Why designers must aim to be disruptive

In the world of business and design, the phrase on everyone’s lips at the moment is ‘disruptive innovation’.

Whilst many products and services buy into market and consumer trends (albeit with the desire to improve or refine current offerings), disruptive design aims to displace the ‘norm’ and come up with the next big, unexpected thing in that marketplace.

The smallest of innovations can prove to be the biggest improvements, and whether said innovations take hold over months, years or decades, they are market-changing ideas which alter the habits and values of traditional users in the long-run.

Humans are a resourceful bunch, and whilst every now and then some completely new technology will surface, many of the best innovations have been disruptions of technology or services already in place.

There is so much potential out there to disrupt and enhance products which are currently in use, so entrepreneurial and big-thinking designers must always be thinking about ways to improve the lives of users who - by habit and default - are using products and services which are getting the job done - but not necessarily in the way best suited to 2014.

 Let me know your thoughts, please email me

Do corporate firms need an in house UX team?

With the number of UX freelancers working in and around London, companies looking for some short term UX work (an overhaul of their website or a new mobile app, for instance) can find it easy to identify the right type of talent for them, for a matter of weeks or months.

However, with more and more corporate companies beginning to understand the value of dedicated UX staff, here we discuss whether bigger firms actually need to take on permanent staff, or whether they can get by on hiring talents as and when.

Yes

• UX’ers on hand at all times to ensure your product/service is as user-friendly as  possible
• Provide ongoing support and improvements
• Designers will truly understand the company, design history, and stakeholder preferences
• Saves money – paying for freelancers can rack up!

 No

• Fresh talent/ideas with every new designer
• Hire in designers/researchers from different disciplines when needed
• Hire in designers/researchers with experience from direct competitors

What are your thoughts? If you’re working in a corporate environment as a permanent UX’er, what are the perks of your job? If you’re a hiring manager thinking about employing some UX talent, feel free to get in touch to discuss your options with us.

Look forward to hearing your views. Please email me.

Time for a UX CV Makeover?

If you’ve been searching for a new job for a while and are finding it harder than anticipated to get traction with potential employers and recruiters, it might be worth taking an in-depth look at your CV to ensure this vital document is doing the best it can for you.

Design

Our main advice when designing a UX CV would be – don’t go over the top. Your CV should really reflect the current design trends of the day, so clean and easy to navigate. Whilst you may have fantastic motion graphics skills for example, basing the design of your CV around them can result in a cluttered, confusing user experience. You want to stay away from anything which requires a high loading time or interaction to ‘reveal’ key information.  ‘Concept’ CVs could be perfect for some companies, but we would suggest including a link to a separate plainer document, in case that suits the reader better.

 

Make it obvious

Sometimes, a recruiter or employer – when faced with a selection of CVs – will only have time to dedicate twenty or thirty seconds to your profile. You must aim to make your top skills and experience as obvious as possible. A good trick for this is utilising a summary of keywords or short sentences summarising all of the methodologies and tools you’ve used. If your skills and experience are lost within a large body of text, there’s a chance this important information could be missed.

Erase ambiguity

Go through your CV as a potential employer would. Is there any ambiguity about your skills, qualifications, experience or even what you’re looking for next? If something doesn’t quite add up or is hard to decipher, this is where problems may have arisen. Why not get a friend who knows the business to read over your CV in detail and highlight any areas they feel don’t match up with your profile.

Link everything

If your CV has piqued a hiring manager’s interest, the next logical step for them is to check you out, online. But wait – what if they can’t find you at the click of a button? Include a section with your portfolio, a password for the portfolio if necessary, your LinkedIn, Google Plus and Twitter.  The aim is to keep them on your profile for as long as possible, by making it easy for them to surf between social media and web sites.

Let me know your thoughts. Please email me 

Apple’s next move

One of the hot topics of the week has been the iPhone and iWatch. I've been an Apple man myself for some time; I swear by my iPhone and use the iPad religiously.

At times like this, I get all excited about the launch and sit there with my cuppa and biscuits waiting for it all unravel, although a lot of it goes over my head until I actually get into the forums!

