Blog from January, 2020

Tip #2. Conduct UX activities ahead of the sprint.

Many people reported challenges in trying to fit both design and development for the same feature into a single sprint. Two weeks is usually not enough time to conduct research, create wireframes and designs, AND do the development work for the selected user stories.

The most common advice for overcoming this challenge was to stagger the UX/UI and the development work stream so that research and design are completed before the sprint begins. For example, UX creates the screens in sprint 1. Then development takes the completed designs and codes them in sprint 2.

“I worked one sprint ahead as a UX/UI lead. I would work with the scrum master and product owners to prioritize projects in the backlog and fulfill the UX/UI requirements a sprint before production. My time had to count differently toward the sprint, omitted from velocity, but very efficient.”

“Research and design should stay at least one sprint ahead. Give yourself time to do thorough user research and test your designs.”

“Make sure to design as much upfront so you can prototype and test concepts before development needs to start.”

“Spend investigative time during sprints in anticipation of needs for the upcoming sprints.”

“Have mockups ready for sprint planning.”

Working ahead of the development stream gives designers time to think through and test assumptions with real users. Staying ahead allows the entire team to review mockups and identify potential issues before the design of that feature is ready for the sprint.

The size and complexity of the project affects how far ahead of development UX designers should work. Most practitioners report designing ahead by 1 to 2 sprints.

This is a coordinated effort that requires communication among team members. Just because designs are completed (or mostly done) before the development sprint does not mean that the UX designer simply hands off the designs to the developers and moves on. While UX designers should constantly plan ahead, they must also support the current sprint, advise the team, and make adjustments as necessary.

Moreover, all team members, including project managers, product owners, and engineers, should work closely with the UX designer throughout the process so that when the design is “ready,” everyone is in sync. The back- and front-end developers need to understand and support the designs, interactions, and user flows.

In 2016, NN/g asked Agile practitioners at the UX Conference to share tips or techniques that have contributed to the success of their Agile projects. They received 125 responses from professionals in USA and Singapore. The respondents worked in various-size companies and held different job responsibilities, ranging from UX designers and developers to product owners and project managers. From this, these Top 10 Key Tips for Successful Agile Projects were developed. Here is the first of the most popular techniques reported by Agile professionals:

Tip #1. Allow time for release planning and story mapping.

Respondents reported that spending time at the start of projects to properly plan for releases is worth the investment:

“Place more effort in planning, design, and specification.”

“Be involved at the earliest stage.”

“Spend more time in the planning phase and then focus on refinements and tweaks. Get buy-in before starting the project.”

“Block out business time early, get sign off on everything.”

“Do proper and extensive planning in the beginning of the sprint. Allow sufficient time to deal with inevitable blockers.”

Collaborating with stakeholders from the beginning allows teams to develop a shared understanding and a common vision for their projects. This shared vision guides team members throughout the project, helping them prioritize user stories and make the right trade-offs along the way.

Some teams employ story mapping during release planning to help stakeholders collaborate with other team members in creating the product backlog. This activity often uncovers new opportunities and helps teams group and prioritize user stories.

UX involvement in release planning keeps the focus on the broader context, identifies knowledge gaps that require future research, and gathers information (e.g., by running appropriate user studies) to inform team decisions before the project begins. When teams allocate time for discovery work and research at the beginning, they reduce wasted effort later on.

“Include the discovery process before Agile kicks off for chartering, persona development, and story mapping.”

Source: NN/g