Linkedin Course: Planning a Career in User Experience
Overview
Certificates are not necessary. UX is diverse and people come from many different backgrounds.
UX Design has a local community. Networking with other designers is very helpful to career development.
Three Categories of UX Career
UX Design
- Interaction Design: create efficient and effective interaction between the user and the interface
- Information Architecture: how information is organized and presented to the user
- Visual Design: create attractive and meaningful visuals using font, color, image and spaces
- Information Design: present the content to the user that is easy to digest
- Technical Communication: design the technical information to the audiences
- Service Design: design the overall interaction between the user and the company
UX Research
Goal:
- Research: study the interaction of product users
- Evaluation: study the product to meet general standards
- Accessibility: whether the product is usable by anyone including those with disabilities
- Human Factors: physical product used with human capabilities
- Ergonomics: ensure the user can use the product safely and easily
Research process:
Gather information about the user from market research or web data for qualitative research.
- Heuristic(Expert) Review: identity problem prior to research
- Ethnographic Research: observe user in their own environment
- Contextual Inquiry: user demonstrates their behavior
- Usability test: observe user perform a task
UX Strategy
- UX Strategy: link the business goal with the user experience of the product
- Content Strategy: link the business goal with the content on the product
- Customer Experience: understand the interaction between the customer and the business
Interactive Design
Design the interaction between the user and the interface.
- paper prototypes, static mockup or interactive wireframe
- stakeholders will click through the design to experience interactivity
- focus on the elements on the product where interaction happens
- annotate visual representation with design documents
- help the team see how the interaction impact the users
- possibility of conduct user research
- have some coding skills
- tools: Balsamic, Axure, Powerpoint, Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch
Visual Design
Design the visual representation using font, color, image and space.
- design user controls with feedbacks
- design branding for the business
- create style guidelines for future designers
Service Design
Design the overall interaction between the customer and the business.
- design could be in person, online or with assistant
- understand the user’s need
- design and enhance the interaction
- visualize design with storyboards, sketches and mockups
Information Architecture
Design the vocabulary, content and information on the product.
- card sort with user to study the grouping of terms
- usability test to study how user find certain content
- record user’s click on websites on a static website
- create meaningful site structure and information
- create a vocabulary group for the users
- create taxonomy and tagging system
- tool: treejack
Information Design
Design the content on the product that is consumable by the user.
- interview and study the area of interest with experts
- create user-friendly content with graphs or words
- create a style guide
- translate technical information to user such as error messages
Unicorn or Specialist?
- Don’t try to be a unicorn who is good at all three categories of UX. Be honest about what is my strength and what is something I want to work on.
- Try all three areas and develop specialized skills in one.
In house, Consulting or Freelance?
In house:
- owner ship, long term project
Consulting:
- new experience, short term
Freelance:
- control of time and partnership, gain knowledge of the industry and the company
Write My Own Story
Resume:
- group skills for design, research or strategy
Portfolio:
- use portfolio to showcase my projects
- what did I do and how do I improve UX
- pay attention to legally binding agreement
- communicate the process and demonstrate
- school projects or volunteering
Linkin:
- participate in communities
- add professional experiences
- blogging
