Creating A Navigation System For Your Career discusses developing a career navigation system with four steps: 1) Understand where you currently are, 2) Decide where you want to go, 3) Identify the gaps between current and desired states, and 4) Plan to close those gaps. It emphasizes the importance of knowing yourself, your skills, experiences and goals to effectively navigate your career path. The document provides examples of different navigation approaches and advises constantly evaluating opportunities and progress to guide career decisions.

1. Creating A Navigation System
For Your Career
@shaidelson

2. About me
I live here:

3. About me
I live here: I work here:

4. About me
I live here: I work here:
Doing this:

5. About me
I live here: I work here:
Doing this: With these:

6. About me
I live here: I work here:
But I used to do something very different...
Critical Mass
Calgary, AB, Canada Eh?
Doing: With these:
UX Strategy @shaidelson
A few big companies

7. Chapter 1:
Let’s talk about
NAVIGATION
@shaidelson

8. Navigation is fundamental in our lives

9. What navigation is
For some:

10. What navigation is
For some:
For others:

11. What navigation is
For some: For us:
For others:

12. Our navigation systems prevent people from getting lost
Primary navigation:

13. Our navigation systems prevent people from getting lost
Primary navigation:
Breadcrumbs:

14. Our navigation systems prevent people from getting lost
Primary navigation: Local navigation:
Breadcrumbs:

15. Our navigation systems prevent people from getting lost
Primary navigation: Local navigation:
Breadcrumbs: Faceted navigation:

16. Our navigation systems prevent people from getting lost.
Where am I? where can I go? What’s close to here?
Over the last 12+ year’s we’ve become the
experts in not getting lost...
Primary navigation Local navigation
How did I get here? What other options do I have?
Breadcrumbs @shaidelson
Faceted navigation

17. Except when it comes to the path
forward for our profession
@shaidelson

18. Chapter 2:
Creating a navigation system
FOR YOUR CAREER
@shaidelson

19. 1. Understand where you are now
@shaidelson

20. Develop Your SA
@shaidelson

21. You Your environment
Actors
Actions
Factors
Reactions
Interactions
between
@shaidelson

22. I UX

23. SA for UX
@shaidelson

24. There is probably no seat at the table. Now
stop talking about it and develop your career.
@shaidelson

25. A seat at the table for the discipline?
Eric Reiss:
...It’s time to stop defining the
damn thing and show what value it
can bring...
No one cares about our
wireframes, ...
We need to start presenting a facet
of what we do that’s important...

26. A seat at the table for the discipline?
Eric Reiss:
...It’s time to stop defining the
damn thing and show what value it
can bring...
No one cares about our
wireframes, ...
We need to start presenting a facet
of what we do that’s important...
Lis Hubert:
How many of you out there
know what your career path is?
...what next? UX management?
...there are no career paths that
have been established in our
field.

27. A seat at the table for the discipline?
Eric Reiss: Whitney Hess:
...It’s time to stop defining the I help companies improve the lives
damn thing and show what value it of their customers and their
can bring... employees.
No one cares about our What past clients often say about
wireframes, ... me is: “she is so much more than a
UX designer”.
We need to start presenting a facet
of what we do that’s important...
Lis Hubert:
How many of you out there
know what your career path is?
...what next? UX management?
...there are no career paths that
have been established in our
field.

28. A seat at the table for the discipline?
Eric Reiss: Whitney Hess:
...It’s time to stop defining the I help companies improve the lives
damn thing and show what value it of their customers and their
can bring... employees.
No one cares about our What past clients often say about
wireframes, ... me is: “she is so much more than a
UX designer”.
We need to start presenting a facet
of what we do that’s important...
Lis Hubert: Jared Folkmann:
How many of you out there UXers need to understand there
know what your career path is? are already people who decide who
it’s for, what will be made, and
...what next? UX management? often, what direction will be taken.
...there are no career paths that You want to influence strategy, be a
have been established in our strategist.
field.

29. A seat at the table for the discipline?
Eric Reiss: Whitney Hess:
Part of the problem is that organizations
don’t know who UX should report to. I help companies improve the lives of their
It’s time to stop defining the damn thing and customers and their employees. What
show what value it can bring. Until past clients often say about me is:
we don’t start thinking and talking in “she is so much more than a UX
business terms we will never influence at a designer”.
strategic level. No one cares about our
It’s not about UX getting a seat at the table. It’s
wireframes, they care about how we can
grow their business. We need to start
presenting a facet of what we do
about YOU getting a seat at the table.
that’s important to the work of those
who make the decisions.
Lis Hubert: Jared Folkmann:
How many of you out there UXers need to understand there are
know what your career path is? already people who decide what will
Ok you can do wireframes, interviews, be made, what direction will be taken, who
task analysis, etc… but what next? the customer really is, what value can be
UX management? But you don’t brought, and all other strategic matters. In
want to be a manager. What else agencies it’s the account people, planners,
besides management is next for a and creatives. In-house it may be the
UXer? We can’t answer that question, marketing people or product management.
because there are not career You want to influence strategy, be a
paths that have been established in strategist.
our field.
@shaidelson

30. 1. Understand where you are now
Who you are:

31. 1. Understand where you are now
Who you are:
What you learned:

32. 1. Understand where you are now
Who you are: What you do:
What you learned:

33. It’s the balance between the 4 that matters
Who you are: What you do:
What you learned: What you say:

34. 1. Understand where you are now.
Who you are: What you do:
A combination of all 4 factors determines
your degree and sphere of influence
Personality, education, background, looks, Research, gather requirements, synthesize,
connections, place of employment, etc... facilitate, sketch, test, etc...
What you know: What you say:
Topics, principles, methods, tools, Your tweets, discussions,
trends, techniques, etc... @shaidelson
postings, talks, articles, etc...