Something I found quite useful with regards to the Apple iWatch:

http://www.stuff.tv/apple/10-things-you-need-know-about-iwatch/news   

I do find that as soon as the launches are done, all you seem to hear are the negatives..'it doesn't do this.. it doesn't have that..it's too big.. it's too small'.. but within the first 2 months of the release everyone who's anyone seems to have one!!

What is the general consensus among people out there at the moment with the latest releases?

I saw the adverts that were released by some of the competitors ... and the things that were said about the new Apple release being similar to what others have already done.  Is that not a classic Apple move, are people really surprised? Let others have a go, then release something that has a better experience for the user.

 

Most people will agree that Apple products have a great UX.  As an example, my dad is Lord of the Technophobes, but with the simplicity of use that the Apple products have, he's the absolute man in his little group of friends because he's got a few apps that they've never seen!

With the bigger screen, it's not going to fit in the palm of the hand like iPhone's have typically been known for - being able to hold the phone in one hand and swipe with your finger whilst on the go. It does seem to be the time for 'Phablets'.  According to Yahoo's Flurry Unit, Phablets have nearly quadrupled their share of app activity and doubled active users in the last 12 months.

Although there is a buzz around Phablets at the minute, it is a specific type of person who will want one. For the business user, the tech enthusiast and the holiday reader the Phablet is great, but getting one of those in your pocket on a day to day basis for those non business types, social users etc won't really be as appealing..?

What do other industry professionals think about the reaction of the competition? Is Apple slipping? Are competitors trying whatever they can to weather / offset the storm that the Apple brand stirs up at release? Will the bigger screens affect the experience? Will my technophobe father be all at sea with the new wave of products ha!

What comes next..

As always, would love to hear from you - please email me.

Educational opportunities for newcomers to UX

Some of us know what we want to be when we grow up from a very young age. For others, it can take several years and career changes before we decide on the path we want to follow. If you’ve made your mind up during your time at school then it’s easier to plot your educational trajectory and get that role you want through completing the correct undergraduate, BA, MA or PhD course.
But what can you do if you change your mind, mid-career? Whilst a lot of UX is design-based; there are the theories, the methods, the techniques and the best practises which are best picked up through attending a course or undergoing formal education.

The options these days are myriad; from going back to college or university full time, to taking a part-time e-learning course, to signing up for short courses, to attending training days.

For those of you who have founded your industry knowledge with a course of UX education – what worked for you? What didn’t? What provided the results you’d hoped for? What advice would you give to others looking to break into UX through education?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, as always! please email me

What to Wear in a Creative Interview

This is a question we often hear from design candidates we put forward for interview with our clients.

As much as we will try and advise based on previous experience/knowledge of the company, sometimes those going it alone could do with some information on the topic – so I wanted to touch upon this issue as it may be helpful for other industry professionals going into interviews.

As a rule of thumb, base your decision on the industry.

Is it a financial company? Highly corporate? If so you may need to wear a suit.

Similarly, if you will be meeting with clients on site as a large part of your job, it may be right for you to dress smartly in your interview.

For a creative agency, go smart casual! Express your creativity, but respect the fact you are looking to impress the person you’re meeting. A blazer over a more casual outfit can always be taken off at reception if necessary.

If you’re working in a design team as part of a wider IT company, you may need to be on the smarter side, too.

Hiring managers do sometimes have preferences, so if you can get hold of that information – do.

Try and speak with friends you may have within the company, or contact the HR department to ask in advance. Failing that, look online for press releases including photos of the team. “Meet the Team” sections of websites can often be really helpful in gauging what the accepted style is.

If in doubt, go smart. You can always backtrack from this if you end up working there, but you can’t make a second first impression.

Let me know your thoughts, please email me

Life on a Job Board

There will be some of you out there who will never look for a job. That’s because you’ll either be so happy in your role that you’ll never want to leave your current company, or you will be fortunate enough to make useful industry connections and move from job to job in an organic way.

Then, there are those people who make tentative steps into job hunting as and when feels right for them. This might involve updating your CV and LinkedIn, connecting with recruiters, joining job boards and applying for advertised jobs.

For some people though, job hunting is a constant and ongoing process. There are those people who live their lives on the job boards, updating their details regularly (sometimes even daily) and very active about keeping their channels of contact open.

