UXAlive! Berlin 2018 - UX Charlatans - How to Spot Them Quickly and Stop Wasting Time, Money and Nerves - by Martina Mitz

UX Charlatans  
How to SpotThem Quickly and Stop Wasting  
Time, Money and Nerves
@MartinaMitz4th October 2018

The Plan™
1. Quick Intro - Personal Context
2. Situation on the Market - Wider Context
3. Diagnosis: UX Charlatans - 9 Symptoms
4. What to Look for in a Good UX?
@MartinaMitz

@MartinaMitz
Quick Intro:
image: http://thebqb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/frust3.jpeg

@MartinaMitz
Quick Intro:
My 10-year-transitions: 
• Web Designer - 1999 (2001) - 2005
• Certiﬁed Psychologist - 2001 - 2007
• Clinical Psychologist - 2008 - 2009 
• All disciplines of UX since 2009
• In recent years: UX Psychologist
image: source unknown

MEANWHILE
… on the market
@MartinaMitz

We Haven't Done a Good Job!
Spreading of misunderstandings
@MartinaMitz
🤷

We Haven't Done a Good Job!
Spreading of misunderstandings:
• UX is more expensive Web / UI Design
• UX is only digital
• UX is a one time thing, just a linear process 
• UX is like pixie dust, like magic
• UX Designers are supposed to be Unicorns = to know/can everything
@MartinaMitz
🤷

No Ofﬁcial, Institutional Paths
Confused colleagues:
• Diverse / unclear backgrounds
• Different educations
• Lack of clear entry-possibilities
• Multiple methods / approaches
• etc.
image: https://media.postgrad.com/editorial/question_marks_-_road1.jpg
@MartinaMitz
🎓

Huge Demand
@MartinaMitz
sources: LinkedIn.com + indeed.de in August 2018
🚀

Huuuuuge Demand
@MartinaMitz
SOME REPRESENTATIVE NUMBERS: 
 
 
from 26 482* jobs registered with the German
Federal Employment Agency  
in Berlin in August 2018 
 
ACROSS ALL SECTORS
*source: https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Navigation/Statistik/Statistik-nach-Regionen/Politische-Gebietsstruktur/Berlin-Nav.html
 
 
And the 
non-representative: 
~ 1000 UX jobs 
= ~ 4% 
of ALL jobs in Berlin
🚀
💥

Summary - Market Situation:
image: http://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/charlatan.png
@MartinaMitz
A PERFECT BREEDING GROUND FOR CHARLATANS
🤷
UX has become very trendy
BUT actually in a misunderstood way
🎓
There is a huge demand for skilled experts
BUT it is hard to know who the right one is
🚀
UX is more and more involved
BUT much too late in the process

Diagnosis: UX Charlatans
9 Symptoms
@MartinaMitz#UXCharlatans

WARNING!
You will ﬁnd yourself in some of the symptoms,  
this still does not qualify you! ;)  
… it highly depends on:  
 
severity/amount of symptoms + scale of the company/projects

1st Symptom
ONLY USERS ARE IMPORTANT
• Getting lost in User Research
• Not creating any valuable outcomes
• Dismissing business/stakeholder needs, pains or questions
"It’s all about the users…the business has no clue."
USERS
BUSINESS

1st Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• The business (+ other colleagues) are also your users
• We should be more user-centred with them too
• We all won’t have a profession, if it wasn’t for them
"It’s all about the users… but business is the driver."
USERS BUSINESS
"It’s all about the users…the business has no clue."

2nd Symptom
DO WHAT THE BUSINESS WANTS
• React only to the demands of the business or other stakeholders
• Do, do ,do - deliver, deliver, deliver - no critical thinking
• Care more about “networking” and their salary/title
"It’s all about the money…it’s just a job!" or "Users are stupid!"
BUSINESS
USERS

2nd Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• Being reactive, doesn’t help the business at all
• It empowers the manifestation of mistakes
• And btw. it won’t let you ever enjoy or love your job!
"I affect people’s lives with my job!" or "My decisions weren’t right!"
BUSINESS USERS
"It’s all about the money…it’s just a job!" or "Users are stupid!"

3rd Symptom
KNOW-IT-ALL
• Trust-me attitude + strong ego
• Know all the answers straight away
• Give solutions, rather than understanding the problem ﬁrst
"We have to do ‘Agile’, it’s what Google and Netﬂix are doing."
BUSINESS
USERS

3rd Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• No one alone can be in possession of the ultimate truth! → collaboration
• We can only strive to uncover it in an objective, informed, continuous way → iteration
• Instead of Imposter Syndrom → being honest about one’s limits
"Let’s see if ‘Agile’, as Google implement it, makes sense for us…"
BUSINESS USERS
"We have to do ‘Agile’, it’s what Google and Netﬂix are doing."

4th Symptom
SWEET TALK
• Say things that sound right
• Make strong and conﬁdent statements
• No substance, no practical coverage of their words, no reality-check
"I have over 15 years experience in the digital area!"
BUSINESS
USERS

4th Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• If you want to change mindsets then you’ll need rational examples
• You’ll also need to talk about the bad/hard stuff and about fails
• And we all know, that no one is perfect anyway!
"I've worked over 15 years in the digital area, as … and it wasn’t always easy"
BUSINESS USERS
"I have over 15 years experience in the digital area!"

