EDUTECH CONFERENCE, SYDNEY.
Large organisations often have big plans for their digital transformations, but the resources don’t always line up. What can a minimalist design team do about it?
Perhaps the first things for business leaders to do is understand some wisdom from Forbes. In 2011 they pointed out that your organization is a software company, whether you like it or not.
“Regardless of industry, your company is now a software company.”
– Forbes
This is a call to action for appropriate funding. In the world of digital design and development, it often feels like we’re doing a lot but achieving little. Teams are in constant motion, attending meetings, writing code, and pushing out designs, but when it comes to real results, do we know if we’re delivering what matters?
When we talk about results from a UX perspective, it’s simple: making things easier for the user while also delivering clear business benefits. But achieving that? Not so simple. It requires investment, an intentional approach, effective teamwork, and a process focused on tangible outcomes, not just the hustle of activities.
The Struggles We All Share
Over the last 20 years, across multiple industries (including six years in higher education), one thing has been clear: everyone wants to drive big, ambitious digital transformations. But so often, these initiatives fall short. Sometimes projects fail completely, and other times they deliver just a fraction of the promised value. As a result, there are always things left “to fix later”—but many of those things are critical to the user experience.
And the truth is, failure is pretty common. Gartner has backed this up with research showing that many digital projects underperform. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Failure rates of IT projects are appalling
– Gartner
Why does this happen so often? The scale, complexity, and sheer size of many projects make it easy to get off track. Gartner’s advice: simplify everything about the project, reduce bureaucracy and focus on outcomes.
Big Dreams, Small Teams
Take a closer look at higher education—where digital transformation often feels like a battle between ambition and limited resources. In universities, digital ecosystems are sprawling. You’ve got multiple platforms, systems, and services trying to serve a range of user groups—students, staff, faculty—and often those systems are disjointed or just plain confusing.
Let’s take RMIT as an example. Our digital team needs to satisfy four distinct user groups with a sprawling and inconsistent ecosystem. On top of that, their users’ expectations are shaped by world-class apps like Google, Spotify, or Facebook—services that are designed with sleek, user-centric experiences.
But here’s the problem: even with such a large institution, digital teams in universities are small. Resources are tight, budgets are squeezed, and digital work has to compete for funding against other core business priorities.
The biggest lie in software is Phase 2
– Jeff Gothelf (Lean UX Book)
It’s no surprise that digital transformations can feel impossible under these conditions. The compromises? Pushing things off to “Phase Two”, and hoping that will somehow fix everything later. (But, spoiler alert: “Phase Two” usually never happens.)
Embracing Lean UX for Better Results
This is where Lean UX can turn things around. Lean UX is about being more efficient, delivering quicker, and focusing on the core value that will actually benefit both users and the business.
It all comes down to three pillars:
- Agile – Move quickly, adjust as needed, and prioritize speed over perfection.
- Design Thinking (DT) – Collaborate to solve problems together and keep the user at the center.
- Lean Startup (LS) – Build, test, and learn in cycles to minimize waste and maximize value.
Let’s break these down a bit more.
1. Build What People Actually Want
In the rush to deliver, it’s easy to forget the most important part: What do people actually need? Don’t build in isolation—test concepts early with real users.
It’s not uncommon to realize that a solution feels “iffy” or that you didn’t get the right input from customers in the first place. Avoid this trap. If you’re not sure about the customer need, validate it before you start building.
2. Build Stakeholder Trust Early
Lean UX isn’t just about users; it’s also about stakeholders. A common frustration is endless debates in meetings, where the loudest voices drive design decisions—not the actual user needs. Designers need to step into a facilitator role and ensure that decisions are backed by data and user feedback, not just opinions.
The Design Sprint method is one powerful way to engage stakeholders early and collaboratively shape the project.
3. Deliver Stronger Outcomes, Faster
One of the most powerful shifts Lean UX offers is avoiding overly detailed, high-definition designs early on. Instead, focus on rapid ideation and validation. Test ideas, quickly discard what doesn’t work, and iterate until you find the most valuable solution.
If you’ve ever dealt with late, over-budget, or endlessly creeping projects, this point will resonate. Lean UX helps avoid these issues by keeping things focused and flexible.
Bridging the Delivery Divide
A huge pitfall in many projects is the “handoff” between design and development. How can we ensure that things don’t fall through the cracks and that we’re delivering consistent value?
Here’s how to make sure your delivery stays on track:
- Solve design problems early.
It’s 10x cheaper to fix a problem on a sketchpad than to fix it in code. The earlier you address design issues, the less expensive they’ll be in the long run. This is why “Phase Two” often fails—it’s the result of unresolved problems piling up. - Use design systems.
Avoid the costly trap of creating bespoke solutions that leave your team with design debt. Instead, use established design systems like Westpac GEL, IBM’s Carbon, or BBC’s GEL. These frameworks help ensure consistency and speed up your process. - Deliver with cross-functional collaboration.
The best results happen when designers, developers, and stakeholders work together in a constant loop of communication. Think of your team as a unit, rather than siloed departments. - Release often to reduce risk.
The longer you wait between releases, the more risk you introduce. Frequent, incremental delivery reduces that risk and allows you to learn from each iteration.
Lean into Your Industry’s Strengths
Every industry has unique strengths that can help in digital delivery. In higher education, here are a few examples:
- Your customers are right there.
Students, faculty, and staff are easily accessible for co-design, user testing, and research. Don’t skip this step—deliver what customers want, not what you think they need. - Leverage your campus facilities.
Universities have incredible physical spaces that can be repurposed for co-design and innovation. Consider creating a design lab or innovation hub where students and staff can participate in shaping digital solutions. - Engage staff and students.
Higher education is home to a pool of talented, creative minds. Involve them in user testing, observations, and research to build trust and collaboration within the organization.
Conclusion: Delivering Value, Efficiently
Ultimately, digital success is about delivering real value efficiently. Focus on the metrics that matter—ease of use, effectiveness, customer advocacy, and business outcomes like revenue and retention.
And remember, the best way to show your success is by regularly sharing your results with leadership. Demonstrating how your team is delivering value will not only help you build trust but also secure the resources you need to continue making a difference.
References:
- Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience, Jeff Gothelf & Josh Seiden, 2013
- “IT Projects Need Less Complexity, Not More Governance,” S. Moore, Gartner, 2015
- “Now Every Company is a Software Company,” D. Kirkpatrick, Forbes, 2011
- “ROI for Usable User-Interface Design,” A. Marcus, AM+A, 2002
This article was created from the original conference material and edited with AI.
Leave a Reply