For contractors, who only commit themselves to companies for weeks or months at a time, having job board visibility can be a fantastic way to keep informed of upcoming projects. For designers in permanent roles, there is nothing wrong with keeping yourself abreast of the job opportunities which could be out there for you or your industry acquaintances.

As a recruiter I do sometimes wonder what it must be like to be in this position.

When I’m actively resourcing for a new role, one of the first places I will look is the job boards.

This is where I find people who are flagging themselves up as open to hearing about roles. I think, “Well, this role matches their location and expertise, why don’t I give them a call?” But then I think – if I’m looking to speak with this person about a new job – how many other recruiters are doing the same thing? How many calls to job board regulars get in an average week?

It must be hard to keep tabs on the names of recruiters who have called you, let alone which jobs they have sent you information about!

It would be great to hear from job board regulars about their experiences.

How can recruiters like me make it easier for you to find your next move?

Look forward to hearing from you. please email me.

Scribble – Is This the Future of Design for Everyone?

Remember MS Paint?

Remember the colour picker tool where you could click on any pixel from an image and recreate that colour somewhere else on your page? How useful that was for when you really didn’t have the patience to spend an hour picking the perfect shade from the RGB colour palette.

Well, things have really come along since then. For a projected £90 you will soon be able to purchase the Scribble Pen - currently in development with California developers Mark Barker and Robert Hoffman. Available in either the ink or stylus versions, by simply pressing the colour sensor against a desired surface of colour the pen will then draw in that exact shade. Impressively, the pen will be able to recreate an estimated 16 million variations of colour.

Imagine what that will mean for designers everywhere!

When deciding upon colour palettes for apps and websites, graphic designers could select inspiration from surfaces around them. In collaborative design, rather than trying to explain, “a little bluer, no, a bit greener,” it will become second nature to be able to express oneself visually.

I, for one, am looking forward to this pen making its debut on the UK market!

As always, I enjoy reading your thoughts. Please email me

UXPA Careers Event - Attendee Review

On the 19^th June, Thomson Reuters in Canary Wharf played host to this year’s UXPA Careers Event.
Raj Arjan (UXPA) was the curator for the evening, with Jiri Siftar (Design Lead at Thomson Reuters) giving a rousing welcome speech.

This speed dating-style get together saw a number of UX job seekers meet with over 15 potential employers and industry recruiters (including IC Creative).

Representatives from UX teams around London and the UK sat in pairs at their designated tables, which were of course laden with leaflets, booklets and most importantly SWEETS.

Rotating every 5 minutes, the budding UX Designers and Researchers had a chance to talk about themselves and their qualifications. In turn, employers were able to discuss any upcoming vacancies of interest.

With a huge pool of newly graduated UX’ers as well as industry experts looking for a career change, this was a worthwhile event which we would recommend to job seekers next year.

As always, we are interested to hear from you, please do email us.

The World Cup of User Experience

Football is often viewed as the great social unifier.

If you’re in an awkward situation, just bring out the football talk. During the World Cup in particular, almost everyone has an opinion.

So, it may come as a surprise to you that the writer of this blog despises the beautiful game!

In an attempt to endear myself more towards this event where grown men run up and down a field in silly uniforms, I decided to do a little research into the applications out there and see which ones are dominating the market in terms of great UX, usability and graphics.

1.)    Best All-rounder  - World Cup Brazil 2014 
2.)    Best Betting-related app – Oddschecker
3.)    Best for Managing your Sweepstake – Shuffl.com
4.)    Best Football Manager - Football Manager Handheld 2014 SEGA
5.)    Best for Fantasy Football – Fantasy iTeam

Let me know which ones you’re obsessed with!

Which UI’s do you really like?  Which ones do you think could use some improvements?

Please let me know what you think by emailing me.

What Is The Best UX Portfolio Format?

This week I wanted to ask the hiring managers out there – which portfolio format do you prefer to see?

The formats we regularly see are:

• Personal website
• Dropbox (or other) link to PDF
• Portfolio sites such as Cargocollective or Behance
• Dribbble – snapshots of work
• Folder of individual files
• Links to live works throughout CV

I know which ones appeal the most to us – but I wanted to get your take on this too.

