uxcamp.ch: ux jobs - where are thou?
DESCRIPTION
My session @ UXcamp Switzerland, Zürich, May 23, 2014. I'm looking at the UX job landscape in Switzerland and am asking, where those jobs are that allow you to strategically influence the product or service you're defining the UX for.TRANSCRIPT
@MGNL_UX 1
UX jobs Where are thou?
UXcamp CH, Zürichhttp://uxcamp.ch/
May 24, 2014
@MGNL_UX 2
What haunts meExperience: UX work is strategic Reality:
only few UX jobs still only very few strategic UX jobs
Q: why is this?
Want to look at you at the UX job market in Switzerland believe UX work is most powerful if it is strategic
@MGNL_UX 3
Rant? Flak?
Ramblings!
Plea?
@MGNL_UX 4
Rant? Flak?
Ramblings!
Plea?
No offense meant Might all be just a problem of perception Am simply uninformed? stubborn?
@MGNL_UX 5
Andreas Wederengineer by training
designer at heart
love to build worlds digital architecture, merge design & engineering 14yrs of Java dev, some yrs of iOS dev
@MGNL_UX 6
Andreas WederHead of User Experience
the perfect topic: been developing UIs for such a long time now
@MGNL_UX 7
Andreas WederHead of User Experience
®
®
Magnolia CMS Basel, Switzerland 10+yrs start-up on growing path
@MGNL_UX 10
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Was hired to rework their existing UI and UX.
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Here’s the UI of 4.5.
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<images of previous version>
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And here’s the new UI, an intermediate step of the upcoming 5.3 version.
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<images of previous version>
Apps screen: App-based, task-oriented UI with central springboard 2.5yrs of research, design, development 14-10 devs Launched June 2013 !
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An app for managing and editing content (contacts, as an example)
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Forms on tabs
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A page tree for more page-oriented sites
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The visual page editor
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A full-screen preview feature supporting personas (personalization)
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Works also on tablets
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echo $ENVDesign is essential piece
Participate in strategic discussions Held responsible for decisions taken
UX, Tech, Biz are equals Fight for resources
Major (new) features are RnD by UX
My current environment Essential: for product, for good experience, as USP Strategic: member in Product Mgmt, at least consulted for major decisions Work at the edge: branding (product’s, company’s), some ID for site, techn. doc
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How I work
Agile: focus on deliverables !
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How I work
+ Visual designers + UX team
UX Team of One (plus a handful of devs) Visual design: external graphic designers (atelier MUY) !
@MGNL_UX 25
In the game
During development • Design and Architecture are equals • Consulting, Reviews, QA on tech and design levels
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UX is strategic
Believe that full UX work must be strategic Why? I give you some examples.
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UX is strategicAttitude.
! (process || step in (process))
UX uses UCD Change of attitude towards your customers Directional change, is a strategic decision
@MGNL_UX 28
UX is strategicPart of a company’sbusiness knowledge
If users==customers, then knowing you users means knowing your customers means knowing your business. Allows for informed decisions regarding your product / service.
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UX is strategicHas many touch points
in a company
marketing/sales, business, tech Should be involved in an strategic planning
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UX is strategicRequires persistence
and continued nurturing
Persistence: to design, implement an experience, especially if complex Nurturing: realign, extend, verify experience Requires strategic attention (investment of time & resources)
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UX is strategicMay show urge to
transform a business
Lots of good things coming out of UXD Creates many opportunities
®
The Trinity icons - influenced our entire way to communicate
@MGNL_UX 33
UX is strategicAttitude
Business knowledge Many touch points
Long-term engagement Transforms a business
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UX is strategicCritical jobs look at long-term problems
and priorities. They are strategic.
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http://is.gd/1ibi02
User Experience is more than design - It’s strategy!by Christopher Grant Ward
UXmatters, August 5, 2013
http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/08/user-experience-is-more-than-designits-strategy.php
@MGNL_UX 36
Positions?
So where are all these jobs: UX jobs; UX jobs w strategic decision taking
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! PositionsUI/Interaction designer Usability expert Web designer
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Positions !• not many UX jobs • only few with strategic role • most are with agencies and
IT solution providers
agencies: project-oriented, just different !rocketjobs.ch: 0, 1 ID designerdock: 1 UX director (not much strategic involvement) monster.ch: 1 ID, 1 UX Praktikant jobs.ch: 3 ID, 4 UX designers, 1 UXwS (World economic forum (own success/failure)), 2 ProdMgmt (w a bit of UX resp. (CSS, Ricardo)), 1 MarkAss
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The EndMy session stopped here, the following
slides were never shown. !
I leave them in for completeness’ sake.
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Fail!Below the radar
Wrong places Bad searches
Only few
Could be my problem entirely
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No demandWe don’t do UX.
Either through ignorance or because there’s really no need for it Ok.
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We only need someThe usability / ID trap
You focus on usability. Or UI design. Fine, but you don’t do UX. And don’t expect anything holistic. It’s like I hire an architect, but only let him do the outside appearance, or traffic flow, or toilets.
@MGNL_UX 43
We buy UXIs this sustainable?
Is this effective?
You buy a full-care service. You buy just some elements: a usability review, recommendations, interaction design. You typically buy limited „strategic“ decisions Is it really going to benefit your product / service on the long run? How comes you can outsource your core business knowledge? SBB: business knowledge in-house (and they build a UX team), programming outsourced
@MGNL_UX 44
We actually hire…A product manager. A business analyst.
!
A whatever-you-call-it.
UX is not strategic or is too late in the game, sth else already is. I’m ok with that. For me, it’s complementary to product mgmt: it adds the user or customer view. Should I refocus, but secretly continue with UX.
@MGNL_UX 45
Designers!!They hardly think conceptional. How should they ever be able
to think strategically?
More like a funny side note really :-) Then there’s prejudice: Feels so 90s, 00s. But ok, you’re probably not my culture. Why I don’t like to call myself a designer (ok: also lower wages)
@MGNL_UX 46
UX 707 - - delayedHas it still not landed here?
We don’t understand what this is all about. Maybe I’m just getting impatient. Are good examples missing? I’ve been trying to get a foothold in this area for years now.
@MGNL_UX 47
So…. WDYT?Is UX still UX if non-strategic? Are there enough, good jobs?
Iff not, why is that?
@MGNL_UX 48
And what about u?Do you do UX? Do you care? If you do, why don’t you fight
for more influence?
