Experience Planner

One thing that I like to hear when I first dig in on a project at Bridge:

“We used to be able to do this type of website in a month. Now it takes seven.”

There are a few things that have changed in the three years that I have been with Bridge–all of which run through my mind and, as most who know me know… if it is on my mind, you’ve got a 78 percent chance of hearing it. Things like: We’ve instituted rigorous process; we’ve added subject matter experts from several disciplines; we’ve made large, complex websites the focus of most of our engagements.

But, mostly I think that 1) it never took a month, it took six, 2) those six months made a lot of people run away (and by run away, I mean cry, yell, or quit–and sometimes I wanted to run far, far away), and 3) the hours ran away. They really ran away.

Not that I want to start a trend or anything, but Jeff sent an email a little while ago w/the subj line: AdAge on becoming a TRUE interactive agency. The story went something like this: One firebrand initiates a digital revolution at his agency. Agency adopts senior technology leadership to shape direction, begins a deep love affair with IA, and reengineers process to become a TRUE interactive agency. Agency successfully becomes TRULY digital. (I’m not sure what’s with the TRUE, that might be Jeff making a pt or AdAge.)

Well, Bridge is on that very same road. When I started at Bridge in April of 2005, there were three centers of excellence that drove client work: Account, Creative, Research, and Technology (let me make this clear: that was in alpha order). And we were nutty. Technology was… I don’t know, either Flash or the support desk. Anyone could do a site map. Sometimes, it was the client. Often it was creative. Sometimes it was technology. As for process… well, we had process?

And then Uncle Chally came. I don’t know if he knows this. Frankly, I don’t know if anyone else realizes it either–but I’m blown away by CH and Bridge. Overnight we went from, “User experience is like … uh, usability and junks right?” to “Hey, this is not the optimal experience for the user. How can we fix it?” We went from designing for the client and what made sense to us to… well, designing for the user.

We adopted a complex and rigorous process. If I could digitally snap my fingers to show you how fast, I would. But, it was an intensely different philosophy and approach to the work, and everyone jumped on the 5D process.

And finally, IA. Well, I’m a senior experience planner. There weren’t any XPs walking around, loving on IA 2 years ago.

We even have SEM guys–three of them.

Yes, all of this takes time. But, it adds focus, thinking, strategy, tactical and executional excellence, risk mitigation, and outstanding results.

This is not the agency I started at. Thank god.

Viva la Revolution!

* Are we allowed to swear on this blog?