5th Symptom
MASK IT WITH JARGON
• Tend to hide behind jargon and love buzzwords
• Concentrate on “What?” rather than “Why?"
• Feel more expert-y / raises their ego, when no else understands them
"We deﬁnitely need a Design Sprint to ﬁnish the MVP!"
BIZ
MVP

5th Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• First agree on the “Why?”, then together figure out the rest
• Better to explain, than to state that “{fill in a buzzword} is THE magical cure!”
• If no one understands you, then no one will see your value either!
"We need more alignment/insight to finish the minimal version of our product."
BUSINESS USERS
"We definitely need a Design Sprint to finish the MVP!"

6th Symptom
PASS THE BALL
• Good at delegating and/or ﬁshing for info and ideas
• Better in adapting to the current situation, but not visionary
• Can’t really say “I don’t know”
"Remind me again what a CTA was?"
EGO
AUDACITY

6th Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• Asking further questions will make this Charlatan insecure
• Admitting one’s (knowledge-)limits helps create trust/proﬁciency
• For psycho hygiene, you might need to let it get funny sometimes:
"What do YOU think a CTA was?”
BUSINESS USERS
"Remind me again what a CTA was?"

UX IS ALL IN THE TOOLS
• In love with speciﬁc (design) tools/methods
• Caring rather about the "How?" than the "Why?"
• Only concentrating on tangible outputs, not on outcomes
"I make Wireframes, of course I am a UXD."
7th Symptom
WIRE- 
FRAMES
BUSINESS

Sanity-Check:
• Ask what's the goal of a certain deliverable
• One should consider long-term solutions and strategies
• It’s impossible to be an all-tool-guru and always up to date
"Let’s clarify the “Why?” ﬁrst, then we’ll know what makes most sense."
7th Symptom
USERS BUSINESS
"I make Wireframes, of course I am a UXD."

8th Symptom
UX IS JUST DIGITAL
• Also, only concentrating on tangible outputs
• Usually, acting only on one channel/touch-point in isolation
• Thinking, their part is most crucial for any success
"We are responsible only for the website" or even better… *drum roll please*:
USABILITY

A Highly-Rated UX Charlatan:
"User Experience  
is obviously  
what the user sees”
sees"
😂

8th Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• The experience, is the entire front stage of a product/ (it's) service
• Even with the "perfect website", the experience can be bad
• …and user = actual human + emotions + ambiguities, not an algorithm
"Let’s get together with {customer facing colleagues} to get their viewpoint."
BUSINESS USERS
"We are only responsible for the website"

UX9th Symptom
I CAN DO THAT TOO
• _
• _
• _
best explained with examples…

UX9th Symptom
I CAN DO THAT TOO
The UX/UI thing
😱

I CAN DO THAT TOO
The Recruiter thing
UX9th Symptom

9th Symptom - Best Example
I CAN DO THAT TOO
The Colleague thing
UXX? 🤣

9th Symptom
Sanity-Check:
• Clarify the actual X, when hiring
• Create solid structures/handovers, before leaving
• If you hear others using your ideas/language, you've won!*
"As long as it is done right, it doesn’t really matter who’s idea it was initially!"
UX
EXPERIENCE
*paraphrase: Jim Kalbach - opening key-note, IA Konferenz 2018

The 9 Symptoms:
If 3 or more of the following symptoms
appear on more than 3 encounters,  
then you are most probably dealing  
with a UX-Charlatan:
1. ONLY USERS ARE IMPORTANT
2. DO WHAT BUSINESS WANTS
3. KNOW-IT-ALL
4. SWEET TALK
5. MASK IT WITH JARGON
6. PASS THE BALL
7. UX IS ALL IN THE TOOLS
8. UX IS JUST DIGITAL
9. I CAN DO THAT TOO!
image: https://www.learngeek.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMAGE-Symptom_Icons.jpg

WHATTO LOOK FOR
IN A GOOD UX
Some similarities in great thinkers:
@MartinaMitz

Some UX-Mindset Observations
Great Design-Thinkers and Problem-Solvers: 
• Will hardly give you a direct solution - rather ask a questions ﬁrst
• Need context/insights before jumping into decisions/commitments
• Realise that collaboration is key, as they can’t know/grasp everything in detail
• Learn to be comfortable with being proven wrong - become modest, egos vanish
• Have the ability to zoom out and look at the bigger picture, while discussing details
@MartinaMitz

Some Psychological UX-Traits
Great Design-Thinkers and Problem-Solvers: 
Are
curious / analytical / critical /  
empathetic / self-reflected / confident but humble 
comfortable dealing with uncertainty
 
Are NOT F***ING UNICORNS!
image: http://1wkf705fg6e2aisrw22uhig6.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2013/09/UOiOtakn8ds-600x350.jpg -
@MartinaMitz
Thanks for the image-inspiration @tWolo!

@MartinaMitz
DANKESCHÖN!
Martina Mitz
UX Psychologist, Strategist & Designer
martina.mitz@gmail.com
web, skype, twitter, LI: Martina Mitz 
 
currently:
Berlin, Germany
UXAlive! 2018

UXAlive! Berlin 2018 - UX Charlatans - How to Spot Them Quickly and Stop Wasting Time, Money and Nerves - by Martina Mitz

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