Every company, if it is trying to move forward, innovate, increase efficiency or improve effectiveness, will, at some point, take different routes in search of the achievement of these goals.
Saint Mary's Press is no different.
Anytime a company begins a new venture, whether it's a new process, a new direction or a new initiative, it is usually accompanied by a fresh amount of energy and zeal.
Saint Mary's Press is no different.
In the last 9 months we've begun to incorporate different processes related to user-centered design (UCD), a new method of bringing our customers more concretely into the process of creation and development. In those 9 months, there has been excitement and energy, wonderment, confusion, resistance...all normal things in the sphere of attempting new things and trying to move forward.
And then we have the stage that comes after a few months of incorporating a new process, right? Somewhere along the road come the big questions: How long will this last? When will we move on to the next big idea? Why is UCD talked about so much? Will it really solve all of our company problems?
"Is UCD the Answer to Every Company Question"
No single process-no matter what it is-can solve every company question. However, the processes of UCD are certainly helping us with one question. It is helping us answer the question at the center of all we do, the question about the customer---the fact that we need to know the customer—and not just know the customer, but know the discreet and essential user tasks for which they desire extraordinary solutions. Not only is it helping us know the customer, it is helping us to develop the skills to know the customer at a level we’ve never experienced.
In the 11 years I have been a part of Saint Mary’s Press we've explored a number of different ways to get to know and understand the customer, who they are, what they want. We've looked at different ways of understanding the customer including print surveys, e-mail surveys, focus groups, interviews, research projects, public surveys etc. But no method, no process that we've engaged in seemed to help us unravel the puzzle of understanding the customer in the way it was answered as we’ve combined these tried and true methods with user-centered design and the skills we first learned at Texas Tech’s CertifiedUser Experience Professional Program.
“One of the best professional development courses I've taken. I've never left a class feeling so competent to immediately apply what I learned with such a clear path and concrete set of tools.” – Heather
“I've been a web developer for almost 15 years, and during that time I've taken quite a few courses. None were as valuable in helping me to create better websites than the CUEP program. We learned not only how to identify problems that users were encountering with our existing websites, but also how to incorporate user experience testing into our design process. This saves valuable time, helps to avoid the frustration having to overhaul problems that could have been prevented, and ultimately produces a much more successful website. Thank you so much!”– Niall
From others outside of Saint Mary’s Press that have taken the course:
“The course was very engaging! We hit the ground running and since we actually practiced what we talked about, I feel like I can apply it immediately in the workplace.” – KaNisa
“This is a very good hands-on course for practical usability testing that can save a company time and money in design and development.” –Jared
“I highly recommend this course, it will change the way you look at product development forever.” –Ryan
I offer these quotes to illustrate the possibilities present in learning these skills and processes.
Internally, the skills and methods we learned in Texas and have continued to learn about user-centered design have given us the piece to a puzzle that had been missing. In my 11 years here, I had never experienced the same clarity with regard to listening to customers, understanding them, interpreting their needs or even including them, that I experience with UCD. It is this reality that I find so exciting and seek to share with others on a daily basis.
At the center of our mission is the willingness to serve the poor, to serve the young and to serve those who serve the young. To the extent that our customer remains at the center of all we do, we will need a way to stay connected to the customer. To the extent that user-centered design and any other process helps us to stay connected to our customer and to the reality of those we serve, it will continue to live within our walls.
So, we will continue to utilize the skills and invite the wisdom that user-centered processes propose. We will continue to use these methods and others we’ve learned and allow them to influence what we do, because they help us to know how to 1) listen 2) understand 3) interpret 4) engage in dialogue and 5) include those who remain at the center of our mission.
We do it for those who work with the young people and we do it for the kids.
Note: quotes taken from the CUEP website at http://www.uxcertification.com/testimonials.htm
