or
not.
For example, if we work to increase the effectiveness of web sales,
the percentage increase in clicks to the “add to the cart” button can
be a clear indicator of success.
If there are previous records of these indicators, it will be important
to get them in order to easily compare if they improve with our work.
And in any case, we can always run controlled trials (A/B or
multivariate testing) for an effective, real-time comparison.
16
3. WHAT IS THE BENCHMARK? WHAT ARE TOP-OF-
THE-LINE PRODUCTS WE CAN LOOK INTO TO INSPIRE
OUR WORK?
Sun Tzu wrote in "The Art of War" that the key to understanding
ourselves and the opponent is in a dance. Both are needed to make
the system work.
So, by understanding the opponent we understand where we are
standing.
This is also important for success in a UX strategy. This question
tries to get the client’s accumulated market knowledge transferred
to us.
This information often does not have much value and may even
deviate from the objective.
But it helps to:
• Have a quick insight into the prospect’s world.
• Understand what other services or products they are looking at.
• Clarify their expectations on the project result.
17
4. WHO ARE THE FINAL USERS OF THE PRODUCT OR
SERVICE WE ARE SET TO CREATE TOGETHER?
18
5. WHO IS THE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROJECT
RESULT? THIS IS THE PERSON WHO WILL BE TAKING
RISKS AND MAKING DECISIONS (LIKE IN THE
HIGHLANDER MOVIE, “THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE”).
Plain and simple - you should ask who is the person responsible for
this project.
This question is important because many times the client will try to
avoid naming names at all costs.
Fundamentally, because doing so implies everyone's opinion will not
have the same weight in the project.
Other reasons include the additional work and the responsibility that
comes from having the last word to approve our ideas and actions.
I believe this role is so important that I’d not start a project without
a named responsible person.
19
6. IS THERE ANY TECHNOLOGICAL LIMITATION WE
NEED TO HAVE IN MIND WHEN THINKING OF THIS
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION?
20
7. IN WHICH STAGE OF THE PROJECT ARE WE? HOW
LONG HAS BEEN THIS PROJECT AROUND?
21
8. WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT BE FINISHED?
This is the moment we see if there is enough time to give the client
what he is expecting as a result of our work.
The most important tip here - let the client know ASAP if deadlines
are too tight.
Never let the problems go unnoticed. This is one of the most
common ways projects backfire.
If you have a boss, the best way to proceed is to talk to him first and
work together to get a more realistic proposal.
22
9. IS THERE ANY ROADMAP FOR THE PROJECT? (TIP:
A GANTT CHART WILL DO IT.)
23
10. IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR DELIVERABLE YOU
ARE LOOKING FOR?
24
11. WHAT IS THE BUDGET FOR THIS PROJECT?
25
USE THIS QUESTION AS A WILDCARD
A personal note here - there are times when I decide not to send this
question with the rest of the questionnaire.
In those cases, I start by sending the first 10 questions and when they
have answered them, I send this one.
This strategy served me well when I was trying to get them invested
first. They have already completed ten questions, so they’re be more
willing to answer this one to keep the process moving forward.
26
The question about time should have been addressed by previous
questions, so this is the only thing we are lacking.
I suggest to use this moment to generate trust with the client. You can
state “you work with any kind of budget” (this is optional) but you
need some boundaries to create the proposal.
If they get picky in answering, ask them VERY politely why are they
not being upfront with you.
In my experience, if the client refuses to answer the questionnaire
there is something wrong with him or the project.
Pay attention to the excuses he utilizes and evaluate the situation.
Assess these areas:
• His willingness to work with you,
• If he has the funds to utilize your services,
• and If this project is worth your time.
27
HOW TO CONTINUE FROM HERE
I’ve been using Google Docs to create the questionnaire and share
it with the prospect/client.
This allows me to use the commenting system to go back and forth,
making it a lot more flexible than e-mail.
28
SPECIAL BONUS
29
WHAT TO DO WHEN PROJECTS ARE NOT SO
CLEAR
When I detect that prospects are not in a position of paying for the
result they are looking for their project, I usually offer them a low-
cost "Basic UX Strategic Consultancy."
The offer is centered in working on their business goals,
understanding their end-users, and exploring the market.
I must say that implementing this was a game changer for me, because
it allowed me to be paid for doing a good research phase.
When I make this proposal, I offer to discount the cost of this first
consultancy if the project makes it to the next phase.
This gives an extra incentive for them to accept.
The other interesting result for this “little” project is the opportunity
to develop a relationship with their team.
This is important for us because it’s a well-known fact that people
prefer to work with people they already know.
30
FINAL WORDS
I’d like to finish the book with a word of advice. As with everything
here, this is my personal perspective. You don’t have to take it as
absolute truth.
I understand the hard part comes with the need of money. I’ve been
there too...
The bottom-line is - If you don’t leave empty space, the project you
want (and deserve) will not have a place to flourish.
31
I hope this knowledge helps you to thrive in your UX career!
32
Can I Ask A Favor?
If you enjoyed this book, found it useful or otherwise then I’d really
appreciate it if you would post an honest review on Amazon.
Go to review section on Amazon.com
33
34