The era of the lone designer is pretty much over. When it comes to selecting the best candidates for work in experience design positions, design rationale and the process are becoming more important the the actual quality of the portfolio. There is considerable movement away from a skill set and towards a problem solving mindset or world view. Individual skill sets (JavaScript, design, coding) are becoming commoditized. A generalist with shallow understanding of design, code, wireframing, usability, coupled with the normal people skills and organizational skills are becoming the desired candidate. In this talk, you will learn how to position yourself to get hired for your next design gig and learn what hiring managers want and need. You will get your competitive edge to stand out from the crowd.
1. ALP HA BE T S OU P
SKILL SETS, CAREER PATHS, & INTERVIEWS
JOE DYER
MANAGER OF USER EXPERIENCE
SABRE TRAVEL NETWORK
2. ABOUT ME
TITLES I HAVE HELD
MANAGER, USER EXPERIENCE
SENIOR UX DESIGNER
SENIOR INFORMATION ARCHITECT
UX ARCHITECT
SENIOR WEB PRODUCER
INTERACTION DESIGNER
DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA
VIDEO PRODUCER
COMBAT CAMERA TEAM LEADER
@JOEPLANET
14. 37 SIGNALS ARTICLE
37SIGNALS
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16. HARD SKILLS VS. SOFT SKILLS
presenting
interpersonal
๏ information
architecture planning/time mgmt
๏ visual design
๏ presentation layer
coding
17. HARD SKILLS VS. SOFT SKILLS
presenting
interpersonal
๏ information
architecture planning/time mgmt
๏ visual design
๏ presentation layer
coding
the skills you
need to get a job
18. HARD SKILLS VS. SOFT SKILLS
presenting
interpersonal
๏ information
architecture planning/time mgmt
๏ visual design
๏ presentation layer the skills that usually
coding cost you your job
20. HARD SKILL
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
the categorization of information into a
coherent structure, preferably one that
most people can understand quickly, if not
inherently. It's usually hierarchical, but can
have other structures, such as concentric
or even chaotic.
source: wikipedia
21. HARD SKILL
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
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22. HARD SKILL
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
JJG’S VISUAL VOCABULARY EIGHTSHAPES UNIFY BOXES AND ARROWS
.jjg.net/ia/visvocab/ unify.eightshapes.com/ boxesandarrows.com
23. HARD SKILL
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
JJG’S VISUAL VOCABULARY EIGHTSHAPES UNIFY BOXES AND ARROWS
.jjg.net/ia/visvocab/ unify.eightshapes.com/ boxesandarrows.com
graffletopia.com
extra bonus for mac users
24. HARD SKILL
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
SUGGESTED READING LIST
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing
Large-Scale Web Sites -- Peter Morville, Louis Rosenfeld
Ambient Findability -- Peter Morville
Don’t Make Me Think -- Steve Krug
Designing Web Interfaces: Principles and Patterns for Rich
Interactions -- Bill Scott, Theresa Neil
25. HARD SKILL
VISUAL DESIGN
communication design is a mixed
discipline between design and information-
development which is concerned with how
media intermission such as printed,
crafted, electronic media or presentations
communicate with people. a
communication design approach is not
only concerned with developing the
message aside from the aesthetics in
media, but also with creating new media
channels to ensure the message reaches
the target audience.
source: wikipedia
27. HARD SKILL
VISUAL DESIGN
SMASHING MAGAZINE CREATTICA METHOD AND CRAFT
smashingmagazine.com creattica.com methodandcraft.com
28. HARD SKILL
VISUAL DESIGN
SUGGESTED READING LIST
Visualize This -- Nathan Yau
Information Design Workbook -- Kim Baer
Web Design: E-Commerce -- Julius Wiedemann
Taschen’s 1000 Favorite Websites
29. HARD SKILL
PRESENTATION LAYER CODING
articulation of a visual design in a reader
agent while vastly improving the
experience with nuts-and-bolts basics of
interaction design.
