SOAR

Question 1

6 Stories

Answer 1

1. Leasing
2. Stats Program / Climate / Johannes
3. ES Change in Leadership”
4. Platform Strategy / Strategy
5. Platform Strategy / Mark in the Dark
6. Customer Council

Question 2

SOAR Stands For

Answer 2

Situation
Objective / Obstacles
Action
Result

Question 3

Leasing (SOO)

Answer 3

• 3rd party lease to own
• concerned about promo copy
• Could lead to users making payments in perpetuity

Question 3

Leasing (AR)

Answer 3

• No initial success with objections
• Verify test / results
• BBB scan
• Presented findings
• No dice but lived by my values

Question 4

Stats Program / Climate (SOO)

Answer 4

• Bayesian analysis for climate change risk
• Highly complex
• Product owner had never worked with UX
• Wanted it pretty
• Was impatient with questions
• Didn’t view us as a partner

Question 5

Stats Program / Climate (AR)

Answer 5

• Patience / Empathy / Humbleness
• Leveraged existing relationship with manager
• Asked to learn
• Successful project
• He became a champion

Question 6

ES Change of Leadership (SOO)

Answer 6

• Working for over a year
• Product leadership shakeup
• Wanted a drastically different vision
• Customer advisory council
• New leadership no experience working with UX team / lack of respect

Question 7

ES Change of Leadership (AR)

Answer 7

• Presented all steps we took to validate
• Set up calls between new leadership and customers
• Became strategic partners instead of window dressing
• Still took product in new direction but respected prior work

Question 8

Platform strategy (SOO)

Answer 8

• Fire drill
• Senior leadership wanted Platform
• Became clear they Didn’t know what that meant
• UX had POV but weren’t viewed as strategic leaders
• Had to be careful not to be seen as stepping on toes or too challenging

Question 9

Platform Strategy (AR)

Answer 9

• Requested a meeting to present
• Worked with our viz D to create a highly polished concept deck
• Worked in advance with product peers
• Used ambiguity as opportunity
• Led and gained consensus on platform
• Sometimes being prepared is enough to have strategic impact
• Project moved forward with our vision

Question 10

Mark in the Dark (All)

Answer 10

• Platform strategy setup
• Was so busy preparing the presentation I didn’t brief him
• He Looked uninformed in meeting
• Damaged our credibility
• Learned importance of the pre-brief