You’ve read a lot about uncertain times and social distancing. We’re all surrounded by the same words, but what exactly do they mean for the UX people? The nearest future is just the tip of the iceberg. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to change the way we work for the years to come.

您已经阅读了很多有关不确定时期和社会距离的信息。 我们都被相同的词所包围，但是它们对UX用户到底意味着什么？ 最近的未来只是冰山一角。 COVID-19大流行很可能会改变我们未来几年的工作方式。

It’s a challenge we barely expected, a challenge that hit us hard, but we can still learn something from it. The job of a UX professional is about finding solutions, after all.

这是我们几乎没有料到的挑战，虽然这是一个沉重的打击，但我们仍然可以从中学到一些东西。 毕竟，UX专业人员的工作是寻找解决方案。

In this article, we’re going to talk about:

在本文中，我们将讨论：

• remote work culture in the UX team
  UX团队中的远程工作文化
• remote UX research when you can’t talk to your users
  无法与用户交谈时进行远程UX研究
• content strategy and UX writing in times of crisis
  危机时期的内容策略和用户体验写作
• expected changes in the UX industry
  UX行业的预期变化

We’re in this together. Let’s dive in — while keeping a safe distance, of course.

我们在一起。 让我们潜入-当然要保持安全距离。

远程团队 (Remote teams)

UX professionals are herd creatures. We work best when we work together during meetings, brainstorming sessions and-above all-workshops. In most cases, these group activities usually require all participants to be in the same room.

UX专业人士是牧群。 当我们在会议，集思广益的会议和上述所有工作坊中共同努力时，我们的工作效率最高。 在大多数情况下，这些小组活动通常要求所有参与者都在同一房间。

Unfortunately, getting together no longer possible. We’re all staying home now. Whether we like it or not, we need to switch the boardroom for a conference call app. You already know that there a lot of technical difficulties to tackle, from poor internet connection to Zoom bombing incidents. The key issues, however, don’t come with the technicals — they come with trust.

不幸的是，聚在一起不再可能。 我们现在都待在家里。 无论我们是否喜欢，我们都需要为电话会议应用切换会议室。 您已经知道，从互联网连接不良到Zoom爆炸事件，要解决许多技术难题。 但是，关键问题不是技术带来的，而是信任。

微观管理的问题 (The issue with micromanagement)

Even if we try very hard, we’re losing some things that come with face-to-face communication. This is the point where one of the most common issues emerges: micromanagement. You can’t see how your colleagues are working. Instead, you need to take their word for it.

即使我们非常努力，我们也失去了面对面交流所带来的一些麻烦。 这是最常见的问题之一出现的地方： 微观管理 。 您看不到同事的工作方式。 相反，您需要信服他们。

This situation is a tough test for many UX team leaders. You can get too relaxed and lose track of your goals, or go to the other extreme and become a control freak.

对于许多UX团队负责人而言，这种情况是艰难的考验。 您可能会变得太放松而无法追踪自己的目标，或者走到另一个极端而成为控制狂。

The second version happens to be more common. Even if this wasn’t a thing before, managers start to ask remote workers to submit to-do lists, detailed plans, and daily updates. There’s a very fine line between staying up to date and breathing down someone’s neck, even if you’re kilometers away.

第二个版本恰好更常见。 即使以前没有这件事，管理人员也开始要求远程工作人员提交待办事项清单，详细计划和每日更新。 保持最新状态与呼吸某人的脖子之间有一条很好的界限，即使您相距甚远。

There is no single magical cure, yet there is one concept that can help you cope with this new situation.

没有任何一种神奇的治疗方法，但是有一个概念可以帮助您应对这种新情况。

心理安全 (Psychological safety)

Google’s Project Oxygen research is a goldmine of interesting findings. The people behind it have examined what makes a successful team.

Google的Project Oxygen研究是有趣发现的金矿。 背后的人们已经研究了什么使一个成功的团队。

So, what happens to be the key factor?

那么，什么是关键因素呢？

What might be surprising to some, it’s not about salaries, seniority, or fancy offices. Psychological safety turned out to be the most important quality.

