Scooping up the Swoop and Poop

Swoop and poop (noun): A typically well-intentioned swoop-in by an executive who makes late-stage changes as a result of not being actively involved in the design workflow.

Swoop and poops are just plain frustrating. Though not necessarily a reflection on the quality of work, they’re often caused by a breakdown in process and the communication of ideas. Most people agree that communicating the right ideas the right way is more important than pumping out good-looking design and that, when done right, it can have a massive effect on thoughtful, well-received design. When your design team is heads down in a project, it can be difficult for them to remove themselves and present ideas from an outside perspective.

The poop and swoop is almost always blamed on disengaged higher-ups, but it’s also caused by a misguided work process and a lack of planning and prototyping. Because of the unavoidable executive-team structure, team members are forced to make late-stage changes regardless of whether or not they believe in their value. There’s a better way to guide presentation and communication throughout projects so that team members don’t feel slighted, strong-armed or coerced.

Consider the SUCCESs model proposed in the book “Made to Stick” by business leaders Chip and Dan Heath. The acronym success stands for “Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional and Stories.” The idea is to convey the core of your message to an engaged audience that’s trusting and emotionally invested in the speaker. These six simple principles can turn messy drive-by management into a well-received conversation so your team feels like they’re working together as a well-oiled machine instead of sweating in the galley on a tight ship.

How to Avoid Swoop and Poop

Let’s be honest, it’s sometimes impossible for CIOs to take on more. High-level execs want to be involved in the design process, but rarely have the time or thought to put into the research or understanding the ideas that are presented to them. Prototyping is a great way to double-down on anti-swoop methodologies, especially when you pair it with the SUCCESs model.

Avoiding the inevitable swoop and poop is really a matter of getting your team on the same page and creating a strong, common understanding all the way up the ladder. Prototyping, paired with the SUCCESs model, is a smart way to get your organization thinking about making data-driven decisions rather than gut-based ones. Working with a prototyping firm garners a strong data takeaway that answers your team’s most pressing questions: what are we making, why are we making it and who are we making it for?

The SUCCESs Model by Chip and Dan Heath includes principles that can help you avoid the swoop and poop.

SUCCESs with Prototyping

While prototypes may not be able to provide the credibility of a long-winded research report, they allow less-engaged execs to hear the story and see the experience — emphasizing the emotion and unexpected aspects of SUCCESs — and touch the experience to provide a concrete experience, all in a very simple way. Execs and team members will know exactly what to expect in their product after reviewing a prototype.

Credibility should be built throughout the process. As team members are making decisions, it will always be clear why they are being made. Ultimately, the prototype becomes credible, as it offers usability tests with real users.

What’s unique about implementing a prototyping model is that it encourages multilevel engagement. When paired with a well-organized design sprint methodology that’s activity-focused and agile, you’ll be able to level the playing field and give all ladder levels a voice in the design process. Clear-cut, accessible data and CX metrics aren’t as controversial, foggy or guesswork-based as an executive’s instinctive response to the design. While your executives bring important insight, prototyping can help prevent the poop and swoop and give all players a voice at every stage of the design sprint process.

Another way to get executives more clued-in to the frustrating and confusing effects of the swoop-in is to build-in exposure to real users at the executive level. Before even the first line of code is written, your entire organization will understand the most important end-user needs and behaviors to get everyone on the same page. Engaging executives in this phase is one of the best ways to clarify, strategize and attack the project. It discourages “drive-by management” by establishing the most important aspects of the project up-front, with no room for random drive-by swoops.

Continual Exec Engagement

Naturally, the prototype isn’t the first time high-level executives should be involved in the process. The entire design implementation should have continual yet brief involvement, with checkpoints built into your week-long design sprints. This way, executives can stay engaged without devoting too much time or taking on more responsibility that ultimately isn’t theirs.

Prototypes add an additional C to the SUCCESs model: Continuation. Prototype1 checks in on aspects including user stories, market research, wireframes, design and prototypes. Brushing these early check-ins aside or abandoning the SUCCESs model partway through leads to the dreaded disengaged executive who may not understand or pay attention when new suggestions arise.

Prototyping builds the metaphorical anti-swoop fence — or, ahem, umbrella — above your most engaged team members and helps safeguard the whole design process from the messy swoop and poop. Building a SUCCESs-based prototype can help eliminate the frustration and communication problems associated with drive-by management while improving the overall quality of your product.

Originally published at prototype1.io on April 28, 2016.