incremental steps. You can innovate around a feature or an interface or in phases, and ultimately it builds up to this really extraordinary, meaningful, hard-to- replicate experience. I’m not sure that the steps I’ve gone through — when working on what were considered innovative products or services — have been wildly different from those on other products or services. My process follows a similar pattern. I ask a series of questions. I look at the business. Figure out what problem we’re trying to solve Determine the business objectives. Determine the measurements of success. Look at where the business is now and where it wants to be. I determine who the intended users are. Without doing this, we’ll be designing for ourselves. I look at the target market for the product. Who is or might be the competition? Is there a similar product on the market? What are the gaps and opportunities? What are the industry trends? I look at the business capabilities and core competencies. Can the business achieve and maintain a competitive advantage based on its current capabilities and competencies? Do we have the capababilities to support the product now and in the future? I often go back and refine what I’ve found with each new interview and with answers to the questions gathered, I review, analyze, and strategize. Gaps and opportunities will become apparent, creative solutions can be devised. Then, in collaboration with business stakeholders, priorities can be applied and an action plan developed. 10. What are important skills or mindsets for a strategist to have? Or what makes you good at your job? You need a healthy dose of emotional intelligence. Nurturing relationships, building trust, and the ability to inspire people are what UX strategists do on a daily basis. Be a critical thinker. Ask “why” questions and if you don’t get answers, reframe, and ask again. Don’t rely on the thinking of others and don’t assume. Challenge the existing opinions and beliefs of those around you...and your own. Base your point of view on facts you’ve gathered from multiple sources. Evaluate and reevaluate to make sure your approach, decision, or design is still