UX 101 Q+A
I was introduced recently to a fellow Atlantan interested in getting into UX. That introduction led to a conversation, which resulted in some follow-up questions being shot my way. I thought others might interested in these questions, and maybe even my responses. And so, a quick user experience Q+A ...
What would be your top 3 pieces of advice that you'd give to someone starting out in UX (like me)?
I would look for a place where you can work with the best people possible. Work for people you want to learn from. Learn from their good habits (and their bad ones). So I would ID the people or places you most want to work and start talking to those people -- see what opportunities there might be. Tell them that you want to work for/with them.
Knowing design and coding is never going to hurt you. I am constantly trying to get better in both those areas.
You can apply design thinking to any situation. Look for the opportunities that aren't announced. A big part of my career has come from noticing things that need to be done to move a project forward and not being afraid to try those things, even if I have little or no experience doing them myself.
Cultivate an attitude of "Yes, and ..." rather than "No, but ..." A lot of the work of the UX-er is gaining consensus of opinion and working with others to think about things from a different perspective. That's a lot easier if you walk into a room where the opinion of you is of someone who is going to work to make the work better, not dump on everyone else's hard work. What would you say are the top 3 traits that every UX'er should have?
The ability to look at the big picture, then dive deep into the most minute of details, then step back again, assume another point of view or use case related to the big picture and then dive deep again. Constantly ask yourself "Why?" and "What If?" "Every problem is a design problem."
Continuously learn, or try to.
Relentless curiosity.
Do you have any books that you would recommend? Right now I'm looking for more detailed process books, like procedures and practices rather than theory/overview/etc. books such as "The Inmates are Running the Asylum".
"Don't Make Me Think" -- if you haven't read that yet. It's still my go-to guide for conducting usability tests.
A Book Apart - http://abookapart.com/ - has a good selection of short books with actionable info.
I would check out the series of books put out by Rosenfeld Media: http://rosenfeldmedia.com/They tend to dive deep into a particular topic and all are written from a UX POV
Smashing Books - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/books/ -- publishes collections of their tutorials and how-tos from time to time, and they typically have lots of good practical tips, more from a programming/development perspective than a research one. I would really love to delve into exactly how UX is practiced. Do you have any particular programs that you use in your job? Axure/Morae/etc.?
I have used a number of different programs. Microsoft Visio is the one I am most familiar with. But I really haven't used that program in 4-5 months or so. I am currently jumping between Axure (used when we need to demo prototype-like functionality or generate specification documentation) or, believe it or not, Google slides (22squared runs off Google docs, and Google slides results in a document that is sharable and collaborative throughout our organization. I'm running head-long into some of its shortcomings though.) All three of those programs have their place.
I've also checked out and played around with programs like Omnigraffle and Invision App too.
Those are all wireframing/prototyping/design collaboration tools. For usability testing, I've used Morae to set up in-house usability capabilities, and have found it works will for that purpose.
Are there other programs you are testing out?
One last question that might be better suited for an in-person meeting is umm... so I've noticed that there is a lot of changing employers and movement around different jobs in UX. Sort of a running theme that has come up. Is job security in UX pretty low? Lots of hiring and firing? I think part of the issue of job changing currently is a result of both the high demand for people with UX skills and an ... uncertain understanding of just what that means. User experience is a hot field right now, probably more activity in it than at any time in my career so far -- More and more agencies are adding it, and more and more companies are building out in-house design and innovation labs. Five years ago, very few UXers had mobile experience as part of their portfolio. Now it is pretty much demanded across the board. In the Atlanta market, there have been a number of mergers and purchases over the years (Publicis buying Moxie, for instance, then merging Moxie and Engauge. Digitis and LBi merging, etc.) which has resulted in employee turnover (anytime there's a merger, or new leadership coming in to a company, you can expect there to be a bit of turnover -- some leaving because they don't jibe with the new boss, some leaving because the new boss doesn't see their value or their contribution doesn't align with the new boss's direction). I think there's still a lot of uncertainty out there in the marketplace -- nobody has figured out "the way" to do digital work yet and the ground is constantly evolving, which means their are always risks and opportunities. For people who have been in the industry a while, there were no HCI-type programs or accepted methodology when we were coming up, so the people coming onto the scene now have the advantage of programs that can help teach the theory and basics of the practice.
UX can mean so many things right now. And some of the job listings for UX people are really looking for something else, I think. UX is seen as a design discipline currently more often than not. And I've found a number of hiring managers tend to look for people who have the same background that they did -- if someone came out of an HCI program, they'll look for someone who has an HCI degree. If someone started as a designer, that's what they'll look for. I think the way of the world now, unfortunately, will see its share of hiring and firing. Companies rise quickly these days and can crash just as quickly. It wasn't too long ago that Nokia and Blackberry were huge companies, and I can see local powerhouses like AT&T and Home Depot going the same route if they're not really smart and really careful and really lucky.
And I think some people find that they like the freelance/contract route. There are some UX consultants I know who have been able to work on amazing projects going that route.
So my advice would be look for the opportunity. If you can have a great year at some company, then get what you can out of that year. Find a company that you can align with on their vision and goals, and think has a bright future, but don't be surprised if those goals and that vision change, or need to change and don't.
I hope this helps!