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

3. ABOUT ME
MY TEAM

4. ๏ SKILL SETS
๏ CAREER PATH
๏ INTERVIEWING
THREE MAIN INGREDIENTS

10. THE GENERALIST

11. CONDITIONS FAVORING GENERALISTS
๏ when work is all over the board
๏ when work changes quickly
๏ where there is high-pressure
source: spool

12. USER INTERFACE ENGINEERING
%
5ALISTS
1ECI
SP
5 %
source: uie.com
8GE
NE
R AL
I ST
S

13. 37 SIGNALS ARTICLE
37SIGNALS
source:37signals.com

14. 37 SIGNALS ARTICLE
37SIGNALS
ly
signals work direct
es igners at 37 er
That ’s why all d ply don’t consid
nd CSS. We sim ith
w ith HTML a eir ha nds dirty w
ners who don’t get th f work we d
o.
desig kind o
ls rele vant to the
the materia

15. SK I L L
SETS

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

19. SKILLS AS
SHARP AS
BLADES

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

26. HARD SKILL
VISUAL DESIGN

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.

30. HARD SKILL
PRESENTATION LAYER CODING

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

33. SOFT SKILLS
presenting
interpersonal
planning/time mgmt

34. SOFT SKILL
PRESENTING
source: hollywood

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

40. SOFT SKILL
PLANNING / TIME MANAGEMENT

41. SOFT SKILL
PLANNING / TIME MANAGEMENT
lifehacker.com
43folders.com
Teaux Deaux

42. information architecture
visual design
presentation layer coding

43. SHARPEN
ONE BLADE
AT A TIME

44. P I C K - U P W I N D OW
CAREER
PATH

45. JOB TITLES & SCOPE OF INFLUENCE
sets direction Principal, Creative Director, Chief, VP,
President, CXO, Managing Partner
contributes organizationally Manager, Director, Strategist, Architect,
Partner
contributes through others Staff, Senior, Lead, Art Director, Mid-level,
contributes independently Analyst
contributes dependently Associate, Assistant, Junior, Coordinator,
Production
source: johansen

46. TYPICAL AGENCY MODEL
principals, practice leads
senior practitioners
interns, associates
source: alcorn

47. A LIST APART SURVEY 2010

48. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

49. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

50. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

51. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

52. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

53. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

54. SURVEY 2010
5 .3%
3
source: ala

55. SURVEY 2010
source: ala

56. SURVEY 2010
10 .5%
source: ala

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

64. DO YOU DISPLAY YOUR SKILL
source: michaelanderson.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

67. THINKING ON YOUR FEET

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

70. THANKS FOR LISTENING
TWITTER: @JOEPLANET

71. RESOURCES
Stock Photos:
photos.com
Spool:
http://johnnyholland.org/2011/03/15/should-you-hire-a-ux-specialist-or-a-ux-generalist/
http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/09/08/specialists-vs-generalists/
37Signals:
http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1066-web-designers-should-do-their-own-htmlcss
Johansen:
http://www.slideshare.net/kristenjohansen/creating-career-paths-for-ux-professionals
Alcorn:
http://uxweek2007.adaptivepath.com/sessions/how-to-manage-a-user-experience-team-without-losing-your-mind
Hollywood:
http://noteandpoint.com/2010/10/designing-for-a-complete-experience/
ALA:
http://aneventapart.com/alasurvey2010/
Vector illustrations by C. Imaizumi
Created while listening to OK Computer
by Radiohead and Veni Vedi Vicious by The Hives