Habañero User Experience Group

Actually, this is one I am proud to have. I have been awarded my Professional Membership in the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada!

I’ve been a practicing designer for ten years now, and I finally decided to join the organization. It was an interesting process, as I had to prepare a portfolio of my work, along with an explanation of the strategies and considerations that formed the designs. I think the most unnerving part was knowing my work would be reviewed by my peers in the GDC on strategy, typography, use of imagery, implementation and presentation, and that I had to score well to become a member. I feel honoured to be recognized by my peers as a professional practitioner, and I am excited to be part of a supportive, creative community.

I’m pretty impressed so far with the open communication I have experienced within the organization, and I’m looking forward to getting out to the events to meet more of the community and share ideas. Above all, I can only hope this will help improve my work and to deliver more excellent value to our clients.

Funny title, I know. But sometimes you have to choose a funny name to make waves. Let me tell you about a little internal project that has changed the way we work together, in delightful ways.

The Project

A while back, I told you about our experiments in agile design, how we were applying agile methodologies in working groups to get results faster. Our working group was tasked to find a better way to explain our UE process to the organization and our clients. We felt that the nuances were getting lost in translation, and perhaps a few tools would help our colleagues in those conversations that count. We envisioned a master spreadsheet, complete with every UE task known to man, subdivided by roles and wired with rates, so our project managers could have a way to devise estimates. We also envisioned a Tuftesque super graphic that would explain the dance of roles, tasks and deliverables; a veritable work of art that would leave no one in question of our process. It was that easy, right?

More Questions

Our hypothesis soon began to generate more questions than answers. Although the master spreadsheet is useful, it does cause headaches for us that are more visually inclined. It also lent to creating rigid, waterfall processes, which gave no room for flexibility and creativity. How is this helpful for team members? Also, how were we going to create that super graphic? Our process changes from project to project, so how could one graphic and spreadsheet explain it all? Perhaps we should create multiple graphics for types of projects? How do we get to those frameworks?

These questions led to some interesting answers. To come up with the diagram prototypes, we decided to write the tasks on bits of paper and try some configurations on a tabletop. We quickly jumped to creating permanent magnets to be used on the magnetic white board, on which project specific notes could be written quickly. Reuse, recycle, recreate! Plans of Steel, no less!

The Results

We’ve been using the H Pack internally now for a few months, and we have seen some great successes:

• Project estimation time has been cut in half.
• Unique and innovative approaches are developed collaboratively with all team players.
• By giving everyone a voice at the table, project engagement and ownership has increased.
• Understanding our colleagues’ roles happens in context to specific project objectives.
• Critical discussions happen early on.

We are always adding more tasks and deliverables to the H Pack as each team uses it. It continues to become a richer source of knowledge at Habañero. And it gives us time to spend time together working, which can be a whole lot of fun!

I don’t know about you, but I get awfully busy sometimes. Work projects, teaching, personal time, sometimes I over-extend myself and I am left feeling that the most important things to me get dropped so that I can keep up on my promises.

I recently read an article in Yoga Journal about practicing aparigraha (greedlessness) at the table, one of the ethical practices of yoga. This idea of not taking more than we need or can use is a tough one in our Western culture, where consumption and competition seem to be hard-wired. And I wonder, how does this play out in an economic time that scarcity is becoming the norm?

The article speaks about how scarcity can create a poverty mentality, in that you feel you don’t have enough so you take more than you need, or what will be good for you. This in turn results in an inability to digest what we take in, which can lead to sickness.

Fortunately, Ayurveda gives some guidelines on how to determine how much to consume. Our bodies are beautifully designed, and the right amount is what will fit in two cupped hands. You can also use the measure of 50% solid, 25% liquid and 25% air. But how does this relate to time, work and staying solvent?

For me, I like to use a calendar to mark out my personal life, appointments, work responsibilities and fitness. I know, it seems rigid, but it actually gives me a good indication what I can take on, and what I need to say no to. And when I colour code the entries, like using blue for work and pink for fitness, I get a really quick indication of how balanced my days are. Checking in with my calendar also gives me that time to say woah, think about what I am committing to, and if it’s really the right thing for me, my values and my goals. I am less inclined to grasp, and more inclined to be happy with what I have.

I also find that if I do have a million commitments, I still strive to immerse myself in the task at hand, and do not think about the other millions. But being fully present in the moment, I can give my best to clients and students, instead of doing just enough to get it done and running off to the next thing without properly finishing the first. This can be incredibly difficult, what with Twitter, Yammer, email and many other distractions! By allowing myself the time to completely “digest” my work, I hope it will continue to nourish my practice, make successful, meaningful projects, and happy clients.

What do you do to keep yourself sane and in balance?