As professionals in IT-related fields, our jobs can seem very explicit: Binary 1s and 0s and Boolean true or false is baked into much of what we do. There are exceptions of course, but often there is a right answer or a wrong answer, and little space in between.
For example, whether we are assigning IP addresses, configuring a firewall, assuring framework compliance, or resetting a user’s password, these tasks can be straightforward and lack any sort of ambiguity. Now I am not saying these tasks are easy. I’m simply emphasizing the left brain vs. right brain (analytical vs. creative) theory. Due to this, it can be easy to forget the importance of the more subjective, nuanced, and multifaceted operations in an IT world.
Departments such as marketing, sales, communications and customer experience require different needs from IT operations, but they all exist to support the enterprise’s overall objectives. Also included in this list is User Experience (UX) Design and the skillset required to create, manage or maintain these design teams and operations. ISACA has taken note of this gap between enterprise arts and sciences and released a white paper on the importance of UX design, “How to Drive Growth, Strategy and Governance Through Design.” This white paper falls under ISACA’s IT domain, but many of the subjects covered in this paper span across information security, privacy, governance and other ISACA professional practice umbrellas. In this publication, the author, Matthew T. Altman, covers four major themes, including:
- Applying User Experience Design and Research Principles
- Understanding Customers and Stakeholders
- Avoiding the Impossible Solution
- Fundamental Business Growth and Strategy
These themes cover the detailed explanation of UX design and why it’s important to enterprise goals, how audience members should impact the design process, organizational problems and solutions, and more specific topics. The main takeaway for this paper is not only the importance of UX design, but also how good design practices can be embedded in all factors of business. With these implementations, businesses can grow not only in their IT operations, but other areas as well.
The white paper states, “To achieve the greatest success for the enterprise, design teams must be permitted to think and rethink. Continuous improvement through adoption of Agile design and development principles can be coupled with regular reviews of stakeholder needs and expectations. As the business pursues strategies that incorporate design thinking and marries design with the various elements of the business, better ideas surface for review, with greater likelihood of marketability and profitability. Implementation of governance and risk mitigation techniques helps ensure that accountability is in place to monitor and address impacts stemming from design factors, as products or platforms gain acceptance and adoption.”
Understanding the needs of your audiences, both internal and external, can enable clear strategy, stronger communication, and more efficient and effective productivity. These are not only functional needs, but design and interface-based needs as well. Design aids in answering foundational business questions, and with strategic implementations, guides and shapes behavioral patterns. These patterns can then impact the future of IT and other analytical-based operations. By creating this back-and-forth process, UX design can and will flourish. Whether it is apparent or not, UX design is crucial in the progress of all-things technology.
Editor’s note For more insights on this topic, download “How to Drive Growth, Strategy and Governance Through Design” here.