- Step 1: Set a Goal
- Step 2: Fix Things
- Step 3: Manipulate People
- Step 4: Become an Influencer
Step 2: Fix Things
Hidden throughout your organization's products are the bacteria of poor user experiences: Vague or misleading button labels. Interfaces confusing enough to require instructions. Links that say one thing and do another. Marketing pages that fail to explain what your company does. You may be tempted to take it on all at once via a months-long redesign involving consultants, usability studies, and perhaps even a juggler or two. Resist the urge.
Start small. Expand from there.
Find the things that are most likely to be confusing for usersthings that perhaps don't even make sense to youand start hunting for articles on those issues. Design a solution (keep it low-resolution to better justify the time you spend on it) and propose it to whoever has the ability to sign off on it or build it out. Then start tracking the metrics so you have before-and-after numbers. Learn from your mistakes, share your success stories, and keep plowing forward. Over time, your successes will be noticed by other people, especially if your successes are more frequent than your failures.