This article retraces the conference by Paul Thanasack, Head of UX at ADEO Services, organized on June 13, 2024 in Tourcoing during the fourth edition of UX-Conf – Human First. The theme of his presentation: “Succeed together: building a UX collective at the heart of a digital transformation”. 

Paul spent 12 years developing his UX design skills in various sectors in France and Montreal. In 2021, he became Head of UX at ADEO Services, leading the digital transformation of employee and partner experiences. All his expertise allows him to share during this conference: 

•  His keys to success, coming from both professional and personal experiences.
•  The main principles set up to create a human collective capable of making a difference.

Design: the key to a good team working experience

Paul Thanasack is categorical, “the design serves to ensure that we have a good experience of collaborative team work. The experience of working together is in my opinion as important as the user experience delivered in the end”. We then understand that for him and for most workers, living together and good understanding between colleagues are essential. 

He explains: “What matters to me as a designer is knowing that I had a good time with my colleagues, to remember that we managed to build things together. It is these experiences that remain marked in my mind.”

A digital transformation project 

First of all, we need a little context: ADEO Services is the group that belongs to the Mulliez family. It owns several DIY brands, including Leroy Merlin, Bricoman, Weldom, etc.

About four years ago, ADEO started a large digital transformation project so that all the group's brands, located in different countries (14 countries in total), have common digital tools at their disposal.

He explains that before, there was one website per country and per brand, with separate IT teams: “There was a lot of redundancy and very little overall added value”.

The Head of UX adds: “Currently, we are in full swing but we are rather close to the end of the construction of these digital tools. My team works on a platform which is responsible for all the tools used by our suppliers and our purchasing center employees”.

Paul then presents their approach: 

• When she arrived at ADEO, the platform was very heterogeneouse both in the maturity of digital products and that of the teams in their UX practice
• They therefore looked for areas of improvement for each of the applications. A major problem emerged: the interfaces were complex, different and redundant irritants
• For three years, their idea was tostandardize this user experience with a team of around fifteen designers, each focusing on a specific aspect of the experience. 
• Today, a centralized portal has been implemented, facilitating navigation and use of the different applications.

The importance of design systems and the concept of Paced Layers 

Paul Thanasack then presents an article from Josh clark, who worked with Brad Frost, whom he came across a year ago. 

In this article, we find various issues and themes: 

• The implementation of a design system within an organization. 
• The evolution of a design system in parallel with the product vision. 
• The concept of Paced Layers which, as Paul explains, “consists of imagining the period of revolution of a planet: if we add several planets, we must take into consideration the fact that they will not all go at the same speed.” He then draws a parallel: “based on this theory, we notice that it has existed for a long time through fashion, commerce, infrastructure”. Paul also emphasizes the importance of the Paced Layers approach: according to him, “if we want to successfully implement actions, we must understand the impacts that it can have on the different layers of the organization ( who are the members of the design team, the company in which the designers work and the end users)”. On the other hand, it makes a very important point on the fact that success for end users is dependent on the results of the two previous layers.

He concludes: “it is a article who managed to crystallize my entire vision of design. I strongly invite you to read it if you have not done so!” 

The importance of a team culture

As leader of the design team, Paul emphasizes the importance of true “club” culture.

This is why, to guarantee consistency and efficiency, the design team set up ideation workshops and weekly design reviews. These sessions allow you to generate a maximum of ideas and reach a consensus, even in the presence of divergent visions. Sketching, often underestimated as Paul Thanasack points out, allows ideas to emerge quickly and to create a common basis for the rest of the design process.

He then explains: “at the end of this workshop, we noticed that people who did not have the same vision of a problem, still managed to work together and converge towards something common”.

He bounces back: “I think we went from individuals who loved doing design to design leaders in the company”. 

Paul then presents the approach used at ADEO Services : 

• In 2021, they focused their interest on common methods and processes. 
• In 2022, they removed guidelines and created the “UX-BAR”. This label designates a set of criteria for digital products produced at ADEO, for which it is absolutely necessary to meet. Thanks to this, they managed to standardize the design of all their interfaces.
• In 2023, the designers who work in this collective and who have really been nourished by this team spirit will also come to coach designers in other organizations. The Head of UX explains: “Now that all our interfaces are homogeneous and share a common navigation, we wonder how to merge the applications together to avoid the user having to go back and forth.”

What can we learn from these three years of expertise?

To conclude, Paul shares what he learned from his three and a half years of experience: 

• A design leader is both a professional expert and a line manager. He underlines the fact that he “did the job beforehand to be able to help other designers when they have practical questions”. 
• You must use the Paced Layers theory to help define objectives that are always linked to the development of employees and the organization. He gives an example to express his idea: “if I need user research, I will surround myself with people who want to improve on user research. In my opinion it is more interesting to find a person who finds a personal interest in seeking more skills in the field, unlike someone highly qualified who could be less involved because they are looking for other challenges”. 
• It is important to succeed in capitalize on a team that is multiple, as much in its personalities, its origins as its skills. He adds: “personally, I am lucky to have led a collective presenting people from different backgrounds and origins”. This is ultimately what will bring a lot of value to the profession because different points of view continually feed the thinking.
• Another thing to remember: be proactive in communication. He explains: “I think communication is central. And in fact, all of the problems that I have managed to identify over these 3 years are always linked to communication problems between humans. It is important to promote this area in the years to come. This really allows you to make a difference in teams.” 
• It is necessary to understand the “flow of things”. As Paul explains, the state of flow refers to the idea of ​​where it is easy to express these skills while still being sufficiently challenged. “It's important to understand this principle, whether in your team or in the organization itself. For example, I tried to introduce new topics, but at one point, I realized that it was not the right time, because it was not necessarily in the order of priorities of the teams nor in their ability to learn. Conversely, when we manage to push the right methods at the right time, and if they are linked to the development objectives of the organization, we have a much greater chance of achieving success.” Paul emphasizes this point: everyone is doing their best. This then allows us to understand that in each process, opinions differ, that everyone gives their ideas, and that obviously this will take time.

Conclusion

Paul Thanasack's approach highlights the crucial importance of design in creating a positive collaborative experience within teams. He insists on the fact that living together and cohesion are as essential as the final results of the projects. ADEO's major digital transformation project, to which he contributed, demonstrates the importance ofstandardize and simplify digital tools to improve efficiency and user experience.

Above all, it highlights the importance of design leadership that combines business expertise and managerial skills. The ability to understand and use Paced Layers theory, to recruit and develop diverse talents, and to value proactive communication are key elements to succeed in this field. Finally, Paul Thanasack recalls that the success lies in the ability to align individual efforts with the overall goals of the organization, while creating a work environment where everyone can thrive and excel. As he points out, “I think that if you can appreciate each of these layers, it's much easier to do so”.

 

 

Inès Barbara, Communication and Marketing Assistant at UX-Republic