How I Survived Business Complexity
Did you ever have to digest a 40-page PDF of documentation only to realize afterwards that you just needed to read 2 of them?
This is exactly what happened to me when I was entrusted with my first design project at Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking.
I wanted to show my determination by trying to understand in detail how the user’s business works, but also the legal framework behind the project and all the jargon that revolves around it.
… And this meant understanding the whole system of a finance bank in a few days, which meant: mission impossible!
It bothered me so much that it became the topic of my school thesis, from which I’ll summarise some learnings in 3 key points.
1. Complicated or complex?
Complicated
Complication involves some nonsense and disorder. When something is complicated, everyone can agree that it is complicated, regardless of the level of knowledge of the person observing it.
What is complicated is by definition “untangleable”, improvable. In terms of user interface this would be for example:
- Different navigation patterns throughout the service
- Bad hierarchy in calls to action, buttons too small,…
- Inconsistent color signifiers such as a red “OK” button or a green “Cancel” button,…
Complex
Complexity on the other hand has two superimposed states depending on who is observing it: simple and sophisticated at the same time. People stranger to it will find it incomprehensible, while people with experience will find it clear, as they have the background to understand it.
Complexity needs to be treated with care so as not to devalue the content of its message. In terms of user interface this would be for example:
- The number of stages of the journey
- The amount of information to be displayed on the screen
- The degree of technicality of this information (abbreviations, series of figures, etc.)
What I learnt
The designer’s role here is therefore to simplify what is complicated, but to leave the right level of business complexity to the expert user.
At Societe Generale, we have conceptualized this balance as the UX efficient frontier.
But how can you assimilate this complexity without getting overwhelmed when it is not your field of expertise?
2. Ignorance can provide benefits
Look out for inconsistencies
On all complex projects, there are some layers of complexity accumulated over time due to a lot of back and forth discussions.
Within these layers, inconsistencies may appear and stakeholders will not always go and question this legacy.
Examples include:
- Actors in the same project using different terms for the same thing
- Actors in a project unaware of some terms related to that very project
- Business processes with unnecessary steps retained for no obvious reason
Not embracing or understanding the layers of complexity in the project may lead to certain elements being taken for granted, because “that’s the way it is”.
The designer will therefore have to free themselves from jargon and granted legacy in order to put their foot in the door.
Learn to navigate complexity
Conceptualization is something that really benefits a complex project. Whether it is the ecosystem map, the service map or the user flow, these tools force the designer to free themselves from complexity.
Through this conceptualization exercise, we are forced to work with notions and context rather than with the jargon that limits us. Concepts are malleable, they allow us to see things differently and challenge the legacy more easily.
In this type of situation, the designer’s “ignorance” is beneficial for the project and is therefore not a handicap, because by conceptualizing it can :
- Make the experts aware of inconsistencies that may exist
- Focus attention on what is of value in the design phase, i.e. the user’s journey and needs
What I learnt
Assuming and mastering one’s ignorance as an integral added value within the designer’s perimeter allows a more efficient immersion and brings a real added value to the project.
Nevertheless, it is still necessary to know enough about the business domain to be able to bring value, so how to identify the right level between ignorance and knowledge?
3. The right level of business knowledge
Don’t over-perform
Doing excessive amounts of work in order to try to understand everything about a complex job in a few months can make you feel like you are more in control, or look as though you are more determined.
But business complexity can also be so obscure that you may sometimes go deeper and deeper in the learning tunnel without realizing that you went too far.
All of this will make you work yourself to death as you’ll never be able to know or understand everything about a job in that space of time. Successful design does not require learning the whole business, but only a fraction of it.
Settle for the right level of business knowledge
To avoid falling into the trap of over-performance, it is necessary to identify when you have the right level of knowledge, the “just enough” to keep moving forward. In contrast, this also means choosing to ignore certain information.
What I learnt
When I cut my teeth on my very first projects at Societe Generale, I went to great lengths to try to understand in detail what users did within the bank.
I thought their ergonomic needs were as complex as the job they do.
I realized that this was a misconception: yes their job was very complex, but their needs for the service were really basic.
I could have realized this earlier and saved a lot of time if I had followed the points I’ve just shared with you. But in the end I just learnt it the hard way and can help others learn from my mistakes too.
Are you facing similar situations? Feel free to reach out, I’ll be happy to discuss it with you! If you want to go deeper on how to tackle product design and business complexity, the following books have helped me a lot through this reflection:
- Donald Norman — Living with complexity
https://jnd.org/living-with-complexity/ - Jeff Gothelf — Lean UX
https://jeffgothelf.com/books/#lean-ux - Abby Covert — How to make sense of any mess
http://www.howtomakesenseofanymess.com/
Special thanks to Morgane, Hennie and Michael for their feedback on the writing of this article.
