Module 3

Question 1

What are the three dominant UX organizational structures?

Answer 1

Centralized, Decentralized (Distributed), and Hybrid (Matrix).

Question 2

What is a key benefit of the centralized UX structure?

Answer 2

Shared tools and resources, peer learning, strong UX identity, and involvement in high-level decisions.

Question 3

What is a major challenge of the centralized UX model?

Answer 3

UXers may need to advocate for their relevance to product teams who control the budget.

Question 4

What characterizes a decentralized UX structure?

Answer 4

UXers are assigned to one product team full-time and become subject matter experts in that domain.

Question 5

What are the drawbacks of a decentralized UX model?

Answer 5

Lack of collaboration among UXers and no unified UX leadership or mission.

Question 6

What is the hybrid UX model?

Answer 6

A structure where UXers report to both a UX lead and a product team lead.

Question 7

What are the benefits of a hybrid UX model?

Answer 7

Combines centralized collaboration and leadership with decentralized domain expertise and continuity.

Question 8

What does the UX lead do in a hybrid model?

Answer 8

Oversees shared resources, knowledge sharing, and supervises transient UX staff.

Question 9

Why is selecting the right UX structure difficult?

Answer 9

Because organizations change over time, and UX maturity evolves; it often requires experimentation.

Question 10

What are the four families of activities in the UX lifecycle?

Answer 10

Analysis and research, design, prototyping, and evaluation.

Question 11

What larger context do UX lifecycle activities operate within?

Answer 11

The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

Question 12

What is the waterfall model in software development?

Answer 12

A sequential development process where each phase (requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance) follows the previous one.

Question 13

How can UX be incorporated into the waterfall model?

Answer 13

Through iterative UX design and evaluation activities during software design and development phases.

Question 14

What is Lean UX?

Answer 14

A management method integrating UX work within agile software development to focus on speed, collaboration, and shared understanding.

Question 15

Who defined the concept of Lean UX?

Answer 15

Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden.

Question 16

What are key principles of agile development in Lean UX?

Answer 16

Team collaboration, working software, responsiveness to change, and delivering in short sprints.

Question 17

What does Lean UX prioritize over documentation?

Answer 17

Shared team understanding and creating actual product experiences.

Question 18

What roles are typically included in cross-functional Lean UX teams?

Answer 18

Engineers, developers, marketers, product managers, and UX professionals.

Question 19

What three approaches inform Lean UX?

Answer 19

Agile development, design thinking, and lean startup.

Question 20

What is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?

Answer 20

The leanest product version used to test a hypothesis; it may not even involve code.

Question 21

What challenge can arise in Lean UX?

Answer 21

The need for time in UX research and testing may conflict with fast agile sprints.

Question 22

What factors influence how UX work is organized?

Answer 22

Industry type, organizational culture, and product complexity.

Question 23

How has UX evolved compared to its early days?

Answer 23

UX began with a narrow focus on task completion and interface design, but now encompasses a broad range of roles aimed at creating rich, memorable digital experiences.

Question 24

What are some of the specialized roles now found in UX teams?

Answer 24

Roles include content specialists, interaction designers, ethnographers, motion designers, audio designers, icon specialists, and color psychologists, among others.

Question 25

Why is thinking of the team as an entity important in hiring?

Answer 25

Because hiring decisions should consider team composition and gaps in collective skills—not just individual strengths.

Question 26

Who is responsible for hiring in UX teams?

Answer 26

UX management—not just HR—must define team needs and direct hiring accordingly.

Question 27

What is the 'Problem Solver Grid' strategy?

Answer 27

A hiring strategy that identifies team gaps in roles like innovators, conceptualizers, implementers, and optimizers.

Question 28

What is the role of a conceptualizer?

Answer 28

To analyze and synthesize data into meaningful concepts and strategies.

Question 29

What is the role of an innovator in the Problem Solver Grid?

Answer 29

To generate new ideas and creative approaches to problems.

Question 30

What does an implementer do?

Answer 30

Develops plans and systems to ensure smooth project execution.

Question 31

Who are optimizers?

Answer 31

Efficiency experts focused on improving processes and outcomes.

Question 32

What is the 'Complete the Puzzle' hiring strategy?

Answer 32

A strategy that emphasizes building a team with diverse and complementary skillsets to avoid homogeneity.

Question 33

Why is too much skill overlap in a team a risk?

Answer 33

It may limit innovation and diversity of thought, and lead to redundancy rather than resilience.

Question 34

What is the 'Gauging the Team Spectrum' strategy?

Answer 34

Mapping team skills by percentage (e.g., 66% UI design, 33% research) to identify imbalances and hiring priorities.

Question 35

Why are soft skills important in UX team building?

Answer 35

They support collaboration, communication, and a cohesive work culture.

Question 36

What is meant by 'a team is larger than the sum of its parts'?

Answer 36

The synergy and interactions among team members matter as much as individual expertise.

Question 37

What does scaling mean in a UX context?

Answer 37

Structuring and optimizing work processes to support growth and consistency in UX work.

Question 38

What is DesignOps?

Answer 38

The practice of implementing processes and measures to better support design work and create conditions for efficiency, collaboration, and impact.

Question 39

What does Nielsen’s DesignOps framework evaluate?

Answer 39

(1) How we work together, (2) How we get the work done, (3) How our work creates impact.

Question 40

What is assessed under “How we work together”?

Answer 40

Team structure, collaboration tools, onboarding practices, and HR development.

Question 41

What is assessed under “How we get the work done”?

Answer 41

Standardized tools, design systems, workflows, and prioritization of resources.

Question 42

What is assessed under “How our work creates impact”?

Answer 42

Measurement of design quality, promotion of design value, recognition of successes, and design enablement through education/playbooks.

Question 43

What is ResearchOps?

Answer 43

A set of strategies, tools, and processes that support UX researchers in planning, conducting, and scaling the value of research.

Question 44

What are the six areas in Nielsen’s ResearchOps framework?

Answer 44

Participant management, governance, knowledge, tools, competency, and advocacy.

Question 45

Why is participant management prioritized in ResearchOps?

Answer 45

Because it is one of the most time-consuming and complex parts of UX research.

Question 46

What does governance in ResearchOps refer to?

Answer 46

Managing user consent, privacy, and research compliance protocols.

Question 47

What does the 'knowledge' aspect focus on in ResearchOps?

Answer 47

How research data is collected, analyzed, and transformed into shareable insights.

Question 48

Why is advocacy important in ResearchOps?

Answer 48

It ensures the visibility and strategic value of user research throughout the organization.

Question 49

Why should UX managers prioritize DesignOps and ResearchOps?

Answer 49

To enhance team efficiency, scale UX efforts, and ensure consistent, high-quality output.

Question 50

What is the shared goal of DesignOps and ResearchOps?

Answer 50

To optimize team processes, reduce inefficiencies, and maximize the value and impact of UX work.