Today saw us breaking new ground here at UX Mastery, with the launch of our new Ask the UXperts series. For those of you that have no idea what I’m talking about (and you’d be forgiven for falling into that category), I’ll explain. Ask the UXperts can be summarised as one expert, one hour, all your questions answered.
Today’s expert was the amazing Jodie Moule of Symplicit and the subject was Getting Started in UX. The sessions are text-based chat, hosted in a Campfire chatroom and the format is very relaxed. I’m touting the session today as a huge success – the questions were interesting, the chat was dynamic and Jodie was right on top of her game. If you didn’t make it today (or if you were part of it and would like to revisit what we discussed), you’ll find the full transcript below. If you’d like further information about future sessions, make sure you join our new community where I’ll keep you in the loop. If you don’t have the time or inclination to pick through the entire transcript right now, I have compiled a list of the resources that were discussed, to make your lives easier.
Books
- Jodie’s book Killer UX Design
- The Cook App (Jodie describes the process behind the creation of Cook in Killer UX Design)
- Everyday UX is our first ebook, which features Jodie
- Get Started in UX is our brand new ebook, which just launched this week
Courses
- User Experience: The Ultimate Guide to Usability by Dr David Travis
- Our comprehensive review of Dr Travis’ course
- A list of UX courses that we have compiled
- General Assembly’s NY UX course
- Akendi UX training
- The UX Mastery Community where you can go with any follow up questions arising from the session
For those of you that would like to see exactly what went down in the session today, here is a full transcript for your reading pleasure.
| HAWK | jodiemoule: We can kick off whenever you are ready. We’ll post up a full transcript on the site later for anyone that misses anything. Would you mind starting with a brief introduction? Then I’ll open the floor for questions. |
| jodiemoule | Sure thing! Here I go… |
Welcome everyone, really happy to share my experiences and observations on starting out in UX – keen to hear your experiences and questions :-) | |
My background is as a phych graduate, then literally stumbled upon UX – as you do… | |
| jodiemoule | That was about 15 years ago now and the field has changed dramatically. I am one of the co-founders of Symplicit and also a co-founder of Cook – a new app on the market (that you should all download ) :-D |
| jodiemoule | What else can i say? What do you want to know? Fire away :-) |
| Sarah R. | Hi Jodie! When you say a psych student did you do an MA, BA, PhD? |
| jodiemoule | good question Sarah – I did an undergrad BSc, with Honours; then did a MAP. |
| jodiemoule | I mainly did that not knowing about HCI at the time – |
| HAWK | Welcome new joiners. :) We’re just learning about Jodie’s background. If you have a question, jump in at any stage. |
| Emiel | In what direction is UX going to go in the comming year, from your point of view? |
| Sarah R. | I’ve never heard of an MAP. Is that an MA specializing in UX/HCI? |
| jodiemoule | Sure is – here you go: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/cook/id68756084… |
| jodiemoule | So MAP is – Master of Applied Psychology |
| Sherrie | Hi. I’m a working Front End Developer. I’m finding that many jobs these days are expecting that we have UX skills. What is a good way to get started without have to attend school fulltime? |
| jodiemoule | A great way to get started is to work with companies that specialise in this stuff. |
| Suzen | How does 10 years of sales experience equate to a MAP? |
| Nicole C. | @sherrie: read about it and create a small project where you define user stories and wireframes |
| jodiemoule | For me, practical experience always trumps academic. |
| HAWK | How would you go about getting that experience Jodie? |
| jodiemoule | Well, we are always getting people applying to Symplicit proactively – and the ones that stand out are people that are passionate, have goals and genuine interest. Experience can be provided once they join us. |
| mike r. | Hi Jodie,As a ux professional, how you set the expectations of your client when starting a project? |
| Charlie A. | I am currently involved in an in house project revamp and I have just finished the users and translating the interviews into user stories Any idea where to go from here or any advice is welcome |
| HAWK | So you take on people with no experience if they show genuine interest and are proactive? Nice. |
| Gareth L. | What’s the best way to find a suitable UX freelancer (in London) to help with a project without going through a recruiter? |
| Suzen | what is Symplicit? |
| Sarah R. | Does a psychology background (not particularly in UX or HCI) help you get a job in ux?/help you do ux? |
