Frances Yllana

Presenting UX Research To Design Stakeholders Knock knock. Who's there? 20th article. 20th article who? 20th article I've written for Smashing Magazine! 🎉 "Presenting UX Research To Design Stakeholders," is live on Smashing Magazine! This article dives deep into effective strategies for conveying UX research findings to your design team, ensuring your insights drive impactful design decisions. This marks my 20th contribution to Smashing Magazine! 🥳 I'm grateful to Chui Chui Tan for being the Editor I've worked with on each of these articles since 2014, and for the opportunity to share my knowledge and experiences with the UX community. In this article, I cover: Practical tips for crafting compelling UX research presentations. Strategies for engaging stakeholders and fostering collaboration. Insights on tailoring your message to different audience needs. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eGeHqnAa I look forward to many more articles and discussions in the future! #UXResearch #DesignThinking #StakeholderEngagement #UserExperience #SmashingMagazine #UXDesign

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Worth reading through this article on the ever important topic of Accessibility. https://lnkd.in/e8JamZSS #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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"We have designers who have innovative hypotheses as they conceptualize projects. What I do as a researcher is study those concepts, collect and analyze data, and verify hypotheses that support our work." Learn more about Mahshid Jalalian—who was recently recognized as a Healthcare Design Rising Star—and her work as a Design Researcher. In this Quick Take, we explore the concepts and projects fueling her passion for design innovation ⬇ https://lnkd.in/enKQzgu3

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As a design leader, you work for your team—not the other way around. Learn how to keep your #UXteam happy, creative, and always on schedule. https://lnkd.in/eksZbUXM #DesignLeadership #TeamManagement #UXDesign #Productivity

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Training designers to do some research – from Maria Scholl’s latest #researchops Community article: “...we’ve seen some real magic happen by letting designers loose on usability tests and light generative work. By arming them with the right tools and know-how, we’re tapping into a goldmine of user insights. Not only does this free up our research pros to tackle strategic research, but also fosters a culture of collaboration and shared ownership of the research process.” https://lnkd.in/gnfaRRZx   • Not a member of ResearchOps Community Slack? Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gRj9tvct • Want to write an article for ResearchOps? Submit ideas and drafts: https://lnkd.in/gmzthmCg #UX #Design #UXResearch #Democratization #Training #Operations #ProductDevelopment

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Skipping strategy in UX design isn’t just missing a step—it’s missing the chance to lead. My latest post explains why UX strategy is essential to project success and how it transforms designers into strategic partners. https://lnkd.in/gtmnFA7a #userexperience #uxstrategy #businessalignment #productdesign #leadership #designleadership

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UX Design for Specialized Domains is something we at Boston UX know a lot about. Check out this great article from my co-worker Dorothy Shamonsky!

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🎥 New Replay Available! Watch Jason Cranford Teague's compelling session from UX Camp Spring 2024 on **Age & Tech: Experience Need Not Apply**. At the heart of the tech design industry lies an uncomfortable truth: ageism is prevalent. Jason explores how ageism impacts hiring and advancement, providing research and statistics on the current state of the industry. In this session, you'll learn: - Common reasons given for not hiring experienced designers - Benefits that experience offers in a constantly evolving profession - How ageism, combined with other forms of discrimination, hinders diversity Join the discussion to share your experiences and explore paths forward. 👉 Watch now: Jason Cranford Teague - Age & Tech: Experience Need Not Apply - https://lnkd.in/gAn7r96f #UX #Design #UXDesign #UserExperience #HumanCentered #ChicagoCamps #Ageism #Diversity #Inclusion #TechIndustry #ExperienceMatters

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Research is a function of strategy.  "According to CB Insights, over 90% of all products fail, most commonly due to no market need." Leave yourself time to ask big questions about whether any actually needs your product or service before you decide to launch it. #UXstrategy #UXresearch #Marketresearch

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I couldn’t have said it better. Design and UX are often seen as nice-to-have resources, leading to their undervaluation and insufficient staffing on Product teams. As a result, we frequently find ourselves stretched thin, doing our best to keep up with demands. Instead of being recognized for our contributions, we’re often labeled as bottlenecks, with teams opting to go around us. Worse yet, we’re sometimes told to spend less time on solving problems and merely focus on making things "look pretty". To my fellow UXers: seek out organizations that genuinely value your work and the contributions you make. I understand that times are tough, and we’re all doing the best we can with limited budgets. However, if a company claims to prioritize user experience, they need to back that up with real investment.