31. HARD SKILL
PRESENTATION LAYER CODING
SMASHING MAGAZINE 960 GRID SYSTEM ADDY OSMANI
smashingmagazine.com 960.gs addyosmani.com
32. HARD SKILL
PRESENTATION LAYER CODING
SUGGESTED READING LIST
The Smashing Book #2 -- Smashing Magazine
Designing with Web Standards -- Jeffrey Zeldman
anything about HTML5 and CSS3
anything about jQuery or Yahoo! Pattern Library
35. SOFT SKILL
PRESENTING
NOTE AND POINT SLIDESHARE SLIDEROCKET
noteandpoint.com slideshare.net sliderocket.com
36. SOFT SKILL
PRESENTING
SUGGESTED READING LIST
The Exceptional Presenter -- Timothy J. Koegel
Presentation Zen -- Garr Reynolds
37. SOFT SKILL
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
give and receive
constructive feedback
knowledge sharing
collaboration
conflict resolution
client management
office politics
38. SOFT SKILL
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
SUGGESTED READING LIST
The Art of Project Management -- Scott Berkun
FYI: For Your Improvement, A Guide for Development and
Coaching -- Michael M. Lombardo, Robert W. Eichinger
39. SOFT SKILL
PLANNING / TIME MANAGEMENT
ability to prioritize
when to use which tool
be early and drive the bus
lose the fire helmet
even if you’re not billing by the hour
59. WHAT DO UX MANAGERS DO?
internal companies external agencies
๏ ‘evangelize’ ๏ sales
๏ manage/coach teams ๏ manage/coach teams
๏ network in company ๏ client relations
๏ hire/staff projects ๏ hire/staff projects
๏ project work ๏ project work
๏ teach/write ๏ teach/write
๏ admin/operations/new ๏ admin/operations/new
processes processes
source: alcorn
60. WHAT DO UX MANAGERS DO?
internal companies external agencies
๏ ‘evangelize’ ๏ sales
๏ manage/coach teams ๏ manage/coach teams
๏ network in company ๏ client relations
๏ hire/staff projects ๏ hire/staff projects
๏ project work ๏ project work
๏ teach/write ๏ teach/write
๏ admin/operations/new ๏ admin/operations/new
processes processes
source: alcorn
61. MANAGER READING LIST
FYI: For Your Improvement, A Guide for Development and
Coaching -- Michael M. Lombardo, Robert W. Eichinger
First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers
Do Differently -- Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
12: The Elements of Great Managing -- Rodd Wagner and
James Harter
manager-tools.com
Join the UX Management Discussion List at iainstitute.org
62. III. Interviewing
๏ need big image here to kickoff interviewing
INTERVIEWS
๏ maybe a pot on a burner
63. MUST HAVE AN ONLINE PRESENCE
source: simplebits.com
65. WHAT MANAGERS ARE LOOKING FOR
๏ “passion is tops. they need to have a love for the work.”
๏ “good critical thinkers. people who get the big picture.”
๏ “good communication. if you can’t communicate effectively, you can’t do your job.”
๏ “at salesforce, everybody codes. You have to have technical competence.
๏ “a serious commitment to the ia [ux] community.”
๏ “soft skills! we work in teams a lot. you have to collaborate well.”
source: alcorn
66. WHAT MANAGERS ARE LOOKING FOR
๏ “passion is tops. they need to have a love for the work.”
๏ “good critical thinkers. people who get the big picture.”
๏ “good communication. if you can’t communicate effectively, you can’t do your job.”
๏ “at salesforce, everybody codes. You have to have technical competence.
๏ “a serious commitment to the ia [ux] community.”
๏ “soft skills! we work in teams a lot. you have to collaborate well.”
source: alcorn
68. BARRIERS TO SUCCESS
๏ not asking questions; repeated technical mistakes
๏ slow skills development, stuck in old methods
๏ working alone too much
๏ lack of accountability for problems
๏ no prioritizing; scattered, always putting out fires
๏ overly focused on micro areas of interest
source: johansen
69. IN SUMMARY
๏ play the odds and be a generalist
๏ sharpen one blade at a time
๏ master your soft skills no matter how
awesome you think you are
๏ 6-figure income is within your reach
๏ managers want to see you participate
in the digital space; show your
enthusiasm for all things ux