| jodiemoule | We have a very structured approach to jobs we do, so a lot of the expectations are set in the sales process as we win work. then we carry this through with formal kick-offs and on-boarding of our team and their team. Then we collaborate with the client at all times… |
| HAWK | Suzen: http://symplicit.com.au/ |
| Jesse M. | Hi. I’m a technical recruiter with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology/Media. After recruiting for a few UX positions, I realize it is a field that seems to be an excellent fit for my strengths and interests. My current plan is to take a few courses (not a full masters degree), find a mentor/internship and take things from there. I was wondering how in depth I need to get with programming, and if there are classes I should absolutely look into taking. Thanks! |
| Suzen | I am in Canada any one know what the state of UX design in Canada is? |
| jodiemoule | I think that Psych helps with behavioural observation of peoples needs. it is excellent in that regard. |
| Sarah R. | I’m in Canada too Suzen |
| Oskar Z. | Thanks for sharing your time with us Jodie. Do you have any experience working as a freelancer, and how hard is it to be to be a remote UX specialist in your opinion? |
| jodiemoule | Sorry if i am getting behind with questions! :-) |
| Charlie A. | I am currently involved in an in house project revamp and I have just finished interviewing the users and translating the interviews into user stories Any idea where to go from here or any advice is welcome. |
| Chance | This is great |
| Sarah R. | As a recent MA grad in psychology I’m considering continuing on to PhD. Is a PhD worthwhile for a UX career or would it be better to get experience ASAP instead? |
| Suhas | Jodie, what qualifies as a good UX portfolio? What things should we keep in mind to design the portfolio website? How much does the look and feel of the website matter so as to have a great first impression? |
| Denise | I’m a phd level human factors researcher looking to specialize in UX research… |
| Suzen | Nice. Jodi. Killer UX Design. Looks awesome! |
| jodiemoule | Yes – i was once a freelancer – but i was lucky that my husband and i did it together – so we always had two people to bounce ideas off. I’d recommend if you are a freelancer to join up with a few people you can trust. |
| Chance | Im a entry level web designer and plan on moving to Seattle or San Fran is I get an internship, ive been applying, but nonees calling back. anyone knows a good connection for me??? |
| Charlie A. | Hi Jodie I am currently involved in an in house project revamp and I have just finished interviewing the users and translating the interviews into user stories Any idea where to go from here or any advice is welcome. |
| Suzen | Hi Sarah where are you based? |
| jodiemoule | PhDs are an academic qualification – depends what area you want to get into. I’d say – get experience first then know what you want to do your PhD in that focuses on a specific area of UX that will be useful commercially. |
| Sarah R. | I’m in Toronto! Where are you from? |
| jodiemoule | Thanks Suzen! Yes you should all read #KillerUXDesign :-D |
| Matthew M. | Chance: Be sure to extend your professional network by attending meetups, getting to know other UXers, etc. Finding the right role is often more about who you know than a “brute force” attack on number of applications |
| Suzen | I used to live in TO but moved back to AB…. |
| Sarah R. | OK thanks Jodie! |
| Suzen | Sarah….do you do UX Design in T.O.? |
| Thomas G. | I’d like to echo Suhas’ question about UX portfolios |
| Chance | YEs..that is so true Matt |
| Sarah R. | Not yet. I just finished a psychology MA and am looking at next steps |
| Chance | I got my job cause of my connections… |
| jodiemoule | Where to go after research and transcriptions – Charlie, i’d say make sure you visualise the outcomes so you engage lots of people – not writing lengthy reports. |
| Suzen | cook……do you know about Akendi? |
| Sarah R. | no, what’s that? |
| Nicole H. | What does an good entry-level portfolio look like? |
| Charlie A. | Thanks jodie |
| jodiemoule | UX portfolios show your whole story — so projects as case studies from start to end; from sketching and ideas scribbled down, right through to execution. |
| Suzen | Sarah —- check out this link on Akendi http://www.akendi.ca/training/ |
| Matthew M. | Jodie hasn’t mentioned this because she’s too humble to plug it, but her book, Killer UX Design, actually has a case study throughout it, and that case study evolved into what is the Cook app, which is a very slick, award-winning recipe app for iOS. If you like the app, definitely check out the book. It’s like a “behind the scenes” look at how the app was designed. |
| Sarah R. | OK thanks Suzen! |
| jodiemoule | for entry level- i’d say bite off a common UX problem you see daily and solve it using the methods you’d use if you were engaged by that person as a client. |
I would be impressed by anyone that shows the ‘get up and go’ to approach things they come across in daily life, and try to solve that problem via design thinking methods. | |
