Summary
Research helps us understand the customer's needs, behaviors, and attitudes, design meets those needs through interaction and visual expertise, and content helps make sure the entire experience is expressed in the customer's language. It seems simple, right? So where does it go wrong? Hear from Compass leaders about how misunderstanding these roles leads to poor collaboration and how we can change the way we work together to deliver incredible customer experiences. Hear from leaders in design, content, and research about the most common ways their role is misunderstood and the impact this has on the customer experience. Learn ways design, content, and research can communicate and collaborate better to collectively create better experiences that scale. Get a better understanding of the unique role design, content, and research play in our customer's lives and how to use each other's secret powers to deliver better customer outcomes.
Key Insights
-
•
User research is often mistakenly treated as a validation step rather than an integral part of the design process.
-
•
Involving user research early can reveal critical user needs and assumptions that might otherwise go unnoticed.
-
•
Establishing a top-down and bottom-up approach in collaboration helps align teams on the value of user research.
-
•
Content design should not be viewed as an afterthought but rather integrated throughout the design stages to ensure UI effectiveness.
-
•
Co-designing together with content designers can prevent teams from getting stuck in corners during the development phase.
-
•
Avoid using placeholder text (lorem ipsum); real content should inform the design from the start.
-
•
Effective communication and transparency among teams can facilitate better collaboration and reduce ego-related conflicts.
-
•
Utilizing a champion at the leadership level can help elevate the importance of user research and content design within an organization.
-
•
Building small wins and demonstrating value can help skeptics understand the significance of embedding user research and content design in their processes.
-
•
Implementing a style guide can aid in consistency and scalability in content creation across product teams.
Notable Quotes
"User research shouldn't be just a validation function handed off at the end of product development."
"The power of user research is to uncover valuable insights that inform the entire development process."
"If user research is brought in early, you can prevent the mistake of thinking your users want ice cream when they may actually want cookies."
"Content should not be seen as decoration; it plays a crucial role in user experience."
"We've got to treat words early in the process, not just as something to fix at the end."
"If you're tweaking words repeatedly, you likely have a UI problem, not a content problem."
"Collaborate without ego helps us all align better on product goals rather than personal interests."
"Every time content design gets involved early, the quality and efficiency of the team improves significantly."
"The best outcomes come when we work together and remove ego from the equation."
"Starting with a content-first approach can fundamentally change how users experience a product."
More Videos
"Happier designers lead to lower attrition rates."
Kristin Skinner Kamdyn MooreGroup Activity: A Deep Dive Into Value and Outcomes
October 23, 2019
"Using tools can be powerful, but the focus should be on effective thinking."
Jorge ArangoThe Best of Both Worlds: How to Integrate Paper and Digital Notes (1st of 3 seminars) (Videoconference)
April 5, 2024
"We want the data to be at your fingertips."
Prabhas Pokharel Mayo NissenOrder and Chaos: New Ways of Collaborating on Synthesis and Storytelling
March 10, 2022
"Understanding that people with disabilities choose the right tool for the job is key for developers."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
March 10, 2022
"Every research project should start with the concrete decisions it hopes to enable."
Roberta Dombrowski Sam Duong WoloszynskiMaking Research a Team Sport
March 11, 2022
"We need to support people's many ways of shaping systems."
Josina VinkNavigating the pitfalls of systems thinking in service design
December 4, 2024
"It's imperative to maintain hope, even when the harshness of reality suggests otherwise."
Angelos ArnisNavigating the Rapid Shifts in Tech's Turbulent Terrain
October 2, 2023
"Our flagship product is called Boneyard, the preeminent encrypted storage facility for canine assets."
Ted NewardTheme 4: Enterprise Organizational Journey
June 4, 2019
"The goal is to prove value and engage team members in the change process."
Maria SkaadenPanel Discussion: Methodologies and Work Environments
November 8, 2018
