A presentation at EPIC Redux 2023 hosted by Trainline in in London, UK by The Research Thing
Getting Savvy Refreshing a long-standing customer archetype GILLIAN BOWAN | LEAD RESEARCHER | ATLASSIAN
Agenda Role of archetypes Why champions matter Shifting to the Savvy Operator Takeaways
CONTEXT When done well, archetypes help teams empathize with customers, understand their problems, and design solutions that meet user needs.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE REPRESENTATIONS OVER TIME?
The Champion
Referent Product role People Admin Attended events, and left feedback on our issue tracker. Had administrative privileges in our tools.
How do people show up as champions? Self-taught Attends Atlassian Events Loyal to brand and products fi Con gures the tool to suit the team Agile adherent and evangelist In-house expert/SME Shares knowledge Technical expert (developer)
An extreme example…
Champions were important because… Atlassian had no sales team Customers needed to drive implementation with limited support. Customers adopted the tool at the team level Bottoms-up adoption challenged the existing enterprise sales model. The tools needed an owner and ongoing support Teams gleaned more value from the tool when they had an experienced admin to support
Champions were important because… Atlassian had no sales team Customers needed to drive implementation with limited support. Customers adopted the tool at the team level Bottoms-up adoption challenged the existing enterprise sales model. The tools needed an owner and ongoing support Teams gleaned more value from the tool when they had an experienced admin to support
Champions were important because… Atlassian had no sales team Customers needed to drive implementation with limited support. Customers adopted the tool at the team level Bottoms-up adoption challenged the existing enterprise sales model. The tools needed an owner and ongoing support Teams gleaned more value from the tool when they had an experienced admin to support
Our teams built marketing and product strategy to engage the champion archetype…
Things were changing On-premises apps replaced by SaaS Loss of control and ownership Tech and business coming together Getting the tech to deliver business outcomes is the new goal What happens to champions in a cloud world?
Things were changing On-premises apps replaced by SaaS Loss of control and ownership Tech and business coming together Getting the tech to deliver business outcomes is the new goal What happens to champions in a cloud world?
Things were changing On-premises apps replaced by SaaS Loss of control and ownership Tech and business coming together Getting the tech to deliver business outcomes is the new goal What happens to champions in a cloud world?
Early signals appeared in our data. Cloud migrations Longitudial, diary study of cloud migration. Competitor migrations Efforts to improve ease of use and learnability The user experience of a configurable tool will depend to a significant extent on the configuration Top Tasks and 360 feedback prioritization “Configuration”
Early signals appeared in our data. Cloud migrations Longitudial, diary study of cloud migration. Competitor migrations Efforts to improve ease of use and learnability The user experience of a configurable tool will depend to a significant extent on the configuration Top Tasks and 360 feedback prioritization “Configuration”
Early signals appeared in our data. Cloud migrations Longitudial, diary study of cloud migration. Competitor migrations Efforts to improve ease of use and learnability The user experience of a configurable tool will depend to a significant extent on the configuration Top Tasks and 360 feedback prioritization “Configuration”
It’s easy to shoot yourself in the foot, but a savvy operator [of Jira] can’t be beat QUOTE FROM YCOMBINATOR NEWS MAILING LIST
What are the qualities of ‘savviness’ Con gures the tool for scale/growth Motivated to drive cultural and process transformation at their organisation Supports but doesn’t ‘own’ the tool Experienced knows what not to do fi fi Focused on outcomes Explains the value to teams and leaders A master but not necessarily a ‘fan’ of speci c tools
USERS WHOM WE CALL SAVVY OPERATORS ARE INSPIRING. THEY DEMANDED OUR ATTENTION
What we’re learning Admins are still needed in a Cloud world Tools need guardians to shape them to the needs of the team continually. Tasks outside the product matter too Soft-skills, communication and engaging with a wide range of folks is part of the Savvy Operator skillset. Connecting to business outcomes seperates champions and SOs
Champions Savvy Operators Focused on back-end systems and customization Advocate for teameffectiveness Advocate for the tools they know and love Communicate with leadership Performance and uptime important Connect tech to strategy
Next steps Use qual and quant data to understand SOs Build out the profile of these users. Identify moments that matter Establishing key points were SOs intervene to set up the tools for success. Shift to Savvy Outcomes Working with data science to understand the product outcomes SOs drive and sharing learning with more users.
Next steps Use qual and quant data to understand SOs Build out the profile of these users. Identify moments that matter Establishing key points were SOs intervene to set up the tools for success. Shift to Savvy Outcomes Working with data scientist to understand the product outcomes SOs drive and sharing learning with more users.
Next steps Use qual and quant data to understand SOs Build out the profile of these users. Identify moments that matter Establishing key points were SOs intervene to set up the tools for success. Shift to Savvy Outcomes Working with data scientist to understand the product outcomes SOs drive and sharing learning with more users.
OUTCOME We evolved the champion into a data-driven behavioral archetype backed by credible mixed-methods research.
Refreshing the narrative as a team We situate the SO within the existing understanding of the champion. Assert continuity and strategic breaks fi Guide strategy with con
Refreshing the narrative as a team We situate the SO within the existing understanding of the champion. Assert continuity and strategic breaks fi Guide strategy with con
Refreshing the narrative as a team We situate the SO within the existing understanding of the champion. Assert continuity and strategic breaks fi Guide strategy with con dence
Takeaways Language matters Listen to signals across your data sets Refresh and evolve your archetypes
Questions?
Thank you GILLIAN BOWAN | LEAD RESEARCHER | ATLASSIAN
Gillian Bowan, PhD; Lead Researcher at Atlassian
They are particularly valuable when onboarding new members of the org and team and helping different functions and groups align on who they serve and what these users need.
Most of us have experiences we can share about what happens when they are done poorly.
And how do we create resilient archetypes that deliver value long-term?
I’ll explore this challenge by talking through how our research team came together to reimagine a long-standing trope of customer behaviour: the champion
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