Please do email me.

What Type of Conference Personality Do You Have?

There are numerous UX-related conferences and meet-ups coming in 2014 - which type of conference personality do you have?

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to User Experience events!

The Ambler – Drifts from stall to discussion, soaking up the atmosphere and taking in as much as possible.

The Instigator – Often seen in the middle of a group discussion, with others hanging off their every word. Up to date on industry topics and has an opinion on everything (not in a bad way!)

The Promoter – Hands out business cards, badges, leaflets to do with their product or start-up. Great at selling themselves and their product!

The Social Media Butterfly – Recognises faces and names from LinkedIn, Twitter and G+ and turns those online acquaintances into real life contacts.

The Dutch Courage –Makes use of the free wine to overcome the hurdle of introducing themselves to strangers! 

Have I missed any? Which category do you fall into?

 

Please do email me and let me know.

Does the interview process begin before you’re even there?

Whilst spending an afternoon to’ing and fro’ing between two parties to book in a first stage interview, I had a little think about the implications of this part of the process, and whether a bumpy ride at this stage can foreshadow how the process plays out later on.

The conversation in question went a little like this:

“9am on the 15^th!”

“9am on the 16^th!”

“How about 10am on the 16^th?”

“No, I have a meeting then. OK scrap that, next week? When are they free?”

“They’re free Monday and Tuesday.”

“How about Monday at 5pm?”

“Oh they can’t make Monday now…”

…And so on. It was a bit like a game of schedule tennis.

This got me asking - does the interview process begin before you’re even there? Is what you do at this stage important?

Interview etiquette would dictate that the interviewee, the jobseeker,  should do what they can to accommodate a meeting of minds. That is to say, they are the ones on the back foot when it comes to ‘moving things around’ or cancelling prior engagements. If a company wants to see you on Friday afternoon but that would interfere with your timely commute back home for the weekend, as inconvenient as it is, you go and meet them and take a later train.

It is, after all, within your interests to get in front of them as soon as possible – protracting the process allows the momentum to trickle away and allows other candidates to get into the frame. It is also beneficial for your candidature to be accommodating and flexible.  Understand your interviewer is a busy person and accept there may only half an hour a week when they can take time to interview.

After all, they are only pushed for time because they are down a pair of hands in their team - and that is where you come in! If you can accept this fact and do what you can to make the magic happen sooner rather than later, then it really will be to your benefit.

Similarly, gracefully accepting last minute cancellations will win you brownie points - you will be perceived as flexible and understanding, whereas making a stand against the fact you’ve had to book half a day off work for nothing other than a route-to-work trial run – will potentially stick in your would-be employers throat.

I’m not saying that things should be this one-sided, but they often are. That is not to say that within the UX industry things are as black and white as I’ve made out. Our clients are often flexible when it comes to providing meeting times and understanding candidates issues with scheduling and ‘flying under the radar’, however I have noticed through working within the wider recruitment industry that it’s often a case of “now or never”.

My advice would be – even though that meeting may be less than convenient now – think of the longer term benefit involved in taking that step towards a new career!

 

Let me know what you think.

How do you negotiate NDA’s?

On a few occasions recently, I have guided candidates through an interview process only for the issue of an NDA to – well, become an issue.

The Non-Disclosure Agreement – signed by many designers across industries and disciplines – states that work contributing to a design solution cannot be shared or shown until the product becomes public. In some cases due to the sensitive nature of the work, it can never be shown at all.

On some interview occasions, it has been implied that it is mandatory for a candidate to breach an NDA and show work – else to the detriment of their application.

I wonder how you would approach this issue if it happened to you?

Would you rather flick through hard copies of protected work to satiate your potential future-employer, or stick to your guns and keep your work top secret to respect your current employer?

I don’t have a personal opinion on this, as it’s often a very delicate issue to negotiate. I’m not sure if there is a one size fits all right or wrong.

If anyone has been in this situation, or has advice – do let me know. I’m never sure how to advise people in these situations so if anyone can help that would be much appreciated.

 

As always, I would love to hear from you - please email me.

