“Shuhari” and mastery of the UX skillset

The UX skill set is broad and can be quite daunting — both for students and teachers.

One of the most valuable mental models I have ever discovered to help me mitigate this is the Japanese concept of Shuhari.

What is Shuhari?

This concept, borrowed directly from martial arts training, describes the stages of learning on the path to mastery.

It is part of the philosophy of Aikido but in recent years has also been applied to the learning of agile/scrum ceremonies and methodologies.

Ever since I discovered it, I have found it critical to the successful teaching of the UX skill set— at an individual and a team level, from teaching individual craft skills through to complex project leadership. It has also given me a fundamentally better understanding of where I am in my own development as a student and a teacher.

A word of three parts

Pronounced “Shu-ha-ri” — it is a word made up of three parts, each representing a different stage of the learning journey.

Shu (守)

Meaning literally “protect” or “obey” — is the first stage of the learning journey; the learning of the fundamentals and basic techniques. During this stage it is advised that the student has only one teacher, as following multiple paths at this stage will likely overwhelm.

Ha (破)

Meaning “detach” or “digress” — is where the student begins to break with the strict guardrails that have been in place; to explore more freely whilst still adhering to the basic tenets of their foundational education during the Shu phase.

Ri (離)

Meaning “separate” or “leave” — is the final stage, where the student departs from the forms and becomes more creative — the learnings are instinctual and applied naturally through everything they do.

So what does this look like in a UXer?

Here’s an example of what Shuhari looks like when someone is learning user-centred methodologies over a number of years, from the very basics of traditional UCD, to the application of said processes to a wide range of design challenges, right through to creating new methodologies for themselves that deliver results.

Shu — The student learns the basics, follows the basics and does not deviate from the basics. This student is waiting for the green man before they cross the road every time. They follow the word of the teacher — whether that’s a face-to-face mentor, or the words of NielsenNorman or the excellent Mr Cooper.

Ha — The student knows user-centred methodologies and best practice, and also knows the risks of what happens when some crazy ass sales person sells the impossible. They can flex the process carefully to remove risk, compensate for insanity and ensure that the methodology designed can be achieved by the team with minimal risk. They can lead a project, with regular check-ins with the teacher to validate their moves.

Ri — The student can make up a completely new methodology on the fly, based on an inherent intuitive user-centred mindset. They can think 24 moves in all different directions all at once and see risk coming a mile off. And the rest of the team is confident that it will still be risk-minimised and a piece of work they will enjoy. A new relationship with the teacher is formed — one of equals, learning together.

Why Shuhari helps UX people teach and learn

This concept, applied as a working mindset throughout the training and development of UX people benefits both students and teachers. And by students I mean everyone, and by teachers I mean leaders, mentors, line managers or anyone with knowledge to share.

For students

If you can maintain Shuhari as a mindset throughout your studies, you may find the following benefits to your education and learning:

• Increased resilience in the face of temporary failure (we all mess up some times, but it is part of the journey to mastery)
• Patience and calm in the face of what is really a massive skill set to undertake whether you’re a UX designer, UX researcher or aiming towards some other combination of UX skills.
• Respect for your own achievements
• A realistic view of where you are in your professional development, acceptance of the stage you are at and that of those around you.
• A clear roadmap for the future and an understanding of the amount of work required to achieve your goals

For teachers

This concept however is most beneficial for teachers, as it gives you a framework to develop everyone around you, at an individual and a team level — and yourself. Here’s what the Shuhari mindset brings:

• Shows where each member of your team is in their development at an individual level
• Demonstrates that someone can be at different stages for different parts of their skill set and allows you to communicate that to students
• Helps you understand the make up, capability and potential of your entire team
• Gives you a clear roadmap of what needs to happen to get to the next stage
• Increases your awareness of what those behaviours will look like and how they can be supported
• Reinforces humanity, empathy and patience in the development of skills (for me this has been the most beneficial as I have approximately zero patience)
• Fosters patience and resilience in the learner which makes them easier to teach and to focus
• Shows where you are across your own skill sets and what extra help or study you might need in order to be a better teacher

How to teach for each stage

Here are some guidelines for material and activities at each stage, that I have found effective:

****

Shu — The student is learning the basics.

Guide them to: Nielsen Norman (NNG), Alan Cooper, the IDF, W3C and WCAG.

Test them: Provide constant opportunities to be tested and show their growing knowledge on a daily basis.

****

Ha — the student begins to design their own methodologies

Guide them to: Case studies, other UX portfolios (the ones with actual case studies not just UI screens), case study based meet ups.

Test them: practice questions that push their problem-solving skills

****

Ri — the student works independently of the teacher

Guide them to: Niche skill experts and other mentors, unusual/complex case studies, additional or tangential skills

Test them: designing and running their own projects, teaching their own learners

****

Guiding learners through the stages

The key to this framework when it comes to teaching is to calmly accept the learner where they are, and identify what they need to do to get to the next level.

Often this evolution happens without the learner noticing, but sometimes it involves some kind of push, leap or similar from a trainer or mentor, if they are stuck.

To support this evolution, it can help to:

• Define what each stage looks like for each skill set, much as you would define career levels, tiers and performance objectives within your team.
• Carry out regular reviews of the learner’s progress against the three stages above. This should be achieved through conversation with the learner as well as objectively from the sidelines, because this is as much about the learner’s self-perception as it is about performance.
• Share monitoring of the stages and stage gates, to reinforce mastery and objectives
• Ensure that each stage is fully realised before moving to the next.
• Be aware of the final stage — the letting go, both of the rules and the relationship of teacher to student. The relationship fundamentally changes for both and forever.

The learning never stops

Even once you have reached the Ri stage, the learning does not stop. As teachers or as anyone who feels they have reached the top of their game in a certain skill set, there is always somewhere else to go; something more to learn.

Keeping an open mind ensures that your own knowledge stays current and you are constantly challenged, learning from your students, maintaining humility in the face of a changing world of experiences and design, and most challenging of all — seeing and managing the evolving relationships with your students as they achieve mastery and go out into the world.

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References:

Basic definition of Shuhari — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuhari

Shuhari in Aikido https://www.kimusubiaikido.com/blog/meaning-shu-ha-ri

Shuhari for agile — https://martinfowler.com/bliki/ShuHaRi.html | https://readmedium.com/shu-ha-ri-and-agile-da107f196eb5