The Golden Key to Badass Products
Dorothy Toth
Adam Dehnel
The best architecture in the world will never solve for bad user experience. To build a truly powerful, dynamic, and efficient platform, the KEY is to align technical architecture with design architecture.
We'll talk about ways to make this alignment happen, approaches that work (and some that fail), and illustrate organizational wins these practices can achieve.
Golden Key Matrix
These simple rating quadrants serve as a quick way to gauge progress. For now it can just be a page to reference in discussions or perhaps print out. In the future we're considering making a system of accounts and tracking progress for you and your team.
Key 1: Open Mindset
Creates trust in others, but also in yourself
- Receptive to new ideas, experiences, and perspectives
- Fuels adaptability & flexibility
- Embraces challenges as opportunities
- Respect for others
- Curious & asks questions
- Receives questions as ideas not criticism
Sets yourself up to learn
Key 2: Integrated Workflows
Ideas to get on the same wavelength!
- Prototype run throughs
- UX Intention Discussions
- Dev Build Explanations
- Cross-team paired programming
Iteration, back-and-forth, and near-constant collaboration
Key 3: Rich Ecosystem
Starting can be the hardest part
- Prioritize what's needed first
- Find the medium(s) that makes the most sense for your teams
- Consider timing/cadence
- Try, try again…
- Be accountable
- Set up Ownership
Continue the effort…
Fill this out on a regular basis. Maybe it's a per-sprint item or every-other sprint but something that keeps it top of mind. And be honest because nobody will benefit from fake and insincere answers.