7 December

Defense my love
Nicolas never really felt comfortable in his job. He sees himself as an elf in the service of the company. He tried hard to make himself heard within his team: his manager even promised him when he took up his post that every opinion counts, that every idea has its value. It's not a bad bugger, his manager. He is full of good will, wanting to breathe a wind of modernism into his teams. His N+1, N+2 and N+12 would certainly agree with him if they rubbed shoulders. But everyone has their place, everyone has their own open-space and the reindeer will be well guarded.
It is therefore everyone screwed in his chair that the generalized inertia continues its inexorable influence.
Post-its
If I'm telling you this, it's because the situation is about to change. It all starts with a simple pad of Post-it notes and a marker. These two insignificant objects that Nicolas has always disdained in favor of the comfort of his computer (with oversized power compared to the painstaking work he has to produce every day, Microsoft Excel has never asked for a racehorse, as far as I know!).
The fact is that the Post-its and the marker stand in place of his computer screen. The tower has also disappeared.
Anger and resignation
There must be a logical explanation. It was only after half a day of frustration, restrained anger, unrestrained anger, form X627 for loss/damage of equipment, verbal sparring with the "IT guys", dodging meetings, chasing managers, that Nicolas finds himself nose-to-nose in front of his unfortunate block of pissy yellow Post-it notes, trying to find a use for it.

The account email
From: Accounts department
To: Nicholas Paulnor
Subject: Order of material.
Your new computer will be available within 7 working days. We are pleased to inform you that the situation is taken in hand and that patati patata state-of-the-art equipment and blablabla and blablabla.
Except that the computer, Nicolas needs it NOW and he refuses to believe that a pad of Post-it notes and a marker can do anything about it.
Cafe jokes
It's been 2 days since Nicolas has been making sweet eyes at his little yellow self-adhesive squares of paper. The cafeteria therefore serves as the perfect place of refuge for complaining about the guys from IT and accounting who aren't given a damn “to find me a bike so that I can work properly”, worn-out jokes, bursts of laughter. It's easy and Nicolas delights in the mockery. It makes everyone laugh.
It makes everyone laugh except Marie-Noëlle.
Office jokes, the "it's going like a Monday" / speckled carpet / movable partitions, that doesn't interest him, Marie-Noëlle. She is a consultant: she “does UX”, you know, this method where we are interested in the user… quite a program!
Angel Gabriel
Marie-Noëlle has this power that few people possess. This magical power that makes you important and makes you want to surpass yourself. Without detour and in all simplicity, Marie-Noëlle manages to embark Nicolas in a conference room for yet another meeting. Except that this meeting is not one: it is a workshop.
And strangely enough, no one looks at their cell phone there, we fight with post-its, we spend half the time standing, we communicate, we listen.

In short, we create.

Nicolas steps out of his comfort zone. He lends himself to the game, participates, re-motivates himself, and surprisingly: takes initiatives.
Marie-Noëlle is the angel Gabriel, she shows him the way. He will now fight with a Felt Saber and Post-it Shield.
After several days, it is even Nicolas who organizes the workshops.

The leader
His manager still seriously wonders what Nicolas is up to. And then this specs doc.ppt of 200 slides is not going to spawn on its own. Jean Fouétard, his colleague (with whom he rarely shared more than chat pokes and sharepoint downloads) never really liked him. Inevitably, people who ask themselves questions, we don't really like that here. And Jean likes to complain about it to the N+1.
Except that on the cafeteria side, the Nicolas method is starting to bear fruit. The less talkative have become the creators of ideas and Nicolas a leader.
After several workshops, the objective remains the same. Revolutionizing the product that Nicolas has been in charge of since his arrival (making it evolve was already a challenge, but let's move on...). Helped by his new allies, it is confident that Nicolas is preparing to restore the fruit of their reflections. They get down to business. And together, this indigestible but essential “specs document” will be ready in time for the big mass in front of “the bumps” with the ultimate weapon: the video projector.

The presentation in front of the bosses
It was without taking into account the malevolence of some. Or rather certain. As the whole room settles in, the blue screen of the "barco" reveals a tired complexion that the UV rays fail to hide. While a collaborator with a tie throws himself under the table to look for the VGA cable… the ppt is not found.
In a corner of the room, with a smile on her face, Jean is playing Candy Crush on her laptop while rocking on her padded chair. It's him… It's no longer worth looking for a culprit, it's no longer worth looking for the file. One is in the room, the other has evaporated.
Taking his courage in both hands, in a quavering voice and knotted stomach, Nicolas improvises. The room is getting impatient, the N+12 is chomping at the bit.
His gaze crosses, through the glass partition, the gaze of Marie-Noëlle. She smiled at him and waved, continuing on her way. He stares at her, his brain overheating. Seeing his favorite performance suddenly gave him an idea of ​​the last chance. It's daring but it can happen.
With a single gesture, he folds up the white screen on which the soaring slides were to be projected, then turns off the video projector.

"I'm going to ask you to get up"

Behind the white screen is a sea of ​​post-its.
The dumbfounded audience approaches and contemplates the extent of a titanic work. Jean seeks the connivance of some superior before muttering in a mocking voice “what is this thing? ".
Nicolas can't get upset: “This thing is the death of specs, this thing is our new way of working”.
Everyone scans the wall, everything seems clear. The N+12 pauses, points his finger at one of the many ridiculous pale yellow pieces of paper: “I would have rather seen this feature in the 3rd column”

It's won.

A fragile victory
Days pass and new methods take their place in the business ecosystem. Bad habits are always lurking behind everyone's comfort, but UX methods are a good thing, everyone sees a gift in this new way of working.
All these office adventures seem quite futile as the holidays approach. Nicolas also thought about gifts and almost forgot to think about himself.
"Mr Nicholas Paulnor?" »
Nicolas turns around, nodding. A delivery man stands straight, a big box at his feet, wearing a red headgear with an unequivocal white pompom.
“You have received a package, can I ask you for a signature? »
“Ah yes, my computer! Nicolas signs and begins to unwrap his well-deserved gift, but his surprise is all the greater. Instead of a tower, a screen and a bundle of cables, there are markers, Post-it notes, UX books, whiteboards, etc.
Taken aback, he raises his head and looks towards the elevator which closes its doors at the end of the open space, his arm in the air, ready to challenge the delivery man.
For half a second, he sees the delivery man from behind. At his side, disappearing behind the elevator door, Marie-Noëlle, smiling, winks at him.
Thibaut Tanguy UX Activist @UXRepublic
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