| Suzen | Sarah — I am gonna take the course in Van in the spring… |
| Jesse M. | I have a Bachelors degree in Psychology/Media. How far should I delve into programming? I am shooting to be on the conceptual side as opposed to the hands on design/programming, but I want to get a grasp of things |
| Sarah R. | Jodie for someone that has no UX experience yet – I understand that you need a portfolio to get started in the industry. Do you recommend creating a portfolio from “make believe” cases? |
Suzen – is it expensive? | |
| Oskar Z. | How would you explain UX to a client who currently thinks it’s the same thing as user interface in a minute? In a way that makes him want to pay for it of course :) |
| Suzen | for 5 days including a written exam for the UX Designer certification…2900 |
| Emilio J. | I’ve been working as a UI Designer for 3 years in the Video Game industry, and I been working in the UX too. Mostly because nobody think about it |
| jodiemoule | Sarah R, I think that if that shows your passion and enthusiasm – yes! pick off a few examples – like, how would you redesign a ticketing system? how would you refocus a postal service of some nature to be more user focused…there are hundreds of examples you come across daily that serve to frustrate you – why not show your skills by trying to solve the issue at hand? |
| Denise | where do you get that cert? |
| Suhas | Jodie, I often come across companies that require UX designers to have front-end programming skills as well! What is your opinion? Should designers learn/do programming or not? |
| Sarah R. | OK thanks Jodie! How should we approach tackling these problems we see re: UX in everyday life? Is there a format/process we should follow? |
| jodiemoule | I tend to focus on CX to help clients broaden their view of UX – whenever someone hears UX, they tend to think ‘UI’ and not the whole end-to-end experience – so perhaps change your language a bit Oskar Z |
| Suzen | Denise…. UX Company out of T.O. http://www.akendi.ca/training/ |
| Matthew M. | Anyone interested in reading a more detailed backstory of how Jodie got started can read our interview with her in our first ebook, Everyday UX: http://uxmastery.com/everyday-ux/ :) |
| Suzen | cool Killer UX Design is a e book ….I am gonna get it here http://www.sitepoint.com/store/killer-ux-design/ |
| Sarah R. | am looking at the website – which one are you doing? |
| jodiemoule | I think that people should do what they are good at – if a company is asking for a unicorn, they might get a unicorn if there are lots of candidates applying – but i’d rather someone knows their strengths and works to those. for example, i have no idea about coding – but i definitely work to my strengths, that are more research and interaction design. |
| Suzen | gotta get that one too! Trying to do as much reading as possible before my course in the spring…lol…. |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – how important is coding? if we don’t know how to code should we invest the money/time to learn how to do so? |
| Jesse M. | Jodie- thanks. Makes sense |
| jodiemoule | Thanks for the plugs Matt!! It was a great experience writing the book – one made even better by Matt |
| Oskar Z. | Jodie already answered this one :) Thanks! |
| jodiemoule | Do you like coding Sarah R? if the answer is yes – then do it. if it is no, then don |
| Matthew M. | A good book is always a team effort ;) |
| jodiemoule | *dont* – sorry hit send! |
| HAWK | Everyone likes coding! |
| jodiemoule | Word Matt! |
| HAWK | Don’t they? |
;) | |
| Lenka M. | By any chance, is the book available in electronic form as well? |
| Suzen | Hawk I like the distinction between “usablity” and desirability — how desirable is the user experience will the client want to come back? |
| HAWK | How are we going with questions? Has anyone been missed? If so, apologies – jump in now. |
| Ana | I am from London and new to UX would you recommend taking a course to show me how to do an entry level portfolio in detail or do you think it’s viable to do a good enough one on my own, and where would I find out exactly what to include or not, I am worried I will miss out vital bits like research methods etc.. |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – so coding isn’t absolutely necessary then? I don’t know if I like/don’t like coding – I’ve never tried;) |
| Jesse M. | Sarah- from what I gather (I’m a recruiter) the ability to get in the trenches with code is a desirable quality. But there seems to be plenty of space/work for people who do not code. My plan is to take 2-3 courses and try to wrap my head around it a bit |
| HAWK | Suzen: Yeah, good call. I like that too. |
| Sarah R. | Jesse M – that makes sense , thanks! |
| jodiemoule | I think the experience is all about the memory you leave a customer with. so that includes desirability and a range of other emotions too. Emontions are important to map when you are considering user research. |
