Increasing UX maturity by building a user-centered design team

In this article, I will delve into my experience as the first UX designer at NetApp StorageGRID, where I embarked on a mission to cultivate a human-centered design culture. Join me as I share the details of the UX strategy that enabled me to scale from a solo designer to leading a high-functioning, mature design team. This journey was particularly challenging as the product had been developed for the past 15 years without placing users at the forefront.

The challenge

  • I assessed the team’s UX maturity using the Neilson Norman UX-maturity model, revealing a product development process that lacked a strong focus on user needs and preferences.
  • To promote a user-centric approach, I identified UX champions among the engineers and stakeholders who shared a desire to simplify the product, as many had previously overlooked the end users.
  • These attributes deemed the team’s UX maturity as Limited.

nngroup’s stages of UX maturity

With the current maturity in mind, I drafted a plan to increase the team’s UX maturity and build a high-functioning UX team.

Stage 3 - Nurturing a growing UX culture in the team

Until 6 months from inception

  • To establish UX as a crucial stakeholder for a large team, I actively socialized UX work across scrum teams, leveraging town halls and retrospectives. Through heuristic analysis and competitor research, I identified the top three themes for product simplification.
  • Through ongoing conversations with PMs, I challenged the perception that UX was merely a superficial enhancement, emphasizing its integral role from the start.
  • Partnering with an engineering manager, we championed a drive for product simplicity, spreading the message among C-suite associates.
  • Despite these initiatives, I faced limitations in participating in certain projects deemed as “back-end” by stakeholders, hindering my involvement in the early stages.

Presenting the top 3 UX gaps in the product at town halls to educate stakeholders

Simplicity initiative approach in collaboration with the engineering manager to identify all the gaps in the product-user lifecycle

Stage 4 - Establishing standards, routines to form structured methods

Until 1 year 2 months from inception

  • With increased awareness and support from product managers, our UX team expanded to accommodate more projects. We standardized our approaches, tools, and methods to ensure consistent deliverables. A comprehensive UX onboarding process facilitated quick ramp-up for new team members.
  • We prioritized discovery research, creating personas as decision-making cornerstones. Continuous qualitative validation research gathered valuable insights for the product roadmap, allowing us to participate in architectural discussions and meet deadlines.
  • Team deliverables were showcased in demo meetings, gathering stakeholder feedback and educating others about ongoing projects. These initiatives ensured our involvement in all release projects.

Timeline of UX activities and deliverables in a release 

Stage 5 - Integrating design within the product lifecycle

Until 2 year 7 months from inception

  • Developers, technical writers, product managers, and QA associates eagerly participate in UX research sessions, showcasing their engagement in the process. We track UX progress through qualitative behavioral metrics and quantitative attitudinal metrics, comparing against a baseline. Bugs identified are addressed in subsequent releases.
  • To ensure UX quality, we implement a comprehensive UX checklist that must be completed before each release. This helps maintain consistency and adherence to established standards.

  • The UX team plays a vital role in onboarding new stakeholders (QA, Dev, PM, Writers) by presenting their work and involvement in the release lifecycle, ensuring effective collaboration.

  • Sharing our practices extends beyond NetApp, as we actively engage with the local design community through meetups and conferences, fostering knowledge exchange and industry-wide learning.

Stage 6 - Users drive the product strategy

In-progress

  • UX is recognized as a defining attribute of the company’s success. New frameworks, such as semesters planning, are introduced at the CEO staff level to break down the vision into achievable targets across all products. High-level UX KPIs are closely aligned with business values and monitored regularly.
  • Executives are undergoing training to prioritize user research as the driving force behind decision-making at all levels. Previously aware of UX, stakeholders are now being trained to actively contribute to the product’s experience.
  • To further emphasize UX, it is integrated into the employees’ remuneration program, incentivizing stakeholders who contribute to the product’s experience.
  • Scrum teams within products are evolving to embrace user-driven iterative design, adopting rituals like user research, design workshops, and usability testing.