Three weeks, zero dollars for UX and a $30 million project: taming the beast.

Government is a beast. It’s a huge, complex system with many layers. Twelve months in to my time here, I’ve seen how small, well-focused actions can produce significant, enduring improvements (you were so right, Peter Senge!).

I want to share with you how we used UX (user experience) to deliver early, tangible gains in a way which demonstrated value for a major new Victorian initiative. Along the way, we opened hearts and changed minds by challenging assumptions about what lean UX could achieve in government.

Here’s a dot point summary of what I learned working on Pick my Project, which has positively impacted hundreds of thousands of Victorians:

· Remember that perfectionism is the key to procrastination

· Make the most of low fidelity prototyping, done in a really simple way

· Focus on your minimum viable product and prioritisation of work

· Leverage existing resources

If you want the full story, they videoed my talk. https://vimeo.com/289814857/55f073c56d

(I’ve not watched it, I hate the sound of my own voice… Tell me how it is?) It runs for around 29 minutes, so settle in with a cup of tea.