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The DesignOps Assembly annual survey is here ✨ Each year DOA puts together THE benchmarking report for the DesignOps profession. The 2024 DesignOps Benchmarking Report survey is open and we need everyone in the DesignOps world (including designers who help out with DesignOps) to participate. You’ll help DesignOps, Design, Product, and Business leaders and teams better understand our work's landscape. You'll also help everyone in the design industry understand trends, changes, and the overall health of our industry (including salary info, team sizes, team impact, etc..) Please take 10 minutes to fill this out. If you have ever referenced prior reports you know how important it is. ➡️ https://tally.so/r/w8ek4P ⬅️ (Deadline for responses is July 31) Grégory ROY

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What are the qualities that make for a good UX leader? 💡 Comment below to join the conversation, and learn from UX pioneer Heidi Munc on the next episode of Lextant’s Seriously Curious podcast, hosted by Chris Rockwell. 🎙️

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For an organization committed to the practice of user experience design, the Interaction Design Foundation doesn’t seem to value their own ideology. I’ve been a member for years and recently served as a local leader (of which I resigned a year ago and they have yet to remove me from the role). I’m finding their billing processes to be on the verge of questionable UX practices: ·     My membership increased 31% with no notification before billing. I was told that a single notification had been sent a year ago buried in an email with a subject line of “We have updated our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Pricing Structure.” Do they not realize that subject lines such as this are white noise in people’s inboxes and begs to be deleted without reading? ·     To prevent the upcoming charge, the user must contact the main office and have them remove the store payment details. There is no ability for the user to do this themselves. ·     There is also no option to opt out of recurring charges. This is akin the dark practice of subscription services that lure users with trial period in hopes the user will forget to cancel before the period expires.   ·     The user can cancel their membership. However, the user loses access to all materials, content, and account details even though the user has prepaid for the upcoming year. This entices the user to delay cancelling only to encounter the same pain points the following year. ·     User is sent an invoice AFTER the charge has been applied. No notification of upcoming billings. ·     When asked to refund the membership charge, the admin basically responded with “The reason we’re unable to offer a refund guarantee on the renewal of memberships is that we already have a money-back guarantee after sign-up . . . we’d have to charge higher prices if we offered unlimited refunds and that’s why we make our policies crystal-clear, doing everything in our power to ensure members understand our fair terms.” This statement basically has the overtone of: It’s not that our communication and user experience is insufficient, it’s the user’s fault. IDF needs to reassess their membership and billing practices if they want to maintain any integrity in the field. As a hiring manager, I do not look at organizational memberships as having any influence in hiring decisions.  My advice for those wanting to increase their knowledge and break into design, rather than pay a yearly $264 membership fee, there are many free resources, podcasts, and articles that will help you achieve the same results. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

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Over the last couple years, UXR and Research Ops have been going through some tough changes. Research teams are still striving to meet internal demand while figuring out the best way to structure ReOps or program management. If you're building Re Ops and navigating internal demand, check out our new guide by Isabel Goldin. It’s got a ton of detail, which is kind of our thing 🔎 https://lnkd.in/g6szRGws

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In the churn of our complex, often fractious world, lists like this one—a gathering of voices in strategic design who identify as female, non-binary, or otherwise outside the mainstream—offer a quiet form of rebellion. It isn’t an honor in the traditional sense, nor a ceremonial nod to diversity; it’s a call to presence. This list, though simple, invites us to ask questions that stretch beyond mere representation. It nudges us to consider how varied perspectives serve as fertile ground for empathy, creativity, and systemic change to take root. In a time when progress can feel like it’s inching backward, this initiative reminds us that the future of design—if it is to be humane, inclusive, and impactful—must be cultivated through the stories and sensibilities of those who have long been silenced or sidelined. To design strategically in today’s world is to recognize that diversity is not an afterthought but an imperative; it is the bridge between understanding and innovation, between the familiar and the transformative. Yet, with celebration comes a sobering responsibility. What does it mean to create spaces that truly invite in, even when we feel shut out ourselves? How do we nurture a practice that is both resilient to obstacles and adaptive to change, especially in a system that resists? How do we design not only for solutions but for sustenance—for outcomes that nourish rather than extract? These questions are not easy, nor are they quick fixes. They are calls to slow down, to reflect, and to build practices of care and durability in the face of disconnection. In a world too often driven by division, deprivation, and depletion, they ask us to exhale collectively and make room for a more generative way forward. And in doing so, they remind us that the journey to a truly inclusive future in design will be as complex and textured as the many voices that shape it.

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🚀 Leaders, are you empowering design advocates within your organization? Design isn't just about aesthetics—it's a game-changer for innovation and ROI. When leadership backs user-centered design, the results speak for themselves: innovation skyrockets, cross-functional teams align, and products truly resonate with users. Want to drive these outcomes? Dive into our latest blog on the top traits of effective design advocates and lead the way in your industry! 🌟 👉 Championing Design as a Business Leader: https://lnkd.in/ewRx7c9K #DesignThinking #UserExperience #Innovation #Leadership #DesignAdvocacy #ProductDevelopment #ROI #UserCenteredDesign #BusinessGrowth #CreativeLeadership #FuzzyMath

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