35. 2: Decide where you want to go.
@shaidelson

36. Navigate to a specific destination
“I want to be a Chief Experience Officer”
“I want to be a CMO for a telco company”
“I want to lead a UX consultancy”

37. Advantage: Navigating to a specific
destination keeps you very focused.

38. Disadvantage: It’s harder it is to bounce
back when things don’t go as planned.

39. Is this for you?
Personality Factors:
Internal
- Locus Of Control External
- Resilience High
Low
Life Circumstances:
High
- Ability to pursue Low
- Support from others None
Lots
Life Stage:
Older
Younger
- Age factors
- Knowledge of self Weak
Strong
@shaidelson

40. Navigate toward a general direction
“I want to be a consultant who is brought in to help shape the
strategic direction of companies”
“I want to help companies figure out what they want to build, not
how they will build it”

41. Advantage: Moving in the a direction while
being flexible enough to deal with changes.

42. Disadvantage: The more non-specific the direction
the harder it gets to know if you’re getting closer.

43. Is this for you?
Personality Factors:
Internal
- Locus Of Control External
- Resilience High
Low
Life Circumstances:
High
- Ability to pursue Low
- Support from others None
Lots
Life Stage:
Older
Younger
- Age factors
- Knowledge of self Weak
Strong
@shaidelson

44. Navigate toward opportunities
“I’m quite happy doing exactly what I’m doing as long as a keep
making more money”
“I don’t really care where my next job would be as long as the work is
fun and the clients are nice”

45. Advantage: Never worry about if and how
you’re progressing.

46. Disadvantage: Without an idea of where
you are going you may not progress.

47. Is this for you?
Personality Factors:
Internal
- Locus Of Control External
- Resilience High
Low
Life Circumstances:
High
- Ability to pursue Low
- Support from others None
Lots
Life Stage:
Older
Younger
- Age factors
- Knowledge of self Weak
Strong
@shaidelson

48. LEAD
people
product
process
practice
@shaidelson

49. I want to lead

50. I want to lead
If you want to truly improve the experiences of
people, you should too.

51. 3: Identify the gap. Then plan to close it.

52. Mind the gap
Here There
Who you are Who you want to be
What you do What you will want to do
What you know What you will need to know
What you say What you will be able to say

53. Chapter 3:
Using the system to make decisions
ABOUT YOUR CAREER
@shaidelson

54. 1: Staying the course - making the most from the job

55. Question what others believe is reality
@shaidelson

56. L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace
@shaidelson

57. Constant measurement
@shaidelson

58. Constant measurement
Maintain perspective
@shaidelson #NavIAS

59. 2: Knowing when it’s time to leave
@shaidelson

60. Motivating factors VS the demotivating factors

61. @shaidelson
If you feel the toilet is dirty, it’s time to leave

62. You are not getting any closer to your destination
@shaidelson
Your navigation system will let you know

63. 3: Finding the next job

64. Finding your next job
Where do you want to work:

65. Finding your next job
Where do you want to work:
What do you want to do:

66. Finding your next job
Where do you want to work: With who or for who:
What do you want to do:

67. Finding your next job
Where do you want to work: With who or for who:
What do you want to do: For how much:

68. These are the types of questions
you need to ask yourself to set
and maintain direction.
@shaidelson

69. Navigating your career is about 4 things:
Making the most
Knowing when to leave
Finding the next one
Your navigation system

70. Epilogue:
There is (obviously)
ONE MORE THING...
@shaidelson

71. Don’t float like a dead fish in the river of your professional life...
@shaidelson

72. Your career means
something
@shaidelson

73. Your life means
something
@shaidelson

74. That something isn’t
Money

75. That something isn’t
Fame
@shaidelson

76. It’s
Purpose
@shaidelson

77. It’s progress with a
Purpose
@shaidelson

78. It’s facing the facts about
Where you are
@shaidelson

79. It’s finding out where
You want to be
@shaidelson

80. Then making deliberate decisions and working to get there

81. It’s using the limited
time you have
Efficiently
@shaidelson

82. To make a
Difference
@shaidelson

83. For yourself
@shaidelson

84. For those around you
@shaidelson

85. For the
World
@shaidelson

86. It’s time to
Wake up
@shaidelson

87. It’s time to
navigate your career
@shaidelson

88. Thank You
It’s time to
navigate your career
@shaidelson #NavIAS
@shaidelson