| Sara M. | Dash is a good platform to learning code |
| HAWK | Lenka Mazancova: Which book are you referring to? They are all available electronically. Let me know which one and i’ll send you a link. |
| Suzen | I am not a coder, I do NOT think like a computer, with a background in New Media, Sales and Marketing, and Social Media I think like a human. Figure that is perfect for UX Design… |
| Sarah R. | Suzen – are you doing CXS, CXD or CXR? |
| Jesse M. | Sara M. – thanks, I’ll check that out |
| Matthew M. | Btw we have a great self-assessment tool in our brand new Get Started in UX ebook. It’s a good way to work out which parts of the vast UX world you’re on top of, and which parts you need to develop, including soft skills like sketching, storytelling etc.http://uxmastery.com/get-started-in-ux/. Coding is just a small part of the vast umbrella of UX |
| Sarah R. | Thanks Sara M I’m writing in that down! |
| HAWK | Welcome to those of you that have just joined us. :) |
| jodiemoule | There is huge benefit in the UX space for people with a range of different backgrounds to come together and offer their different perspectives of the world. Coders and people with more of a human focus are all of huge benefit |
| Suzen | Sara — CXD |
| Oskar Z. | Would you hire a remote UX designer or do you see more value in someone who can work from the office? I feel like it’s harder to land a remote UX job as oppose to development/visual design work. |
| jodiemoule | We look for people to join our team with a variety of unique skills and experience – some with UX experience, some without it. |
| jodiemoule | Oskar – we prefer having our team in the room. Remote work does not work for the type of projects we run where the team is highly engaged with the client side also |
| Dov | Do you mean to say that you would interview someone with no degree or education in ux |
| Lenka M. | I was referring to this book http://uxmastery.com/everyday-ux/. I have started working as a UI/UX designer about 3 months ago. I m more than UI designer :) drawing wireframes for new functionality. Mostly dependent on GA analytics than real user feedback. I would love to start doing it real and right. Maybe your book would be a good kick for this. :) |
| David K. | Thanks for posting the link Mathew M. |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – how do you feel about the certifications and courses like the ones Suzen has mentioned? |
| Emiel | Question: What will be the “big issues” in the UX-world, in the coming year, in your opinion? |
| Suzen | Jodie, so you would hire someone from Canada to work remotely? |
| Victor S. | Hi Jodie, I am very new to UX and have been tasked with bringing UX/UCD methodology in a large organization/product (team of one – woot!), what are your favorite sites and/or products you often go to for inspiration? |
| Suhas | Jodie, how do you think is the future of UX? We see the trends moving from the older skeuomorphic design to modern and flat design, with importance of UI animations popping up recently. What s the future according to you? |
| jodiemoule | I think that certifications and courses are a great thing to get people up to speed and feeling confident with the basics – learning of any sort is always a great thing |
| Luke C. | Lenka Mazancova: Yes, available as an ebook. It is about getting started in Ux as a career move |
| jodiemoule | the big issues in the UX world i see are the merging of online and offline — how to effectively put digital experiences in the retail, shopfront or other worlds and ensure that they help to deliver an even more effective experience to users. |
| Sarah R. | for example as Suzen suggested http://www.akendi.ca/training/ offers a certification and training course. I guess my question is are these courses worth their price re: getting your foot in the door if you have no experience in ux yet? |
| jodiemoule | wearable technology and quantified self is huge also – we are only seeing the beginning of that and more opportunity in that. |
| Dylan | Would you say the human interaction component of UX is more important than the technical/coding side? I’ve found that the process and way of thinking are the hardest to learn or teach. Your thoughts? |
| Terry | I am finishing up a masters in HCI with heavy emphasis on the UX design process and I found that it filled a lot of gaps I had. |
| HAWK | Welcome to those of you that have just joined. Jump in if you have questions at any time. :) |
| Dov | Is it possible to get a job with just a strong interest and perhaps an eye for ux |
| Matthew M. | Lenka: Our Get Started in UX ebook is more about “how to get a job” than “how to do a good job”. However, we certainly reinforce the point that getting reliable user feedback comes from speaking with and observing users more than analysing data at your screen. Don’t be shy! Get up and visit people :) |
| jodiemoule | also the start of ‘smart connected technology’ in peoples daily life at home as a way to make life easier and less hassle is starting to gain traction. |