The Myth of the UX Unicorn

The fashionable and rather endearing term for a do-it-all designer  - ‘UX Unicorn’ – always makes me chuckle.

But… is it just me, or is a Unicorn just a horse with a horn stuck to its head?

Surely a better comparison to draw would be to mythological Sphinx, with the body of a lion, wings of a bird and head of a man? Also I think there are some scales on there, somewhere. Anyway. My point is that a true UX all-rounder is an amalgamation of many things in equal measure. They are not just a UI Designer with some Axure experience. They are not a UX Designer who knows a bit of HTML/CSS.  They are not just a horse with a horn.

I know what you will say - the point of the analogy is that the Unicorn, like a multi-disciplinary designer, is hard to find.  It’s elusive nature means it camps out in the woods and only appears to those who know what they’re looking for.

But, from my experience, these Unicorns (or Sphinxes) are rearing their heads more and more frequently as designers are up-skilling and taking on more responsibility on projects. I have personally noted an increase in this type of profile over the last year or so.

Would you identify with the Unicorn, or the Sphinx? Which UX creature are you?

 

Please contact me and let me know!

UX Designers - How Do You Start Your Mornings?

As I’m sure you will agree, coming into work after a four day Bank Holiday weekend is universally seen as ‘The Worst Thing Ever’. As I sort through the weekend’s enquiries and attempt to cast my mind back to where it was on Thursday afternoon, I’ve started to query how our minds gear up for work on a daily basis. In particular, I want to look into how the creative designer brain may differ from someone in a less creative profession.

One school of thought is that you should tackle the heavy-duty, brain power consuming tasks head on, first thing in the morning. This is when your mind is at its most focussed, and able to take a fresh stance on a hard problem which may have been troubling you for a couple of days.

For me, I like to get the easiest possible emails out of the way first, as a sort of ‘warm up’. So if you are waiting on a ‘Thank You’ or a ‘Great, I will talk to you then’ from me, you are likely to receive this at 7:30 in the morning! Plus, a clearer inbox makes a clearer mind for the day ahead.

I wonder how this works for UX Designers? What kind of tasks do you feel inclined to approach first thing in the morning? Do you feel particularly creative, or do you need to warm up with some admin? Do you feel like you need to spend some time organising your thoughts and to-do list, or can you jump straight in to the hands-on work?

Do you prefer to get your head down and keep yourself to yourself (and your sketchbook) or do you find this time is best spent talking with users or other designers?

As I’ve been musing on the topic, I thought I would throw it out there to you. It would be really interesting for me to understand how the creative mind approaches a day of work, and whether there is any difference in inclination from someone like me who works in a recruitment environment.

 

As always, I would love to hear from you.  Please do email me.

Recruitment in Pre-Digital Times

This morning, the most terrible of things happened at IC Creative.

For two and a half hours, we were transported to pre-historic (well, pre-digital age) times when the local internet connection went down, and along with it, our server capability.

Now, working out in the sunshine-soaked sticks is usually an uplifting and soul-soothing experience. However, our bucolic location (and lack of technological back up) worked against us on this occasion as we were plunged into digi-darkness, having to rely on pen and paper, telephone conversations, and our own memory to get things done.

Without knowing whether our messages were reaching their recipients, how were we to know if we had successfully booked in that interview or imparted the details of a great role? More importantly – how could we tell if the jobs we matched to designers were hitting the spot for them?

Having this kind of time delay is something recruiters aren’t used to. By nature, we want to ensure that everything moves as seamlessly as possible – if someone wants their details sent to a hiring manager at their dream company, it is beneficial for all parties to get that done as soon as possible!

Timing is everything.

The next question is – information – where can you get it, if Google is off-limits? Did recruiters visit libraries every lunch break, or simply keep an Encyclopedia close to hand? Did they have a Rolodex and a Yellow Pages on their desk at all times? Imagine flipping through scores of company and candidate details to get names, numbers and addresses every time you needed them. Information was once a tangible thing which felt like turning the corner of a page and running an ink-stained finger down a printed list of facts. Today it is as readily available and fleeting as the air we breathe.

It really is mind-boggling to me that recruiters functioned perfectly well before the internet.

