I’m going to talk about the UX Book Club in Groningen in just a minute or two. First, I want to make sure that you have some background about my book which they discussed in late November 2009: Selling Usability

Selling Usability is all about getting other people in an organization to embrace usability. Obviously YOU already understand the benefits of usability. The hard part of the game has always been getting other people to understand the value. Selling Usability fills this gap.

Before I talk about the book, let’s talk about what doesn’t work:

  • “Hard numbers” based on weak assumptions
  • Silly ROI calculations based on pure speculation
  • Fancy charts plus a dash of smoke and mirrors

The frontal assault through cost justification is painful and wicked. It’s dry and boring stuff based on a whole lot of nothing in my experience. It simply doesn’t work.

Cost justification generally doesn’t work with managers and key decision makers because it doesn’t have enough rigor. This is a tough pill to swallow but, try as you might, UX cost justification isn’t ever firm enough. Accounting, engineering and programming… they are far less soft, but most usability professionals won’t admit that. They strongly feel there is real science to back them up. That’s true for the craft but it’s not true regarding business.

By the way, if you think I’m being nasty please read: A Business Case For Usability. I wrote that back in 2001. It’s good stuff but here’s the painful truth. It hasn’t really ever helped me “sell” usability. I tried hard to make it empirical and tough but it’s soft and weak. It’s a frontal assault that never really worked.

But, here’s something that did work…

I’ve been 100% successful in getting other people to embrace and promote usability for me. I’ve turned around some serious detractors in as little as one week. I’ve been able to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars for UX projects in just a few weeks time. In some cases, I’ve been able to “force” the rest of the company to mandate usability as a requirement on all projects.

Selling Usability gives you access to my “sneaky” tactics and “secret” tips to get UX into an organization. It’s street fighting. It’s how to win in the real world. It’s messy. It’s human.

Well, enough about the book itself…

What comes next is awesome…

THE GRONINGEN UX BOOK CLUB

Let’s talk about the Second UX Book Club in Groningen which was graciously hosted by Concept7. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there. (However, I feel like I was.)

Not surprisingly, most people felt they knew the tactics. Much of what I’ve put together inside Selling Usability feels like common sense. However, there are some tactics (e.g., taking over documentation tasks) that have clever nuances (e.g., proliferation of the documentation via multiple channels). The real power comes from the combination of many UX infiltration tactics.

But, there’s more. No other book has compiled so many simple and effective usability selling tactics. Simply treating the book as a checklist of ideas is extremely valuable. You hardly need to read the book to use it as a mnemonic device or memory jogger. Of course, it’s especially deadly if you read it and then reference it in difficult UX selling situations.

One criticism of Selling Usability is that I don’t provide much in the way of hands on guidance about how to get up to the CEO level. This is a fair point. I spend more time talking about the benefits of reaching the senior leaders than literally how to reach them. So, let’s address that weakness here.

First, to reach senior management you need to focus on face time. Specifically, you need to find a way to synchronously interact with senior leaders. Email is very rarely effective. Working through the management chain is likewise a weak approach. You will be filtered out.

To reach a senior leader with a serious message, try getting into “skip level” meetings, “town hall” meetings, or other types of meetings where the leaders are accepting new ideas and concepts. Have everything documented and ready to go. But, focus on just one message or one concept that has business meaning to the senior leader. Similarly, do not focus on the problem. Explain how usability is the solution.

Example: “We have a challenge in the call center. Currently, we find that 42% of first time callers drop before they get an answer. And, 78% of first time callers never hear about our premium warranty. Would you be willing to support a low cost usability study this quarter to determine how to improve the experience for callers? May I follow up with you after this meeting to work the details?”

Of course, that example is sloppy and off the top of my head. But, you should get the idea. You’re providing a solution to a problem. That solution clearly has an impact on the business. The magic bullet is usability of course.

You see, as the UX Book Club discussed, the senior leader cares about boosting the bottom line. In the example above you’re using business data to kick the leader between the eyes but you’re giving him UX to fix it. In the marketing world the formula looks like this:

  1. Problem
  2. Agitate
  3. Solve

I don’t want to dwell too long on that example above. So, let’s turn to another tactic for reaching senior management in your organization or your client’s organization.

I can sum it up this way: Lumpy Mail and FedEx

This is a very clever infiltration tactic. If you get a package from FedEx you will open it up. It’s special. It’s unique. It’s fresh and fun. Nearly every person in the world loves to receive mail. And, by using a special mail delivery system, like FedEx, you create an unfair advantage over the senior leader. They “must” open it.

By the way, to ensure that the FedEx makes it directly to the right person, include a photo of something relevant. Then, be sure to add “Photo Enclosed: Do Not Bend” and also add something like “For Senior Leader’s Review Only” or something else that moves it through the secretary. Get creative and don’t worry much about what you write. Be natural. Be brave. Be bold!

Now, the next thing you can do is use what’s known as Lumpy Mail. In short, lumpy mail is mail that includes something that makes the mail, well, lumpy. It could be just about anything. But, let me tell you, when you add something lumpy to a piece of mail, it will get opened up. Of course, all situations are different so it’s up to you to be creative.

These infiltration tactics will absolutely work. They will help you break through to the very top of the organization. All for the price of postage. Just imagine how powerful this can be for you.

That’s all for now. If you want to learn more “sneaky” tricks then pick up a copy of Selling Usability.