i think that the human component should come first dylan for sure; then the coding is there to make it happen | |
| Emiel | For the ones that looking for courses. Apart from the getting started with UX book (I have just begon on that one ), there is an interesting one I followed on Udemy: |
| Jesse M. | Terry – I signed up for an HCI course through Stanford online. Any advice in my approach to taking HCI courses (should I take a few?) |
| Terry | My struggle now is to tailor my portfolio to show off the design thinking and process work and not only the finish products, any good examples out there? What is just enough to show? |
| jodiemoule | my favourite sites for reference are more like newsletters – Fast Co, Core 77; etc |
| Matthew M. | We wrote a comprehensive review of that online course here: http://uxmastery.com/user-experience-the-ultima… |
| HAWK | We have a great list of courses (and some reviews) here http://uxmastery.com/resources/ux-courses/ |
| Matthew M. | We spoke to David Travis on one of our podcast episodes too. He really knows his stuff. It is a great course! |
| Jesse M. | Thanks HAWK |
| jodiemoule | Terry i would definitely showcase your experience going backwards, from the end product. what i’d want to see as a potential employer is your thinking. what led to the end point. |
| HAWK | np :) |
| Suhas | Jodie, how do you think is the future of UX? We see the trends moving from the older skeuomorphic design to modern flat design, with importance of UI animations emerging recently. What’s the future, according to you, in terms of design trends? |
| Oskar Z. | Jodie, let’s say you were a visual designer or developer for your whole professional life. You noticed value in UX design, you know that’s what you wanna do, you read countless amounts of books and you now have a good understanding of the theory. What would be your next step in starting your own business? Or maybe you’d rather go for a full-time job before starting your own business? |
| Terry | Jesse, I actually audited that same course through Stanford, it was excellent but it is very basic |
| jodiemoule | I think i am getting a bit behind on the questions – have I missed some great q’s? |
Oskar, I’d join a team that does this before doing your own thing | |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – re: my last question – for example as Suzen suggested http://www.akendi.ca/training/ offers a certification and training course. I guess my question is are these courses worth their price re: getting your foot in the door if you have no experience in ux yet? |
| Terry | Thanks Jodie, that’s good to know. |
| Luke C. | Lots of good qns! Hawk has a handle on them |
| jodiemoule | the main reason is that reading about this stuff and doing it are two different things |
| Matthew M. | On the topic of portfolios, the “Get Hired” chapter in our ebook specifically covers what to put in a portfolio, and how to use it to tell stories about the projects you’ve worked on. http://uxmastery.com/get-started-in-ux |
| Dov | What can a novice do to get hired and learn on the job? anyway to demonstrate skill |
| Jesse M. | Terry – I figured it would be an introductory type of course. My main question is finding a balance between how many courses I should take and at what point an actual portfolio is more important. I want the structural building blocks, and I want to get into the career with a good base |
| Dylan | I second Dov’s question. |
| Terry | I would agree with that (reading and doing) very different. I’ve been in design and dev for 10 years before I ventured into a masters in this area. |
| jodiemoule | Sarah, there are lots of great courses and conferences, that mean you don’t have to pay a lot of money to get exposure. i’d want to be very sure of the credentials of the people teaching the course for anything super expensive :-) |
| Sarah R. | Thanks Jodie – have you heard about the certification from http://www.akendi.ca/training/ ? |
| mike r. | Hi Jodie, Have you encountered a debate with a stakeholder regarding business requirements vs user requirements?How did you go about resolving this? |
| Oskar Z. | Thank you Jodie, I’ll follow your advice and I’ll try to find a job. I’ll create a pdf with a couple of example projects. Do you have any tips on what I could include in a pdf like that, except standard about-me stuff? |
| Lenka M. | Matthew M. – thanks for explaining. :) I might buy it anyway as one day when i move on, i will have to go through a hiring process again. |
| Terry | Jesse, I would look at the certification curriculum and then get to work on some real world projects for your portfolio, in my opinion. |
| sherri k. | Matthew/HAWK/Jodie, Would you recommend including classes such as David Travis’ UX course on Udemy on your resume? i.e. are courses on Udemy, Coursera, etc. considered highly enough in the UX field to be included on a resume for someone just starting in UX? |
