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Starting and Running a Design Partner Program

Mary Beth Raven, Oracle


Starting and Running a Design Partner Program


Design Partner Program • A form of participatory design to actively involve users in the design

process to help ensure the results meets their needs and is usable

• Dedicated set of users who provide feedback on a product on a regular

basis

• Early involvement! Can include feature prioritization

• Consistent legal/confidentiality agreement


Design Partners provide feedback on the features

and UI design of upcoming versions of the software


Example Programs Technical Product Collaboration Product

Participants ~20 companies, ~35 people ~300 companies, 500+ people

Recruiting Existing User Group Existing user group, support community, blog, Twitter

Commitment •90 min every ~ 3 months •Meet once a month, one company at a time, 5-7 companies each month

•Meet 1 hr every week, everyone invited • Additional usability testing 1x1 monthly 5-7 customers/month

Session types •Persona validation •Remote usability testing

•Persona validation •Product demos •Show alternate designs, discuss, vote

Legal NDA for each session Yearly blanket NDA for all sessions

Maintenance UX team tracked NDAs, participation and reward (3 iPad minis)

Product management maintained


DESIGN PARTNERS Fewer people, start early in the design process, regular

participation

BETA TEST Even fewer people, but they start later in the design

process and have deep participation

including installing and using the product over a period of

time

USER GROUPS Many people, small participation

Design Partner Compared to Other Programs


Recruiting Get them

• Invite user group members, Customer Advisory Board Members

• Post invitations in support communities

• Post invitations on social media – Blog, tweet, Facebook

• Incentives: several give-aways at the end of each product release (iPad minis, Starbuck’s gift certificates

Incentives

Keep them

• Demonstrate that you listen!

• Improve the product based on their feedback

• Explain why you did NOT make some of the requested changes (technical, business etc.)


Work with your company’s legal team Different companies have different legal requirements

Company A Company B Company C

Participants sign a Non-disclosure (NDA) for every session

Participants sign a yearly NDA The participant’s COMPANY signs a “Customer Participation Confidentiality Agreement” (CPCA)

NDA was an online survey they went to, checked a box and typed their name and date

If they signed and NDA as part of a user group or Customer advisory group, then they were already covered for the Design Partner Program

This agreement broader than an NDA. If a participant has a good idea and you implement it, the participant cannot expect any revenue recognition.


• Have an official “Design Partner Program” administrator • Can be part of other jobs – User Research – Product management

• Foster Community – Arrange in-person meetings – Appreciation events ( at yearly conference or user group meetings) – Tie to “Champion” or “Elect” programs

• Have a set begin and end – Yearly – Per release

Maintain the Program