Now, as our emails from the  early hours of the morning slowly filter through and we can load up LinkedIn and G+ to catch up on the news, it is back to the modern world with us. The morning’s break was refreshing, but in its’ wake we feel a certain creeping dread that we may have missed out on urgent messages, rescheduling issues, or even a flash Twitter trend.

 

As always, please feel free to contact me.

The Path to a UX Career

As with any decision to start out on a new career path, a fledgling UX’er will face the conundrum that Experience breeds Experience. That is to say, if you don’t have any commercial experience to your name, it is sometimes pretty hard to get your foot in the door.

This week I wanted to ask whether any readers have tips or tricks they would give to Graduates/ Juniors or Designers/Researchers from a different background looking to effectively push the re-set button on their career.

Depending on their vacancy, companies can afford to be selective on the candidates they choose to put forward to interview processes. So the question remains, what can you do to make yourself stand out if you are new to the industry?

We would suggest: 

• Attending careers fairs
• Networking on social media
• Strengthening your online presence – align all online profiles with the same skills and photo, interlink effectively
• Blogging about industry topics and gaining followers
• Taking a step down in your expectations (salary-wise) – One step back for two steps forward
• Building up freelance experience
• Working for free – we wouldn’t suggest this in the long run but a client project on your CV will look good whether you were paid or not
• Ensuring your CV and portfolio market your skills well – ask an expert to check. Include lots of key words to ensure you show up in searches
• And if you don’t have a portfolio – create one – online or in PDF form
• Opening your mind to opportunities –  give that company you’re not sure about a shot. If you’re invited to a face to face meeting you will know for sure
• Keeping your CV on all possible job boards and online communities for job seekers – you never know who is looking where
• Attending workshops / UX skill training events – various agencies in London facilitate these
• Attending industry events – IXDA, UXPA, for instance

It would be great to hear if anyone has any further suggestions. Please do email me.

Signs of a Happy Designer - A Recruiters Perspective

It may come as a surprise, but here at IC Creative we often speak with designers who are politely, but passionately and vehemently not job hunting. And believe it or not, this is a very nice thing to see.

In the world of recruitment, we receive hundreds of applications and phone calls on a weekly basis from people who are no longer content in their current role. It’s really nice and refreshing when we happen upon someone who is so joyously happy with what they’re doing that they just have to keep us on the phone a little longer to tell us about it - in fact, this makes our job a little bit more enjoyable too!

Signs of a happy designer:

• Wanting to talk for a long time, in detail, about their newest project
• Recommending you check out their company / product and even download it / buy it
• Recommending their friends with similar skill sets who are job hunting
• Waxing lyrical about their new manager and how inspiring they are
• Boasting (modestly, of course) about the new skills they are developing, the training they’ve been on, the events they’ve attended
• Keeping their CVs off the job boards for a while – “just in case something better comes along,” doesn’t even figure
• Being a bit too busy to have returned your call yesterday because they were out with their new work friends
• Basically… when their job just doesn’t seem like work

So next time a recruiter you know from a few months back calls you, let them see how happy you are now. They will genuinely be pleased for you and will wish you the best for the future. And when you say, “I’ll call you when I need you” – they really will take that to heart.

As always, really would like to hear from you - Email me here.

Connected Living – Would you choose this lifestyle?

This week saw the story of ‘America’s Most Connected Man’ hit the news. Chris Dancy, of Denver, Colorado  - who bills himself as a “Data Exhaust Cartographer” on his site www.chrisdancy.com – has been tracking and recording his every move, action and purchase since 2007. Real-time data collected via 700 wearable and lifestyle technologies have amassed this information – however mundane and unimportant each increment of data may seem, imagine the picture which can - and has - been painted about modern life.

I pose the question: Would you rather spend a week without technology, or a week hooked up to hundreds of devices all collecting and collating information about your life?

