Shared Q1 OKR for Product, UX and Engineering to Improve SUS: Vote on Theme
Please note each team gets one vote, we're asking PMs to align with their PD/EM, and then vote once on the team's behalf.
Context
Last quarter, we received feedback that instead of asking the team to fix as many issues across the product as possible, it may be better to share the key usability themes that are holding us back from improving SUS and then build a focused effort to meaningfully take action on them.
Product and UX have jointly agreed to have a shared OKR every quarter to focus on usability.
Goal
Improve SUS scores every quarter to get us to a goal of 80. We are currently at 70.9.
Our SUS score has steadily declined over 7 quarters, from 74.4 to 70.9
Why is this goal important?
SUS is a signal of usability and delight. Most users of GitLab start and end their working hours with GitLab. We have a unique opportunity & responsibility to make their experience delightful and, in the process, improve the quality of their life. This goes beyond being a single application and goes to the heart of why most of us build products: to have a meaningful impact on the people who use our product. Coincidently and conveniently, this is also good for business.
What we know
There are 6 broad themes where we need to improve: UI polish, System performance, Navigation & discoverability, General usability, Search, and MR process.
What we’ll do
Every quarter, we’ll pick one theme to focus on in a shared R&D OKR. This will allow us to make meaningful progress in one specific theme, instead of taking a more scattershot approach. This also puts us all in the same mind space about the improvements we’ll make during that quarter, so we can support each other.
Each team (Product manager, product designer and engineering manager) will look at their own stage group experience in the context of the selected theme and prioritize updates based on the user research and their subject matter expertise.
What's needed from you
Based on survey data, UI Polish and System Speed/Performance are the top themes needing improvement in Q1 and Q2. We need to pick one to focus on for Q1.
- PMs should connect with their PD and EM to discuss these two themes and make a decision.
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By Wednesday, January 27, 2021 in the comments of this issue, please use the
👍 or👎 to vote on which of those two themes your group would prefer to work on in Q1. - Feel free to share additional thoughts by starting a thread
What will happen next
- UX team and Product Operations will review your feedback and announce the Q1 theme by Friday January, 30
- UX team and Product Operations will follow up in a separate issue with recommendations and resources to support your work on the SUS theme
What if this isn't relevant to my group?
If you don't think your group can make a meaningful impact on either of these two themes in Q1, it's ok. We realize not every group may be able to participate every quarter.