对于某些人来说可能令人惊讶的是，这与薪水，资历或高级职位无关。 事实证明， 心理安全是最重要的素质。

Think about it this way: we already have to deal with an unprecedented, uncertain world situation. No one really needs extra pressure from the work environment. It’s as basic as Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs. You can’t do your best if you don’t feel safe.

这样考虑：我们已经必须应对前所未有的，不确定的世界局势。 没有人真正需要来自工作环境的额外压力。 这与Maslow著名的需求层次结构一样基本。 如果您感到不安全，就无法做到最好。

Amy Edmondson of Harvard University, the person behind the concept, defines psychological safety as “a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking”. In other words, a team member should feel encouraged to try innovative approaches without worrying that this will put them in a tough spot. Research from Google suggests that giving employees opportunities to use their unique talents will boost their effectiveness, which will ultimately result in more revenue.

哈佛大学的艾米·埃德蒙森(Amy Edmondson)就是这个概念的提出者，他将心理安全定义为“团队成员共同的信念，即团队对于人际冒险是安全的”。 换句话说，应该鼓舞团队成员尝试创新方法，而不必担心这会使他们陷入困境。 Google的研究表明，给员工提供利用其独特才能的机会将提高他们的效率，最终将带来更多收入。

Here are some tips based on Project Oxygen’s findings. These will help you foster psychological safety in your own team:

以下是一些基于Project Oxygen的发现的技巧。 这些将帮助您提高自己团队中的心理安全性：

• Talk openly about your personal work style preferences. We all have different personalities and it’s OK to have different habits. Encourage your team to do the same.

  公开谈论您的个人工作风格偏好 。 我们每个人都有不同的性格，可以有不同的习惯。 鼓励您的团队也这样做。

• Clarify the responsibilities of every team member. Do this at the start of a remote project (or a sprint) so that everyone knows their scope. This will help them develop a sense of ownership.

  明确每个团队成员的责任 。 在远程项目(或Sprint)开始时执行此操作，以便每个人都知道其范围。 这将帮助他们发展主人翁意识。

• Emphasize the impact of everyone’s work. When the employees work their work matters, their motivation will skyrocket. Who needs micromanagement when you work with people who feel responsible?

  强调每个人的工作的影响 。 当员工处理他们的工作时，他们的动力将猛增。 与负责任的人一起工作时，谁需要微管理？

This approach can help you emerge successfully from the crisis. We’ve covered the core values, now it’s time to move on to getting things done.

这种方法可以帮助您成功摆脱危机。 我们已经介绍了核心价值，现在是时候继续完成工作了。

举办远程研讨会 (Running remote workshops)

I get it, running remote workshops may not be your preferred method. As a UX designer, or a researcher, you’ve already learned to appreciate the power of face-to-face meetings.

我知道，运行远程研讨会可能不是您的首选方法。 作为用户体验设计师或研究人员，您已经学会了欣赏面对面会议的力量。

Nevertheless, we need to adapt.

但是，我们需要适应。

Without further ado, here are our best tips to improve your remote workshop game right away:

事不宜迟，以下是我们立即改善您的远程工作室游戏的最佳技巧：

• Turn your camera on, at least for a little bit. The internet connection isn’t always perfect, as we all know, but it’s always good to see the faces of the participants. You don’t have to stare at each other for two hours, yet a little smile and a wave at the start creates a better sense of connection.

  至少打开相机一点点。 众所周知，互联网连接并不总是那么完美，但是看到参与者的脸总是很高兴。 您不必两个小时就互相凝视，但是一开始的微笑和一挥手就能带来更好的连接感。

• Include alone time. This will give your participants space to think, sketch, and create. Another good tip comes from Shipra Kayan, a freelance consultant for remote teams. She suggests playing music during breaks for sketching or brainstorming. This little trick helps maintain a sense of unity, even when you’re apart.

  我不喜欢一个人的时间 。 这将为您的参与者提供思考，素描和创造的空间。 另一个好的提示来自Shipra Kayan ，这是远程团队的自由顾问。 她建议在休息时播放音乐以进行素描或集思广益。 这个小窍门有助于保持团结感，即使您分开时也是如此。

• Use a tool to visualize your ideas. Most people don’t have a whiteboard at home and they need to look for a digital equivalent. At LiveSession, we’re really happy using Whimsical.