 

Let me know your thoughts at sam.emmett@ic-creative.co.uk

Recruitment: A Taxi Driver's Anecdote

On my way to a meeting yesterday, I got talking to a taxi driver (an elderly gentleman) who, despite his politeness, is not one for easy 'back of the cab' conversation. He is renowned around town for hitting the hard subjects, which - whether you're on the way to an urgent appointment, or are simply a little tipsy coming back from a night out - are not always what you want to have to deal with. This is the same taxi driver who has tried to sell me his religion on numerous occasions, so I was braced for a less than relaxing conversation. However, I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me what I did, and then proceeded to talk quite eloquently about the pitfalls of trying to recruit specialists within a particular area. I told him he must have had some experience along the line, as he certainly sounded as though he knew his stuff. To this he replied yes, and told me about his time in the army - where his role was to recruit soldiers and figure out who he could put forward for promotions to higher ranks. The problems arose when he was 100% certain he had found the right person, only for them to fail miserably at the task in hand. On paper, he said, people can look great - but when they are called to action they can't live up to what they have promised. He told me all people are actors, particularly in interviews, and can fake whatever is needed to get where they want. He told me about one instance where a deaf man had managed to pass a physical examination, by responding to prompts to complete tasks and answer questions. It was only later on that they figured out he was deaf and had to ask him to leave for his own safety.

I'd like to think that in the professional design world, something like this (or the equivalent) just wouldn't be able to happen. Interview and vetting processes are stringent, whilst design tasks, challenges and presentations are set in order to ensure candidates can back up the technical skills they have professed to on their CVs. It's a given that you will sell yourself to the utmost degree, and perhaps emphasize a little more than is truthful about certain areas of expertise. But completely faking it until you make it... I don't think that could be possible in the UX design industry!

We Are Going Social! Are you?

At the moment we’re on a huge ‘Going Social’ drive here at IC Creative. No, that doesn’t mean popping down the local for after-work drinks every other night (although, if you’re ever in our part of the world you should visit: The Swan at Three Mile Cross, Reading http://www.theswan-3mx.co.uk. What we’re doing is getting our voices and our faces (sorry in advance) out there, in the hope of connecting, communicating and ultimately promoting discourse around the subject of User Experience.

LinkedIn is of course the business networking tool to use, and like most we are riding the Twitter bandwagon. But we’re currently on a mission to open our eyes to the numerous sites and tools aimed at enabling interactions - many of which have been designed by you!

Putting the question out there to you guys – which are the social media and networking sites you’re using at the moment? Are there any up-and-comers which we should know about? Have you had a hand in designing anything like this, which you’d like to showcase here?

I have very recently started toying with About.me - appealing because of its’ simplicity and aesthetic appeal. If anyone fancies ‘Complimenting Me,’ that would be great because so far I’ve only received the default About.me compliment and am feeling unloved! http://www.about.me/samanthaemmett  

Looking forward to hearing back from some of you with some interesting social sites for creative/ UX people!  

As always, you can email me. 

IC Creative – We’re looking for a new UX Recruiter to join our team!

Join Us! IC Creative are looking to expand our team of User Experience recruiters. Headquartered in Reading, we are accessible for those based in the Thames Valley area or those looking to relocate outside of the city.

We are looking for someone to focus on the lively contracts market - someone with similar sector experience, ideally with a knowledge of User Experience, User Interface, Interaction Design and Usability recruitment. Those with experience in a similar field - Digital Design, Web Design/ Development, Creative markets - could also be really interesting for us.

This role would suit you if you have 1-3 years within UX / Digital recruitment and are looking for something new. Perhaps you have held a resourcer role and are looking for a step up. Perhaps you are just looking for a change of scene.

We have an excellent client base, traditionally across the UK and Europe but increasingly across Asia and the US as well. We work with a number of large technology firms, e-commerce companies, design and UX agencies, and big names in mobile communication and design. We also benefit from operating as one arm of the very established IC Group - technical and electronics recruitment specialists. So, we have access to numerous clients you may not expect!

We would appeal to anyone looking for a friendly, supportive environment. Whilst we do have targets and goals, we believe in positive mentorship rather than strict KPI driven work processes. We would rather see you hit your targets because you're happy to come into work and want to excel yourself on a daily basis than because you spent fifty hours on the phone last week. You will see what we mean when you come in for an interview.

We really are lovely folk, definitely not your typical recruiter types - although we can put on suits and venture into London to wine and dine clients when we need to!

