Navigating the Tension

Harmonizing Human-Centered Design and Product-First Approaches in Digital Product Development

In the fast-paced realm of digital product development, there has always been a perpetual tug-of-war between two fundamental ideologies: human-centered design (HCD) and product-first strategies driven by business and shareholder demands. This tension, often overlooked but profoundly impactful, is at the heart of what I refer to as "The Battle for the Soul of Digital Products."

Going back to N/Ngroup's first UX maturity model in 2006, (1. Hostile to Usability, 2. Dev Centered UX, 3. Skunkworks UX, 4. Dedicated UX budget, 5. Managed Usability, 6. Systematic UCD Process, 7. Integrated UCD, 8. User-Driven Corporation) I'd say we've come a long way in many respects to better understanding the merits of human-centered approaches in technology and in other ways - it seems we're still at square one. What I once understood to be a progressive linear march to integrated maturity now seems more and more to be an elliptical pendulum swinging back and forth through moments of integrated maturity to hostile approaches toward usability.

Illustrating the Divide:

• The most recent example of this tension can be summed up in the controversy over Teresa Torres's statement, "Product teams work on a faster cadence. We don't have time for perfect research. And that's okay. We are trying to mitigate risk, not seek truth." This ignited a firestorm within the UX research community, highlighting the clash between rapid development cycles and UX research practitioners. Right or wrong, a lot of trolling and flaming ensued, pointing out that there was a certain level of betrayal of her previous advocacy of specialized UXR knowledge. There has been an ongoing dialogue in social media attempting to both defend, set the record straight, and acknowledge the impact . I look forward to tomorrow's (3/20/2024 4pm EDT) panel discussion hosted by Rosenfeld Media moderated by Peter Merholtz to clear the air and make way for A Genuine Conversation about the Future of UX Research
• Cory Doctorow's critique in the Financial Times leaned into his coined term "Enshitification," underscoring how product-led initiatives risk diluting user experiences. Enshitification is a three-stage process in which platforms initially benefit users, then exploit users to favor business customers, and finally, exploit those customers to maximize profit for themselves, leading to a decline in quality and user experience. There's a larger sense that this trend isn't specific to social media platforms but is spreading throughout digital product teams at large. Part of the HCD charter is to advocate for ethical design in service of better user experiences, not to exploit them - so you can see how this tension would create a hostile and toxic environment for HCD workers.
• Finally, an interesting sequence of writing from Robert Fabricant's FastCompany article "The big design freak-out" and Andy Polaine's response article "On mediocrity and the state of design " posted on the Doctor's Note both point to the need for better-articulated value of research and design functions within digital product teams. Signaling a failure of design leadership to tie design actions to business outcomes.

These are, of course, both signals and noise in the greater scheme of our transformative journey to an increasingly digital state. By now, you should know the market is not a monolith. It's made up of organizations that range from legacy establishment organizations trudging toward digital transformation and disruptive digital-first organizations that design from the API out. So it also stands to be true that what works and what is necessary for one organization isn't true or necessary for another. We'll all be at various points in the great pendulum that dictates the dance for the battle of digital product influence. But that doesn't mean we can't challenge ourselves and our leadership for more - in the name of advancing the field of practice, for more deeply integrated teams, and better infrastructure support for more continuous human-centered tri-trac digital product and service development.

I'm a firm believer that N/N's initial maturity model was inspired by challenges (still to this day) to look for better ways to mature and advance HCD into the product life cycles, not out of self-preservation, but because of the impact it can and does have on humanity.

Just over a year ago - I wrote "DesignOps Zeitgeist 2023 " which was my initial attempt to head off the conversation that HCD and Product-First mindsets are mutually exclusive. I think there are definitely natural tensions that will always be at play - but those tensions help define and demonstrate where we need to challenge ourselves to be better. They spell out opportunities to change, enhance, and advance our practice into our faster future.

To that end, I'm leaning in:

• Embrace the complexity: Recognize that the tension between HCD and product-first approaches is not a dichotomy but a spectrum with room for synergy.
• Foster collaboration: Advocate for cross-functional integration and dialogue, encouraging product teams and design leaders to align their goals and methodologies.
• Demand innovation: Challenge the status quo by pushing for enhanced tooling, process integration, and systems thinking that support a harmonious blend of human-centered and product-led practices.

The future of digital product development hinges on our ability to transcend the adversarial mindset between HCD and product-first ideologies. By embracing integration, fostering collaboration, and demanding innovation, we can navigate the tension and usher in a new era of human-centered technology.

Key Takeaways:

• The tension between HCD and product-first approaches is palpable and consequential.
• Collaboration and innovation are essential for harmonizing conflicting methodologies.
• The future of digital product development depends on our ability to bridge the gap between human-centered design and business imperatives.

Closing Thoughts: As we embark on this journey to redefine the soul of digital products, let us remember that the true measure of success lies not in the supremacy of one ideology over the other but in our collective ability to forge a path forward that prioritizes both user needs and business objectives.