UX evangelism and leadership

Big systems do not spring up for the sake of themselves: the reason for all of the grand effort it takes to get large web sites up, maintained and expanded upon is for people to use them and give you their money. They’re more likely to give you their money if your product is good, your site is easy to use and they have a good time there.

So the experience a user has on your site is the point of having a website. But many times companies large and small lose sight of this. What can one do as a UX professional to get them refocused on their end goal? Here’s a short list:

• Communicate
• Demonstrate

Communicate through as many channels to which one has access: set up a UX council with allies and hold periodic meetings, meet one-on-one with stakeholders regularly, set up an email distribution list to send out interesting articles, do a poster campaign, host mini-conferences, and in the context of projects speak up for the user experience when and wherever necessary and possible.

Demonstrate by doing great research and great design. Make sure design choices are well thought out, well-founded in the intersection between both your users’ and your business’s goals, use the technology appropriately and are thoroughly communicated to the team in plain language. Listen hard to the people around one — if they’re making choices about what goes on their website, they’re doing UX design; however consciously, with whatever level of formal knowledge. Bring their UX thinking to consciousness, and support, supplement or gently challenge it. Demonstrate radical curiosity. Be well-read and let it show. Know the competitors and current trends, and show that, too.