Going from Here to There: Transitioning into a UX Career

Going From Here to There

Transitioning Into UX!David Panarelli!NoVA UX!May, 21 2014

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17 Ways to Totally Transition Into UX. #8 Is So Crazy OMG I Can’t Even

Let’s talk about you.

I'm a visual designer, how do I move into UX/interface design?

I work for the government, how do I get a UX job in the private sector?

I'm a developer and build interfaces, I'd like to learn how to design them too.

I'm a student and don't have much of a portfolio yet, how do I get my first UX job if they want to see my portfolio to get hired?

How do I move into something more strategic? That’s UX, right?

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Let’s talk about there.

Here’s what UXers do:

1. Learn about a problem, and how it affects people."2. Design the best solution.

User Experience Design

User Experience DesignHow people feel when using a product.

A rendering of an intended experience.

User Experience Design

It’s called empathy. And it’s important.

Make sure that the people making things build something people really need and enjoy.

User Experience Design

Process

Process

User Experience DesignThe UX field includes multiple disciplines

User ResearchContent StrategyInformation Architecture Interaction DesignVisual DesignUsability Evaluation

ht/ Nick Fink, @nickf http://www.slideshare.net/nickf/the-ux-disciplines

Think about which UX discipline interests you…

User ResearchContent StrategyInformation Architecture

Interaction DesignVisual DesignUsability Evaluation

Who does UX?

Who does UX? Lots of people.

User Researcher Identifies user behaviors, goals and needs through interviews, studies and surveys

Content StrategistAudits, reviews, creates, and governs the production of content in a system

Information Architect (IA)Defines the structure of a system, how content is described, organized and discovered

Interaction Designer (IxD/UX Designer)Defines interactions, user flows, wireframes, and affordances of a system

UI Developer Builds the system by interpreting the functional specification, sitemaps, wireframes while working within technical constraints

Visual DesignDesigns and maintains appropriate visual styles in service of the overall experience of a product or service

Who does UX?

The work differs from place to place.

Small Product

Small Agency Big Agency

Big ProductFederal

more agile more waterfall

more generalized more specialized

less bureaucracy more bureaucracy

Think about these factors and how they affect the way you work…

There is more than one there.And that’s OK.

A career change is a direction, not a destination.

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There are options.

School: grad/undergrad"Night School"School of Hard Knocks

School: grad/undergrad

Jen Briselli@jbriselli

Jen Briselli@jbriselli“I'm using all the same brain muscles I used as a physics major and a high school teacher, believe it or not. UX is more of a mindset than a methodology or field, I think."

Timeline: 2 years

Grad School

Curriculum they tell you what to know Community students and teachers Network hiring companies, access Work projects and practice Focus it’s your job, and it’s intense

Night School

Kenji Bohlin@kenjisan

Kenji Bohlin@kenjisan

“You don't know what you don't know… I went into it thinking UX was one thing… and realized it was all encompassing. That's an important lesson that I didn't know I needed.”

Timeline: 1 year

Night School

Curriculum they tell you what to know Some Community students and teachers Network hiring companies, access Work projects and practice Balance life-work-school

School of Hard Knocks*

*not that hard

THIS GUY

Restless curious, focused on people, problem solving"Followed an interest social web"Shared what I knew speaking"Took on extra work the extra mile"Met other designers at a conference events"Found a mentor brent!"Learned the deliverables wireframes, personas"Read everything I could books, books, books"More Sharing blogging"Took on a job challenge an opportunity"Feelings of doubt i didn’t know what i was doing"Non-stop learning onward and upward

Timeline: 2 years

Hard Knocks

No Curriculum figure it out Make a Community colleagues, co-workers Network find people and follow up Work taking on new skills, it’s complicated Balance life-work-work-work

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Common Threads

Don’t start from scratch

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take the work you’ve done so far break it down into basic skills find where those skills fit in

User Researcher Identifies user behaviors, goals and needs through interviews, studies and surveys

Content StrategistAudits, reviews, creates, and governs the production of content in a system

Information Architect (IA)Defines the structure of a system, how content is described, organized and discovered

Interaction Designer (IxD/UX Designer)Defines interactions, user flows, wireframes, and affordances of a system

UI Developer Builds the system by interpreting the functional specification, sitemaps, wireframes while working within technical constraints

Visual DesignDesigns and maintains appropriate visual styles in service of the overall experience of a product or service

Who does UX?

User Researcher research, analysis, written communication, spoken communication

Content Strategistanalysis, written communication, excel. see the big picture

Information Architect (IA)systemic thinking, visualization, written communication, puzzle-oriented, see the big picture

Interaction Designer (IxD/UX Designer)familiar with technology, puzzle-oriented, visualization skills, see the big picture

UI Developer knows the codes, love the code, stay current, see the big picture

Visual Designloves design systems, attention to detail, visualization, typography, color theory

Who does UX?

Hunger

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Hunger for challenges

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Hunger for helping people

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Reading

Reading

Community: Events

Community: Mentorfind someone you look up to Ixd, IAI mentorship programs

Community: Teamreach out to your co-workers reach out to your friends

Sharingblog it, baby online portfolio speaking telling the story is as important as the work

make your intentions clear reach out to the right people add to existing projects implement new practices

Work your work projects

Work your own projects

How to do your own projectthink of a person learn about their problem diagram the problem identify pain points sketch out ideas to solve the problem prototype a solution show it to that person refine it, based on their suggestions iterate show it to everyone

The Common Threads

Don’t start from scratch understand your skills"Hunger helping people…problem solving Reading practical guides…theory behind the work"Community events…teams…mentor Sharing portfolio…blog…speaking Work self-assigned projects…more work at work

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Be careful, but never be afraid.

don’t hate. iterate.

Thanks!

David Panarelli david.panarelli@gmail.com @dpan dpan.co

Ask me a question!

and now…