The document discusses the challenges faced by UX designers in Ireland, particularly in Dublin and Melbourne, highlighting issues like unclear job titles, the struggle for recruitment, and the complexity of gaining recognition and career advancement in the field. It emphasizes a general dissatisfaction with the UX industry, where designers often feel misunderstood and unvalued. The second part suggests ways to address these challenges for agencies, companies, and designers to improve retention and career happiness.

1. Is the grass greener in Ireland?
A comparison of UX in Dublin and Melbourne

4. Ireland

5. Ireland
This bit

6. Ireland
This bit
Not this
bit

7. - Part 1 -
The challenges

8. Challenge #1
We’ve lost the battle on
terminology

9. UX
Designer =

10. UX
Designer =

11. UI
Designer =

12. UI
Designer =
By Adobe Systems (Adobe Photoshop CC Program on my computer) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

13. Customer
Experience =

14. Customer
Experience =
Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

15. Service
Design =

16. Service
Design = ¯_(ツ)_/¯

17. Experience
Design =

18. Experience
Design =

19. Challenge #2
The UX/UI/research/
frontend team of one

20. Wireframing

21. Wireframing
Visual design

22. Wireframing
Visual design
Coding

23. Wireframing
Visual design
Coding
Research

24. Wireframing
Visual design
Coding
Research
Influence
C-suite

25. By Gray_circles.svg: Nevit Dilmen (talk) derivative work: Nevit Dilmen (Gray_circles.svg) [CC BY-SA 3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Please wait...still searching
for your mystical being

27. Challenge #3
All experience is not
good experience

33. By SimpleIcon http://www.simpleicon.com/ (http://www.flaticon.com/packs/simpleicon-places) [CC BY 3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

34. Challenge #4
Everything about
recruitment

35. Job titles are meaningless

36. Job titles are meaningless

37. CVs are meaningless

38. CVs are meaningless
Name
Job title
Date
Did x, y, z

39. CVs are meaningless

40. Portfolios are meaningless

41. Portfolios are meaningless
≠Portfolio Practitioner

42. Prepare to spend time...
● Years experience
● CV
● Job titles/promotions
● Portfolios

43. Prepare to spend time...
● Years experience
● CV
● Job titles/promotions
● Portfolios

44. Challenge #5
Want to specialise? Get
your passport...

45. 1

46. Pick any 2 for zero job options:
● Specific role

47. Pick any 2 for zero job options:
● Specific role
● Specific part of the process

48. Pick any 2 for zero job options:
● Specific role
● Specific part of the process
● Team type and size

49. Pick any 2 for zero job options:
● Specific role
● Specific part of the process
● Team type and size
● Career advancement

50. Pick any 2 for zero job options:
● Specific role
● Specific part of the process
● Team type and size
● Career advancement
● Existing research function

51. Pick any 2 for zero job options:
● Specific role
● Specific part of the process
● Team type and size
● Career advancement
● Existing research function
● Specific industry

52. TIT + =

53. Putting more ‘I’ in your ‘T’
● Scale

54. Putting more ‘I’ in your ‘T’
● Scale
● UX maturity

55. Part #1 summary
The hamster wheel of
dissatisfaction...

56. So...
● People don’t understand what we do
● Companies want unicorns
● All experience is not good experience
● Recruitment is a lottery
● Specilisation and progression hard

58. Designer who
wants to have
an impact

59. Designer who
wants to have
an impact

60. Big obstacles
Designer who
wants to have
an impact

61. Big obstacles
Resolution out
of your control
Designer who
wants to have
an impact

62. Big obstacles
No resolution
in sight
Resolution out
of your control
Designer who
wants to have
an impact

63. The (reallly) big challenge:

64. The (reallly) big challenge:
Knowing
when (& how)
to stick it out

65. The (reallly) big challenge:
Getting
designers to
stick it out
Knowing
when (& how)
to stick it out

72. - End of Part 1 -

73. - Part 2 -
Where to?

74. 1. For agencies

75. http://www.creativebloq.com/netmag/profits-down-large-uk-web-design-firms-5135611

76. http://www.creativebloq.com/netmag/profits-down-large-uk-web-design-firms-5135611

77. Supporting in-house teams

78. Supporting in-house teams
● Senior in-residence (or team)

79. Supporting in-house teams
● Senior in-residence (or team)
● Skills/UX maturity assessments

80. Supporting in-house teams
● Senior in-residence (or team)
● Skills/UX maturity assessments
● Setting up practices

81. Supporting in-house teams
● Senior in-residence (or team)
● Skills/UX maturity assessments
● Setting up practices
● UX toolkits

82. Recruitment (wait hear me out)

83. Recruitment (wait hear me out)
● Phone screens

84. Recruitment (wait hear me out)
● Phone screens
● Exercise creation/evaluation

85. Recruitment (wait hear me out)
● Phone screens
● Exercise creation/evaluation
● Interviews

86. Some barriers...

87. Some barriers...
● Selling to clients

88. Some barriers...
● Selling to clients
● Retention

89. Or, just get acquired...

90. Or, just get acquired...

91. 2. For companies

92. Lead times...

93. 1
month
Lead times...

94. 1
month
6
months
Lead times...

95. Lead times...
Hand in
notice

96. Lead times...
Hand in
notice
End
date

97. Lead times...
Hand in
notice
New
starter
End
date

98. Lead times...
Hand in
notice
New
starter
Resource gap
End
date

99. Retention, retention, retention
● Opportunities for learning

100. Retention, retention, retention
● Opportunities for learning
● Career progression

101. Retention, retention, retention
● Opportunities for learning
● Career progression
● Recognition

102. Your design career (time)
Happiness

103. Your design career (time)
Happiness

104. Your design career (time)
Happiness
- What the event was

105. Your design career (time)
Happiness
- What the event was
- What you were feeling

106. Your design career (time)
Happiness
- What the event was
- What you were feeling
- What values were being
exhibited?

107. Your design career (time)
Happiness
- Got good feedback
- Felt happy, good at my job
- Recognition,
accomplishment

108. Your design career (time)
Happiness

109. Recruitment

110. Recruitment
● Hire juniors already

111. Recruitment
● Hire juniors already
● Support lateral moves

112. Recruitment
● Hire juniors already
● Support lateral moves
● Blended roles

113. Recruitment
● Hire juniors already
● Support lateral moves
● Blended roles
● Consider separating out research
(specifically interviewing)

114. 3. For designers

115. https://www.quora.com/Why-is-there-a-higher-percentage-of-dissatisfied-UX-designers-than-there-are-other-types-of-designers-and-
what-can-be-done-about-it

116. https://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2011/06/08/why-i-cant-convince-executives-to-invest-in-ux-and-neither-can-you/

117. https://webdesignledger.com/interview-karen-mcgrane-ux-designer/

118. ● Focus on things in your control

119. ● Focus on things in your control
● Don’t try to be all the things

120. ● Focus on things in your control
● Don’t try to be all the things
● Adjust your expectations

122. By Nevit Dilmen (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via
Wikimedia Commons

124. - End -
(Thanks!)