Getting Agile
How to work with agile as a UX Designer
What is it?
Agile is a product management way of working that involves epics, stories, tasks, and iterative collaboration between teams and team members. The end result is a well-tested feature or product that has been vetted and refined through in-house and external user feedback.
Why Agile?
Well, why not? Actually, I would say you want to choose agile in environments where you have ambiguous requirements and a highly talented development team. You will find, when used properly, it is highly efficient and extremely effective.
History
There are many software development methods, however, prior to agile, the industry standard was waterfall development. Waterfall is NOT agile. Waterfall is essentially a linear way to work. For example, before the designers begin their work, they would need to wait for the product team to finish writing the PRD. This also means each subsequent team was waiting for their turn to get started. So, prior to engineers writing code, you would have to get your designs vetted and approved. Sounds weird doesn’t it? Well, as weird as it is, some teams still work this way. I would consider Waterfall a method and the old method or a method no longer used. Some places still work this way and though it sounds clunky, in the right environment it may prove to be the best method. Going forward, it seems that new technologies will eventually make waterfall either extinct or unnoticeable and product dev cycles will feel like agile or lean.
How do Designers use Agile?
You can integrate with agile by making sure you are a part of the team. This includes being a part of the rituals, ceremonies, and stand up meetings. Use it the way it was intended to be used. This means plan out your cycles for design as iterative ones that include feedback loops and research or testing. Embed your work into the engineering sprints by being ahead of engineering and delivering the necessary artifacts in time to plan and discuss the work that needs to be done. If you have something that won’t fit in a sprint, break down into smaller chunks.
Communication is the key.
Here is how Agile works without UX.
SW = SoftwareTW = TeamworkTDD = Test Driven DevelopmentCI = Continuous IntegrationPP = Pair programming R = Refactoring Here’s how it works with UX.
Conclusion
Agile can most certainly be a part of the work you deliver. You need to remain clear and focused when working with agile teams. Remember, the goal is to commit to a body of work for the week and crank it out. Always hit the goal. The more experience you have with it, the better.
I was scrum certified about 13 years ago. I recommend going to a scrum class to help you learn how agile works and to gain some practical experience in it. As always, feel free to chat with me if you have any questions.
Best of luck!