Ux Australia Audio (from 2015)

We've all been there; a mixed methodology research assignment inclusive of behavioral, attitudinal, qualitative and quantitative packed full of customer insights ready to change the world... only for that Powerpoint to sit in an executives inbox for months on end, ignored or overlooked. How might we bring the value back to research reporting? By bringing humans together to understand research outcomes in a workshop rather than a report, we make our insights relevant and valuable. Strategy comes to the fore, and human connection and empathy direct to those that need to hear it... and take away what is most valuable; the change it needs to be.

Scattered research write-ups, a heap of new employees, and everyone is WFH. When even the researchers are saying “hey, where’s that report about xyz we wrote last week?”, it’s time to get organised with a research repository - though we have no budget and no new tools. I’ll be sharing the story and pitfalls of how we built a repository on a shoestring, to raise awareness and improve access to research in the business, with minimal admin overhead (the real holy grail).

Design research is generally discussed in the context of gaining a better, deeper understanding of the needs, behaviours and motivations of individuals and groups. Typically, these people are viewed as being outside of, or separate from the organisation responsible, or interested in, responding to those needs. In his 2010 book on Innovation, Disrupt, Luke Williams speaks of the power of understanding tensions experienced by individuals as a means of sparking innovative ideas. Organisational Tensions provide similar insight and serve a similar role when engaging in strategic design activities. Like individuals, organisations undergo tension as a result of internal and external forces; the misalignment between systems and needs; and the changing expectations of customers and staff in relation to the work of the organisation. This presentation will look at the ways in which organisational tensions can be identified; look at some examples of tensions; and look at a case study from the State Library of Victoria.

Democratization is something few of us would choose if we had alternatives. We would want budget and headcount to grow the UX Research department. A team stretched thin is told not only to let anybody do some or all of their jobs, but that they will need to train and oversee this work.

We use design research to improve products and services, but how often do we consider the user experience of participating in research? This presentation will explore how to embed accessibility and inclusion in design research practices so that everyone can feel welcome. In doing so, you’ll find richer insights and reach broader, underserved communities.

Let me ask you this - How certain are you that the product, service, feature that you researched, is delivering positive outcomes for people in the real world? Is it working the way you said it would work? When did you last check? Human-centred design practices enable evidence-led decision making. The assumed outcome of this practice is that we build everyday products and services that enhance people’s lives, support positive behaviours and contribute to communities in a meaningful way. But, without effective evaluation, we can’t be sure if what we designed is working the way we said it would. In this presentation, learn how to measure what matters and understand if outcomes are being achieved.

Exploring the aftermath of enforced behaviour change (from Covid-19) on younger people’s habits, identity and behaviour and understanding what it means for the ABC as we deliver audience informed digital experiences. Over the last 2.5 years, people across Australia, and much of the world, endured a period of enforced behaviour change, that radically changed how we lived, socialised and worked. These changes intensified many people’s relationships with digital products and technology, with the ABC benefitting from this voracious appetite to be informed, educated and entertained. But as the regulations, norms and guidelines that dominated our lives during Covid-19 disappear, come and learn how this rare event impacted audiences' habits, behaviours, wellbeing and decisions and what it means for the ABC as we deliver audience informed digital experiences.

How to gain rich, valuable insights to help you truly understand your customers. You might be comfortable designing based on data, but how rich and robust is that data? In this talk you’ll learn how to conduct meaningful research in a fast, easy and more effective way. It will explore ways to plan and run research, so you can gather unique, valuable and actionable insights. Come along to master the tools and methods you need to improve your design research practice so you can create rave-worthy experiences for your customers.

Anthropology’s, and by extension Ethnography’s remit is frequently defined as asking the question, 'what does it mean to be human'? But, what if humans were not at the centre of what we do? Solving global issues and promoting systemic change, means changing not just the inputs but also our point of view.

Children are often seen but not heard in the design process. How can you look at them more as co-creators than consumers for your product or service? This talk will help you to understand working with child-centred design mindset in startup or company. As a design for children rights advocate Saloni will explain her own framework as she learnt and unlearnt listening to children’s voices and designing with them.

The good, the bad and the complex: appreciating complexity through frontline UXR During this presentation, I will delve into the challenges I faced while transitioning from researching consumer products to products used by expert users. I will share how the typical research process gave me limited kind of work I could do and how opening up to rethinking research processes helped me see how far research can go.

When were the concepts behind the double diamond invented? When was the first 'how might we' question asked? When did people start 'brainstorming'? The answers are all in a 30 year period after the end of World War 2, when parallel intellectual movements centred around creating scientific methodologies for creativity and design thrived in America and the UK. Many of the ideas, principles, and design processes of that age are still with us today. In this talk, we will do more than describe yet another design process model - we will explore the historical and cultural origins of the design and creativity methods that are still common in design, and interrogate how those origins could be embedding biased assumptions in the work we do today.

As designer leaders, we want to be able to make wise decisions and we want to draw on wisdom to guide us as we lead our teams and design in organisations. Fortunately we don’t have to wait until we are old and grey to access wisdom; it can be experienced through ways of thinking and acting. In this talk we will explore what wisdom is made up of (according to research )and how we as design leaders can use aspects of wisdom now.

Lessons learnt from 20 years establishing and scaling Design-led Innovation at a team, organisation and country level.

Many of us have taken for granted the ability of our teams to show up for work with energy, positivity and a willingness to jump into a room with several other humans for days at a time to swarm on a design challenge. This is not true anymore. Leading design teams in the context of ‘the new normal’ (hybrid teams, fully remote, new resilience challenges) requires us to really understand the principles of design thinking, while re-evaluating some of the practices. In doing this, I have seen an opportunity for deeper empathy, more global collaboration, and found new ways to foster creativity to add to our toolkit of in-person methods.

We continue to see more and more organisations prioritise employee engagement and strengthening their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Whilst there is no 'one size fits all' answer when it comes to building and scaling an empowered and engaged team - prioritising people over process is key to growth. Gain insights and a practical approach to apply with your teams in an ever-changing landscape.

Is money the only way to recruit and retain staff? There are more factors than money that an employer can use for both retaining and hiring designers. Using Daniel Pink’s model of mastery, autonomy and purpose, I will go through ways to craft roles and packages that will appeal to the market.

Design hiring is broken. And with The Great Resignation and Remote Jobs Boom, we’re in the most competitive recruiting market of our lifetimes. A radically transparent approach earns designers’ trust, speeds up your hiring cycles, and helps all candidates perform their best

When we think of “users” we often confine their identities to how they’re interacting with our products and services. But how might we understand their mental models of the world and how those behaviors translate into the experiences we deliver? In this session, we’ll explore ethnographic and visual methods for continuous research, the role of language and metaphors in survey design, and actionable strategies to develop meaningful, adaptable products.

Traditional leadership styles are centred on Eurocentric concepts of authority figures influencing and guiding through the organisation to achieve their ends. SEVA leadership challenges this concept to create a new paradigm that integrates concepts of communal wellbeing, equality, and inclusiveness through service. Based on the Sikh concept of ‘Seva’ or ‘Sewa’,, there are three facets to SEVA Leadership: tan, man and dhan—physical, emotional and material service. ‘The SEVA Wheel’ is a simple, easy to apply design framework that offers a new perspective on how to embrace transformative, holistic, leadership for individuals, communities, and organisations to prosper.