| Suzen | Sarah R. —as you know there is a shortage of UX design companies in Canada and even fewer courses….Akendi is one of the leading companies….I figure if I can take a course with those who do it daily in business and are successful it will be worth the $$$ |
| Lenka M. | Matthew M. – and your are absolutely right. Time to get up and talk to the users. This is what i have to do. That way i can persuade my boss how to do it right. |
| jodiemoule | Design trends Suhas I see in the iOS world are obviously the physics of the interactions. they can really add to and make an experience sing. I think the design needs to be fit for your purpose – so you should not focus too much on trends. for example, Cook follows a clear physical world paradigm initially with the ‘book’…then once you open the book it is all about the power of the digital medium. it comes back to what is the easiest most pleasing interactions for your users that does not cause additional load on them |
| Sarah R. | Absolutely Suzen – my only concern is the price. I’m a recent graduate of a psychology MA and i’m not too keen on going into more debt unless i know it’s directly applicable |
| HAWK | @jodie Dov: What can a novice do to get hired and learn on the job? anyway to demonstrate skill |
| jodiemoule | I think all qualifications should be put on a resume for sure! |
| Suzen | Sarah R. I hear you…. |
| Nicole C. | I got a MA in psych from an ivy and it’s helped tremendously in UX job searching…. fyi :) still paying off the debt though |
| Terry | Yes, that’s a good point, Sarah. |
| Lenka M. | I have one more question. Do you know some good book about cognitive psychology? I was told from one UX expert, if you want to get a good grasp of UX, you should learn something about cognitive psychology. |
| Dov | Have you heard about general assembly’s user experience design course (2 hrs 2x wk 12 wks) for $4000 |
| Sarah R. | That’s relieving to hear Nicole C. A lot of ppl. tell me it’s been a waste of my time:)( |
| jodiemoule | the way to be noticed Dov is to perhaps create some examples – so bite off a project that you come across from daily life that you can showcase your thinking through. that will resonate for anyone interviewing you |
| Suzen | Dov. no is there a link for it? |
| Matthew M. | Hi Sherri K. While I don’t think it would hurt to list a course that you’ve completed on your resume, it doesn’t attract the kind of credibility in employer’s eyes as a university accredited program, so I wouldn’t expect much from it. It’s more a way to get your knowledge/theory up to scratch. Then you can go apply that knowledge, and list your experience in applying it on your resume. That’s what matters: saying “I’ve done it,” not “I’ve studied it” |
| Terry | I think what I worry about the UX job marketplace seems to focus on project based and temporary assignments. |
| Nicole C. | Sarah Ritvo: to be fair, i had extensive background in digital production while i was working for my MA… so it helps to have both! |
| jodiemoule | Lenka, as a behaviourist, I think learning about behavioural psych is more important. it all comes back to behaviours for me – we all have our passion areas – read a little of everything and find yours |
| Andrew T. | Howdy, thanks for doing this guys! Quick question, what do you think most junior UX designers/practitioners get wrong when starting? |
| Luke C. | We were at General Assembly’s info night last night. Sara is in one of their courses currently. What do you think of it Sara? |
| HAWK | Hi Andrew. No problem. I’ll queue your question for Jodie. |
| Nicole C. | @andrew: not thinking through entire flows or considering diff types or user erros |
| Suhas | Can someone post the link for “Cook” app? I searched App Store with keyword Cook but couldn’t find it. |
| Terry | Jodiemoule, you’re so right about behavioural psych in this role. |
| jodiemoule | Andrew – depends what area you are thinking about. in research terms i think juniors tend to ask too many questions and monopolise the conversations – they are there to prompt others to talk and be a watchful apprentice … |
| Dov | here is the link for ga’s course in ny. I was at the info session https://generalassemb.ly/education/user-exp… |
| sherri k. | Thanks, Matt. I have a degree in Industrial Design and am trying to transition into UX. Was not sure whether or not to include workshops/online classes dealing with UX on the resume as I try to develop a portfolio. |
| jodiemoule | Here is the cook link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/cook/id68756084… |
| Terry | I find that user research is a must, how heavy the emphasis on that when looking for a job? |
| Ana | What steps of the UX process would you expect to be included in an entry level portfolio? research, sketching, wireframing etc ? |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – I have a lot of experience in behavioural psych but none in ux. How do I proceed? Can I teach myself UX, learn on the job or do you think courses are necessary? |
