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Good afternoon, Brisbane

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Never Trust a Skinny Chef Using UX Skills to Shape Your Career Amanda Stockwell, @MandaLaceyS

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QUESTIONS? Ask Anytime!

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AMANDA STOCKWELL @MandaLaceyS

Nerd Cred

Attempted Unicorning

UX Happy Place

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User Research

Information Architecture

Interaction Design

Usability

Cont

ent S

trate

gy

Prototype Code

Visual Design

Image credit to the awesome Rachel Daniel

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Success in UX…

Could be unicorning.

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Success in UX…

Could be specializing in a few areas.

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Success in UX…

Could be deep expertise.

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Success in UX…

Could be consulting.

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Success in UX…

Could be working in-house.

Could be consulting.

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Success in UX…

Could be product strategy/management.

Could be working in-house.

Could be consulting.

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Success in UX…

Could be leadership

Could be product strategy/management.

Could be working in-house.

Could be consulting.

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Success in UX…

Could be just about anything.

Could be leadership

Could be product strategy/management.

Could be working in-house.

Could be consulting.

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Ability to persuade and make an impact

Culture fit/personality

Your fit within the team structure and set of expertise

Problem solving approach

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Of the 100s of candidates I’ve reviewed…

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Of the 100s of candidates I’ve reviewed… Maybe 20% effectively communicate

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GOOD NEWS! You already have the tools to improve.

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User Research Content Strategy

UI Design Interaction Design Usability Testing Visual Design

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User Research

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Potential employers/clients are your users.

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SAFE ASSUMPTIONS

• May not be familiar with your particular niche

• SUPER busy • They’re definitely people,

not faceless “users.” • People like connection

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Figure out people’s “whys”

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Figure out people’s “whys”

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Activity: First Impressions

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• Partner up

• Find what you can about your

partner

• Summarize what you think

your partner is about

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Compare notes

• What was spot on?

• What was off?

• What was missing?

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Content Strategy

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+ =

Resume Your Story Portfolio

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Determine what to show

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Choose samples wisely

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Project Inventory

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• Make a spreadsheet with columns for client/project, date,

activities, and outcomes. Link screenshots and documents.

• Fill it out AS YOU GO.

• Trust me. It’s easier than doing it retroactively.

Project Inventory = Career Content Inventory

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Demonstrate success

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Problem Action Role Result = PARR

PROBLEM ACTION ROLE RESULT

The company isn’t hitting their target for new account signups.

Brainstormed and user tested a shorter sign-up form.

Lead interaction design, worked with visual designer

Customer sign ups increased 20% per day after launch.

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Activity: PARR

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• Pick a project that has gone particularly well

• Define the project objective

• Describe the work you did

• Explain your role and how you interfaced with your team

• Brag about how awesome the project was

• Especially helpful to have hard data

Problem Action Role Result = PARR

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Use your PARR’s to help figure out which projects

and deliverables to include in your portfolio.

You do not need to include every project or

deliverable ever to prove your breadth of

experience.

PRO TIP

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UI Design

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Visually represent your skills

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Activity: Broken Comb

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Broken Comb

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So many skills!

Source: http://www.nngroup.com/reports/user-experience-careers/

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Pick your:

• Core skills - up to 5

• Complimentary skills - up to 4

• Comparison points - up to 3

Pick a value from 1-10

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What if…

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NDA’s

• Anonymize • Remove confidential stuff • Communicate process • Talk-through

New to UX

• Volunteer efforts • Personal projects • School work

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48Remember the story…

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Employers should care more about your approach than any specific deliverable.

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Interaction Design

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(Personal) Interaction Design

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1.634 billion

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Success takes so much more than technical expertise.

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Activity: Reframing

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I hated my team.

We never had enough budget.

There were some tough personalities, but here’s how I learned to collaborate…

Although we didn’t have unlimited resources, we were able to achieve…

NO BETTER

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Usability Testing

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Visual Design

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User Research Content Strategy

UI Design Interaction Design Usability Testing Visual Design

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QUESTIONS?

Stay in touch! @MandaLaceyS

amanda.stockwell@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/amandastockwell