How Can UX Research Improve Agile Project Outcomes?
Many businesses want to use Agile, but 70% fail to meet their goals, so it's not sure it will work. If user experience (UX) research is added to the growth of Agile, it could be the most essential thing that makes this method work better.
It is all part of watching people work, talking to them, and trying products. As teams learn more about what people want, they make better goods. Scrum teams work for short amounts of time, or "sprints." Then, based on what the users say, they improve the standard.
Both plans are great for UX research because they are about the user. This piece discusses how combining UX research with Agile methods can help teams make products people want to use. This is especially true for bigger companies that use the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
What's the Agile Framework All About?
Scalable Agile Framework (SAFe) is a set of processes and best practices meant to help companies use Lean-Agile Development on a big scale. This approach allows the team to perform UX research with scaled Agile framework, concretely meeting the company's goal while allowing them to connect with other groups.
SAFe includes three main levels, including:
∙ Team: The heart of Agile-based teams is people working in flexible teams to react to changes and move through the iterative process.
∙ Program: It is a centrally placed plan with lots of teams to achieve the same goal with the help of program increment planning.
∙ Portfolio: This will be the level at which actions are matched with strategy goals. This will result in these objectives being achieved in relation to the general business goals.
Over 94% of companies have chosen some type of Agile. The SAFe 6.0 version was released in March 2023. Agile helps companies to change quickly, which improves cooperation processes.
SAFe works by:
- Helping teams adjust to change
- Maintaining the level of work achieved
- Being non-exclusive and unhidden
- Ensuring Efficiency
Making UX Research Work in Real Projects
Connect Research to What the Business Wants
For UX research to be effective in an Agile setting, it must be closely linked with business strategy. Understanding how user data can add value to the business can help connect it with the plan.
For instance, a company performing research before releasing a new feature can spot user issues that could lead to unhappiness or failure. The team can ensure that the research results and business goals are related.
Break Down Team Barriers
Big data analysis has found the power of teamwork, and thus, one of the main benefits of SAFe is its open and connected teamwork. The most effective use of UX research is achieved when UX experts work directly.
It may involve product managers and developers throughout the whole development process. Allocating at least one UX researcher to each product team supports team members' participation and knowledge.
Simple Tips for Better UX Research
Make Planning Sessions Useful
Program Increment (PI) planning meetings are important in matching several teams around shared goals. User experience (UX) researchers should show their active involvement during the PIs by giving user thoughts that guide the team's ranking of features and development courses. Combining product managers with teams in PI planning can help find the difference between product roadmaps and user needs, thus matching development efforts with the user's expectations.
Create Solutions That Actually Work
Delivering on-demand solutions is very important in the fast-paced agile workplace. It needs a flexible method whereby UX designers are included in product management plans instead of being considered another division. Teams supporting a design training framework can also create flexible answers to changing demands that may appear due to growth, new players, or innovation.
Help Different Teams Work Together
Collaboration among the roles heavily affects a project's success in SAFe. By presenting themselves as design instructors and guides, UX experts weaken the boundaries between IT and product management, improving cooperation. This link leads to a better match and supports a way of life of ongoing growth throughout the development life cycle.
Keeping the Design Process Smooth
Give Design Some Breathing Room
This concerns lead time, which is long enough for the changes of the planning part before the development starts. The trick is to engage the design lead team early in the process and work with other teams, such as feature teams, to get everything going. Hence, the designers will have enough time for changes and to finish the way even before the developers set in.
Testing, Testing, and More Testing
The most frequent user testing is a key part of good UX research in Agile development. By making user testing a focus throughout the design process, the teams will get valuable data that will allow them to improve the product's quality before its launch.
Take Away
Teams that mix UX research with Agile methods can build better goods. This magic happens especially in big projects with methods like SAFe. It is essential for the rest of the team to work quickly and often try their goods with real people.
Then, teams make things that people will use. Those who need greater accuracy must continually incorporate UX research into their normal practice. When businesses have insights into their people, they can create better goods for all while helping the company succeed.
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