Question

One of the problems of having a user closely involved with a software development team is that they "go native." That is, they adopt the outlook of the development team and lose sight of the needs of their user colleagues. Suggest three ways how you might avoid this problem, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Short answer

Rotate user roles, establish clear communication, and hold regular review meetings to prevent user representatives from "going native."

Step-by-step solution

Assign a Rotating User Role

To keep the user representative from becoming too cozy with the development team, introduce a system where the user representative role rotates among different user colleagues. This ensures fresh perspectives are continuously brought into the team. **Advantages**: Reduces bias as each user brings new insights. **Disadvantages**: Might lead to inconsistencies in feedback due to lack of continuity.

Set Clear Communication Channels

Establish structured communication guidelines between the user representative and their user colleagues. This ensures that feedback is consistently collected and conveyed back to the development team. **Advantages**: Preserves the original needs and priorities of the user base. **Disadvantages**: Can be time-consuming and may slow down communication if not managed efficiently.

Regular Review Meetings

Conduct regular meetings with a wider user group where the representative presents the development progress and gathers feedback. This involvement keeps the user representative grounded in their colleagues' needs. **Advantages**: High user engagement and continuous feedback loop. **Disadvantages**: May require significant time investment from all participants.

Key concepts

Rotating User Roles

One effective way to prevent a user representative from aligning too closely with the development team is to implement a rotating user role system. In this approach, the role of user representative is switched among different user colleagues regularly. This ensures fresh insights are continuously incorporated as each different user brings their own unique perspective.

One major advantage of rotating user roles is the reduction of potential bias. By having a variety of users involved in the process, the feedback remains diverse, reflecting a wider array of user needs.

However, this method can also introduce some challenges. Continuity can be disrupted since each new representative may need time to acclimate. Inconsistencies in the feedback provided by different users might occur, which could impact the overall coherence of user insights.

Communication Strategies

Setting up clear communication channels between user representatives and their user colleagues can play a significant role in maintaining user-focused development. Creating structured communication guidelines facilitates the consistent collection and relay of user feedback to the development team.

Benefits of having such strategies include the preservation of the original priorities of the user base. Clear communication ensures that the needs and concerns of users are systematically addressed throughout the development lifecycle.

Despite its advantages, these strategies can also have drawbacks. Establishing and maintaining structured communication can be time-consuming. If not managed properly, it may also slow down the flow of information between users and developers, potentially leading to delays in the development process.

Feedback Mechanisms

Incorporating regular review meetings with a wider user group is another excellent method to ensure user needs are met. These meetings allow the user representative to present the ongoing development progress and obtain feedback, which helps keep the entire process user-centric.

This approach benefits from high user engagement, creating a continuous feedback loop where user needs are constantly revisited and refined. Regular interactions between users and developers help maintain alignment with user priorities.

Nonetheless, this tactic can also demand a substantial time investment from all participants. Organizing and attending frequent review sessions might stretch the users and developers' time resources, potentially impacting their other responsibilities.