| Matthew M. | We do actually cover the pros and cons of “hack schools” like General Assembly in our ebook! (I told you it was comprehensive!) :)http://uxmastery.com/get-started-in-ux Personally I think GA are doing a great job. Their instructors seem to know their stuff, from what I’ve seen. |
| jodiemoule | Sherri – we are very interested in ID students – my husband is one and they have very readily transferrable skills. it is all about product design, design thinking and focusing on the human need you will be just fine |
| jodiemoule | Sarah R, I think that a degree gets you to a certain level, you now need to understand how to apply psych to UX. i’d so some short courses – or as i have been conveying a lot – get some practical hands-on experience with a team that focus on this space |
| Jesse M. | |
| Dov | just go to generalassemb.ly and check out the course tab |
| jodiemoule | Terry – research is a must! that is the U in the UX :-) |
| Dylan | In building a resume, I have been told that finding a site and redesigning it is a great way to showcase my skills. . .any other ideas on how to build a resume, perhaps with an actual, real-world product that is in use? |
| Mani | How do you usually convince a client in a project to put a budget for user study |
| jodiemoule | Ana, steps in a process i’d like to see from someone thinking about a design problem would be: |
| James F. | I think the industry has divided the ux into different sections user research is one of the directions but it is necessary to have such a skill as a junior .This is what I got from UXDI course in GA |
| jodiemoule | 1) explore the context of the problem and observe humans interacting with or using the product |
| Suzen | ok….yeah, I saw this one when doing my research on courses in NA……it’s onsite and NYC is far from me — especially for 2 X a week…perfer to do a 5 day intensive in Van….. |
| jodiemoule | 2) sketching out the general flow of the human experience |
| Sarah R. | Thanks Jodie – I guess my problem with joining a team is getting someone to give me a chance. From what I’m hearing you suggest creating a portfolio independently to get your foot in the door? |
| Terry | I’m working backwards, on the job experience and now MS HCI. Recently I’ve found that I don’t move upwards, just staying the same. Any ideas or suggestions about growth in the profession? |
| jodiemoule | 3) sketching out design solutions |
4) testing or trying out different prototype solutions – the rougher the better to start – building up to something more finalised | |
| Jesse M. | What can you say about freelancing vs. full time in the UX field? |
| jodiemoule | 5) reasoning for why a particular direction was chosen and the for or against for that decions |
‘decision’ | |
| Luke C. | Dylan: in the chapter on “Get Experience” we make some suggestions like: do hyperthetical projects, find a local not-for-profot and donate your time, use UX in one of your side projects, etc. It’s all in there. |
| James F. | I am about to finish the GA course on UX next week. As a junior I truly recommend it! |
| jodiemoule | 6) then i’d want to see the questions they still feel are unaswered… |
| jodiemoule | Were those 6 points useful? |
| Luke C. | Thanks Sara! |
| Jesse M. | James – how much is the course? |
| Dov | james which course immersive or non |
| Suzen | Jodi —Yes! thanks |
| Terry | Very helpful advice jodiemoule! Thank you |
| James F. | Ye the immersive |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – what is your take on the longevity of a ux career? is it stable, growing, likely to become obsolete, likely to change, etc.? |
| Terry | Good question Sarah R! |
| Matthew M. | Agreed! |
| Emiel | HAWK: will you manage to transcript all of this into some sort of readable format in a few days? there’s a lot of good stuff here, but quite intensive to ‘read between the lines’ so close around midnight… |
| Nicole C. | Hey guys, just my 2 cents here since a lot of the questions seem to revolve around the same thing: I got an MA in clinical psych and was on a PhD track back in 2009. I realized that I wanted out of academia and I could break into the UX field because I also had digital production skills. I moved from NYC to SF, met an engineer, worked with him pro-bono, read a lot about UX, made some wireframes, developed an app and submitted it to the App store. That helped me get my foot in the door with my first UX gig in 2012. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work with very well-known clients. You learn a lot from just jumping right in and making you own project and building your portfolio and networking. |
| jodiemoule | Mani, it depends on their problem. generally by the time we see them they have already decided the problem has something to do with a lack of user focus – so then it is more about suggesting the right approach to take. sometimes clients want quick fix user engagement – but for elegant well thought through solutions, you must really take the time to consider the problem space. |