  使用工具形象化您的想法 。 大多数人家里没有白板，他们需要寻找数字等效物。 在LiveSession上，我们非常高兴使用Whimsical 。

Feeling a bit more confident now? Let’s move on to remote UX research.

现在感觉更有信心了？ 让我们继续进行远程UX研究。

远程用户体验研究 (Remote UX research)

Just like with on-site work, on-site research became impossible. At the beginning of March 2020, companies started canceling face-to-face user tests to protect both the participants and the researchers. What was a dilemma back then is now a certainty. No one doubts that we need to conduct all sessions remotely.

就像现场工作一样，现场研究也变得不可能。 从2020年3月开始，公司开始取消面对面的用户测试，以保护参与者和研究人员。 当时的困境现在已经确定。 没人怀疑我们需要远程进行所有会议。

And here’s where another issue comes in. Yes, you can run your research remotely, but what about finding participants? People are scared about their jobs in the first place. Barely anyone has the mental and physical capacity to participate in voluntary research. Even if they would genuinely like to help, they’ve got more things to worry about.

这是另一个问题所在。是的，您可以远程运行研究，但是寻找参与者呢？ 首先，人们会害怕工作。 几乎没有人有精神和身体上的能力参加自愿研究。 即使他们真的愿意提供帮助，他们也有很多事情要担心。

So, how do you deal with this? Are there any other effective ways to get insights without involving your users?

那么，您如何处理呢？ 还有其他有效方法可以在不吸引用户参与的情况下获得见解吗？

用户测试的替代方法 (Alternatives to user testing)

You might want to look into the possibilities that come with session replays. We’ll be completely honest: you won’t be able to ask additional questions and talk to the user directly. Despite that, session recordings can still serve as a source of valuable qualitative data, especially when there is no better alternative available.

您可能想研究会话重播带来的可能性。 我们将完全诚实：您将无法提出其他问题并直接与用户交谈。 尽管如此，会话记录仍可以作为有价值的定性数据的来源，尤其是在没有更好的替代方法时。

Sessions recordings happen in the background. Most of the time, the users don’t even realize that they’re being recorded. This means that you don’t need to ask them for a favor, and there are more advantages to it as well. The users are not under pressure and they behave more naturally. The research results are not influenced by any cognitive biases or group pressure.

会话录音在后台进行。 在大多数情况下，用户甚至都没有意识到自己正在被录制。 这意味着您无需要求他们帮个忙，这也有更多好处。 用户没有压力 ，他们的行为更自然。 研究结果不受任何认知偏差或群体压力的影响。

内容设计 (Content design)

You’ve probably seen this screenshot before:

您可能之前看过以下屏幕截图：

As absurd as it seems, it raises an important issue. Coronavirus is an entirely new thing and no one has taught us how to write about it. We need to figure it out ourselves. Here’s how you can get it right:

看起来很荒谬，但它提出了一个重要问题。 冠状病毒是一门崭新的事物，没有人教我们如何写它。 我们需要自己弄清楚。 这是正确的解决方法：

力求清晰 (Strive for clarity)

Yes, you should stick to plain language at all times, yet it’s particularly important during the pandemic. People don’t want to face ambiguities when they’re in danger. They look for clear rules and plain expressions. In this case, it’s best to stick to communication rules coming from an expert on the subject, the World Health Organization:

是的，您应该始终保持通俗易懂的语言，但这在大流行期间尤其重要。 人们在面临危险时不想面对歧义。 他们寻找明确的规则和明确的表述 。 在这种情况下，最好遵循世界卫生组织专家的沟通规则：

• Get straight to the point — It’s not the right time for elaborate statements. Your users are overwhelmed and they won’t process more information than needed.

  直截了当地 —现在不是时候进行详尽的陈述了。 您的用户不知所措，他们不会处理比所需更多的信息。

• Be clear about the goal — Describe the desired behavior and the outcome. Instead of encouraging social distancing, which is quite unclear, tell your audience to stay home to protect themselves.

