UX Service Program

Problem Statement

Prior to establishing the UX Service (which allowed external teams to engage my team for design and research), employees knew they needed design help but lacked clarity on how UX could help them. Additionally, employees contacted the five designers and three researchers directly with requests and favors. The lack of process and ambiguity of the requests were a distraction for the UX team.

Users

Wells Fargo groups who wish to engage UX services free of cost. The Lines of Businesses included Technology, Corporate Properties Group, Consumer Banking and Marketing.

Role

I created and ran the UX Service that offered Design and Research services throughout Wells Fargo. I became a UX ambassador to Lines of Businesses (LOBs) unfamiliar with the field.

Scope and constraints

Stakeholder management

My home portal and collaboration team partners (product managers) were concerned that their projects would no longer take priority. I acknowledged their concern with the assurance that their projects would always be prioritized. Within the terms of service for UX Service, I inserted language that the portal group would be prioritized since it funded my team.

I developed a streamlined intake process, including the project brief and statement work, so objectives, milestones and delivery dates were clear for both parties.

The main constraint was managing the resource allocation for designers, user researchers and contractors against the volume of requests.

Process

Current landscape evaluation

Designers felt the work was routine and not challenging nor fulfilling. They wanted to work on other projects throughout the company and with diverse stakeholders.

I consulted with product managers, engineers and internal partners to gauge their feelings about the UX Service and assured them their projects would be prioritized.

I developed materials for the intake process (intake process, Statement of Work), project tracking and resource allocation system. I also created a Visio process map that detailed the stakeholder engagement process.

Establishing the UX Service

I wanted to keep the UX team invested with a different scope of work. It would allow them to also flex design skills in areas that may not be their specialty (i.e. wireframing for a visual designer).

Also, a key factor was visibility and durability. In a corporate climate where reorgs are not uncommon, I wanted to make sure that the UX team developed a relevant, extensive and diverse portfolio to prove our value and existing relationships if we joined a new LOB. The UX Service would establish a brand and reputation for us throughout the organization.

Since many were unfamiliar with UX, I spent months laying the groundwork for the UX Service by explaining and championing user experience to the LOBs.

Barrier to Entry: I felt strongly that there should be no cost to open our services to the rest of the company. Many LOBs do not have a dedicated UX team and needed design help. While we can help refresh a collaboration site to new brand guidelines or add appealing images, there was no resource bandwidth for minor visual fixes such as button sizing or editing text for stakeholders.

Outcomes and Lessons

In my four years at Wells Fargo, UX Service flourished and expanded to many lines of businesses, including Technology, Consumer Banking and Corporate Property Group. The UX work has included high-exposure sites, including Space Finder, that employees use to quickly book conference rooms and a utility dashboard for Corporate Properties Group.

Effective stakeholder management was a key aspect to the success of UX Service. It is important to make sure all voices are heard and concerns are addressed.

To ensure no miscommunication, the intake/documentation process was crucial for alignment. I socialized the new intake process flow map through presentations with different scenarios. The simple and efficient process eliminated any confusion and concerns.

Leadership feedback was positive and allowed the designers to tout their work. Additionally, senior leaders were able to leverage the UX relationship to collaborate on other priority initiatives with the leadership team.