| Sarah R. | Agreed Emiel! |
| Ana | very thank you so much!! I am considering the London General Assembly Course too but would rather save money if I can and also not sure the hours the course would be on at would be suitable, so trying to consider doing my own portfolio, maybe (?) thank you!!! |
| HAWK | @Emiel I will post it up on uxmastery.com later today in a readable format :) |
| Emiel | 2 thumbs up :) |
| jodiemoule | Nicole C – brilliant! |
| Sarah R. | Nicole C. – that sounds a lot like my experience! I’d love to hear more about your story |
| Suzen | Nicole C. — thanks for sharing that! Gotta build me an app! lol |
| Jesse M. | Thanks Nicole, very basic and to the point :) |
| Nicole C. | Haha even if you don’t submit, just wireframing out and discussing your thought-process is very important to employers |
| Terry | Good job, Nicole. I agree. I’m in-house dev, but would love to break into consulting firms so I can enjoy working on a variety of challenges. |
| jodiemoule | Was there any other things i have missed? |
| HAWK | For those of you that would like to network after this session and help each other out or ask more questions of us, please make sure you sign up for our new community http://community.uxmastery.com/ |
| HAWK | It is just getting off the ground but the whole purpose is to help you with this stuff |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – what is your take on the longevity of a ux career? is it stable, growing, likely to become obsolete, likely to change, etc.? |
| jodiemoule | I apologise in advance for things i might have missed! |
| HAWK | We have about 10 more minutes of Jodie’s time. If we’ve missed anything, please ask again. (And sorry!) |
| Andrew T. | Nicole Concepcion: C – Are you in Melbourne? I’m interviewing in NYC next week for a big startup, as a junior UX/product designers. Would be keen to chat! |
designer* | |
| Nicole C. | nope i’m in SF, but you can email me: [redacted] |
| jodiemoule | I think that UX career has longevity as it is about having a human focus – and humans ‘using things’ and ‘being sold things’ is always going to happen – the trick will be to stay across the new areas of product and service design as times and technology change |
| Oskar Z. | can you share a link to your favourite UX portfolio you’ve seen on the web? Assuming you have one of course |
| Matthew M. | Yes as HAWK mentioned, we would love to see you guys join our http://community.uxmastery.com and continue some of these conversations there! Please get involved! It’s a great place to get more questions answered if Jodie doesn’t get to them today |
| sherri k. | Thanks for the encouragement, Jodie. |
| jodiemoule | Oskar – i don’t have any online i have seen – i get them across my desk regularly :-) |
| Matthew M. | +1 for that answer Jodie |
| Suzen | Hawk: Thanks for the invite…will sign up afterwards.. |
| Amolsingh R. | Are there any tips for a good UX portfolio? |
| jodiemoule | I think i passed on about 6 tips earlier Amolsiingh – perhaps check back on the transcript? |
| jodiemoule | No problem everyone — enjoy the book and our app Cook: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/cook/id68756084… Tell us what you think! :-) |
| Matthew M. | Bye Lenka! Thanks for participating |
| Oskar Z. | Most inspiring book you’ve ever read? Doesn’t have to be about UX |
| jodiemoule | Oskar, most inspiring book…hummm…that is a BIG question. |
| Sarah R. | Jodie – one more question: what is the UX ladder like? (i.e., entry level, management, etc.) How can a ux professional’s career develop? Where can it go? |
| jodiemoule | I’m reading something at the moment that is interesting: ‘why people fail’ by Siimon Reynalds – it is pretty inspiring :-) |
| Suzen | Sarah R.— wanna stay in touch? my email is: [redacted] And yours? Are you on Linkedin? |
| jodiemoule | of course there is Killer UX Design too – :-P |
| Suzen | Sarah—I can share with you my experience in Van end of April… |
| Matthew M. | Jodie’s book is at http://killeruxdesign.com |
| jodiemoule | Yes, I am happy to review the transcript and answer questions i didn’t get to – let me know Sarah and Matt :-) |
| jodiemoule | Thanks everyone – look forward to seeing your bright futures and awesome case studies being sent my way! :-D |
| Emiel | Interesting whirlwind :) Thanks for your time! |
| HAWK | If you have ideas for sessions, please let us know over on the forums :) |
| HAWK | And a HUGE thanks for Jodie for your time this morning. |
| Matthew M. | We’re all very appreciative of your time Jodie! |
| jodiemoule | No problem! Thanks to UX Mastery – a very cool bunch that know their stuff! :-) |
| Matthew M. | I can’t remember if I mentioned that we have a new ebook about Getting Started in UX out! :) Here’s the link for thoseinterested:http://uxmastery.com/get-started-in-ux |
| Luke C. | |
| HAWK | Bye everyone. Enjoy your day. |
