DX Land The Game of Digital Transformation or Stagnation

Abstract

With much of the student experience mediated by technology, institutions face opportunities to better understand both the digital life cycle and pain points students encounter as they move from platform to platform as applicants, students, and eventually alumni. Many organizations are re-considering or developing their digital transformation strategy, but what is the role of UX in their plans? And what are ways that institutions can instill design leadership and competencies to increase the success of the DX efforts?

How Institutions Lose

Train Station

It's week one of the project launch and you come to the first team meeting ready to brainstorm and take notes. The project leader leads the meeting, but instead of starting from the beginning, they roll out budget, plans, deadlines, and a project management plan. No one can contribute to the process and it already feels like you're behind. Pressure for updates from stakeholders, racing against the academic timeframe, or a contract with vendors could all attribute to an accelerated timeline and the "solution" to skip steps in the discovery phase.

Siloland

It is no secret that higher education falls victim to working in silos, meaning divisions and departments rarely collaborate easily. Operating with their own processes, protocols, and standards, sometimes departmental bureaucracy gets in the way of effective collaboration. Other variations of Siloland can include departments believing they can do all phases on their own or assuming that other areas will intuitively continue the project without prior discussion or buy-in to collaborate.

Project Graveyard

Some DX projects start with full energy and commitment, but for whatever reason, they lose momentum/resources/priority. Maybe teams hit a roadblock and can't move forward. Or maybe a bigger need comes up and the DX project gets put on the back burner. Regardless of the reason, projects that ultimately find their way here start with the best of intentions, but don't live on. Even some great companies lay their own projects to rest- check out Google's graveyard.

Zombie Land

Perhaps a cousin to the Project Graveyard is Zombie Land- a project may come to completion, but begrudgingly so. Some team members may go through the motions to get it done. Teams may put the least possible effort to launch and will do the bare minimum (or less to keep it going). While it can be overall difficult to have everyone everyone sold on the concept of a project, a good way to combat the zombie effect could be to sell team members on the "why" of the project to instill a sense of belief and purpose.