  明确目标 -描述所需的行为和结果。 与其说鼓励人们远离社交(这还不清楚)，不如说是让听众呆在家里保护自己。

• Choose familiar words — Avoid complicated expressions, such as precautionary measures. Keep things simple and talk about actions to reduce risk instead. You can find other good examples in this coronavirus plain language guide, created by content strategist Lizzie Bruce.

  选择熟悉的单词 —避免使用复杂的表述，例如预防措施 。 保持简单，并谈论降低风险的措施 。 您可以在由内容策略师Lizzie Bruce创建的此冠状病毒普通语言指南中找到其他好的示例。

使用正确的语气 (Use the right tone)

Once the language is clear, there’s one more thing to consider: the tone. It’s not the right time to be salesy, pushy, and overly enthusiastic. It’s the right time to make use of your empathy.

语言明确后，还需要考虑另一件事：语气。 现在不是时候发脾气，急躁和过度热情。 现在正是利用同情心的时候。

Use this opportunity to let your users know that your care about their safety. Make it clear that you’re here to help them out. If you need inspiration, you can find it on this Pinterest board with good practices.

借此机会让您的用户知道您关心他们的安全。 明确说明您是在这里帮助他们。 如果您需要灵感，可以通过良好实践在Pinterest板上找到它。

UX行业的变化 (Changes in the UX industry)

Alright, what about the safety of the industry? What’s going to happen to UX professionals?

好吧，行业安全如何？ UX专业人士将会如何？

Obviously, we don’t know for sure. The situation is changing dynamically. Our current predictions may become outdated in a couple of days. There are, however, some trends that seem quite apparent:

显然，我们不确定。 情况正在动态变化。 我们目前的预测可能会在几天之内过时。 但是，有些趋势似乎很明显：

敏捷方法论的发展 (The growth of agile methodologies)

The COVID-19 pandemic seems like the ultimate decline of the waterfall approach. Imagine defining all the requirements, the action plan, and then facing a crisis as serious as the coronavirus outbreak. You already know what that means: all your hard work goes to waste.

COVID-19大流行似乎是瀑布方法的最终衰落。 想象一下，定义所有要求和行动计划，然后面对与冠状病毒爆发一样严重的危机。 您已经知道这意味着什么：您所有的辛苦工作都浪费了。

Agile methodologies, on the other hand, are on the rise more than ever before. They allow companies to deal with the crisis in a more efficient way. When you work in short sprints, it’s much easier to adapt and change your strategy depending on the situation.

另一方面，敏捷方法学比以往任何时候都在增长。 它们使公司可以更有效地应对危机。 当您进行短距离冲刺时，根据情况调整和更改策略要容易得多。

What’s more, agile is empowering. It puts trust in its team members. With this approach, they can make decisions based on their expertise rather than wait for the manager’s permission. And yes, it goes in line with psychological safety we’ve mentioned before.

更重要的是，敏捷赋予了力量。 它信任团队成员。 通过这种方法，他们可以根据自己的专业知识做出决策，而不必等待经理的许可。 是的，这符合我们之前提到的心理安全。

善解人意 (Empathy in use)

Last but not least, a crisis calls for a UX professional’s core value: empathy. As we stand in the face of coronavirus, we talk about common good more than we did before. We see that people are anxious and we can use our expertise not only to help them achieve their goal but also to comfort them.

最后但并非最不重要的一点是，危机需要UX专业人员的核心价值： 同情心 。 当我们面对冠状病毒时，我们谈论共同利益的程度比以往更多。 我们看到人们很着急，我们不仅可以利用我们的专业知识帮助他们实现目标，而且可以安慰他们。

It’s time to drop judgment and help our users reclaim the sense of control. If you work on data science and analytics solutions, you’re the one responsible. This video from Jakob Nielsen can give you some ideas.

现在该放弃判断并帮助我们的用户恢复控制感了。 如果您从事数据科学和分析解决方案的工作，那您将是负责任的人。 Jakob Nielsen的这段视频可以为您提供一些想法。

I hope this article will be a source of inspiration for you. Stay safe!

希望本文对您有所启发。 注意安全！

Originally published at https://livesession.io.

最初发布在 https://livesession.io 。