Your role will revolve around:

• Liaising with clients, ascertaining their business needs
• Business development activities
• Resourcing for established roles
• Managing the full recruitment cycle from send out to offer accept and aftercare
• Attending meetings, conferences, etc
• Contracts focus - previous experience on this side of things will be preferred

Alongside your basic salary you can expect a very generous commission structure, flexible benefits, free parking, free fruit, drinks and snacks, and lovely surroundings (like seriously, we have Shetland ponies out the front). Salary £20-30k plus commission.

To apply, please send your CV and covering email to Sam Emmett

The Next Big Thing: Your Thoughts

Last week we posted about The Next Big Thing – what we will look back on in twelve months and think “Ah yes! That characterises 2014”.

Here are the top replies we received by email and as comments on LinkedIn:

• A further acceleration towards minimalism – less text, colours, navigation
• Wearable design, and thus -
• New types of interfaces requiring new design innovations/solutions
• A change in colour schemes – from pop brights to subtler, dreamier colour palettes
• Easy fill online forms – improving usability and conversion rates

And, those which will be seen to continue from last year:

• Flat Design
• Tiles
• Blur
• Parallax scrolling

Let me know if I’ve missed anything, or if you have other ideas about where UI design is going next!

 

You can email me here 

The Next Big Thing

Now we’re over the holiday period and well into 2014, I wonder what the new UI design trends of the year will turn out to be? What will we be looking back on in our ‘Rundown of This Year’s Design Trends’ articles? Which ones are we going to want to forget, in years to come…? (I’m still a sucker for skeuomorphism but I’m aware it’s less than cool now!)

Without being a designer myself, I occupy a birds-eye vantage point – looking in on hundreds of portfolios a month. I see constant flux in what’s hot and what’s not, what gets pushed to the front of portfolios and what get relegated to the back – what helps to win awards and what has become a bit ‘meh’.

All I know is whenever I’m confronted with something new, I think “wow this couldn’t get any better” – but then six months down the line it does. I’m sure you’re the same – looking back through your work from months, or years back (mostly comprising of blood, sweat and tears) and realising how soon it has become outdated or cluttered.

I wonder, too, if changes in design mentality are the conscious decision of one or two genius designers which then catch on, or a ripple effect reaction to the type of products and platforms in vogue at the time? Are trends fabricated and perpetuated by designers, and the rest of us (the user base) merely pawns to the changing tides? Or, with the constant iterations and usability studies refining and re-assessing interactions – are the users the real creators?

Perhaps any designers out there could give me a sneak peek into the next big thing for the coming year? I’d love to know!

 

Please feel free to contact me at Sam Emmett.

UX Crash Course

Hi all.....

I came across this article earlier today and found it a very useful read.  A good read for those looking to get into the UX space and equally good for those just topping up knowledge.

http://thehipperelement.com/post/75476711614/ux-crash-course-31-fundamentals

Hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to contact me sukhi.kang@ic-creative.co.uk

The Interview…

As a contractor you probably spend more time interviewing for your next contract than you do onsite at your current one in the few weeks leading up to the end date!! Permanent candidates will be asked to move heaven and earth to attend interviews, and then be made to wait until things get signed off before we can even move forward. It is however the part of the process that can’t be missed!

I’ve had some great stories from clients and candidates about interviews, some have been done within 15 minutes and offers out, some have gone on for hours because the client wants the candidate to refer back the ‘user’ at least once!

As the designers and the interviewers you’re the guys that have the technical knowledge, but sometimes you can forget about the person/s that are in the interview room with you. Being a UX interview, I’ve spoken to a few of my clients and done some reading to see what I can muster up, here are a few points that can hopefully help..

• You’re interviewing for a User Experience role- so take yourself out of the interview for a second and think of the client as a user and you’re the product. Have an understanding of the needs of the client, and how you will get them to their goal.
• This leads on to the next point quite well, as controversial as this may sound, designers will get to the same end product/ deliverable as another (some by hook or crook and others by loving what they do and being darn good at it), but it’s the process and the methods that will make you stand out and fill clients with confidence
• When you’re asked to take your portfolio with you to go through it, it’s not just a matter of plugging it in and saying ‘I did that.. I did that.. I helped do this.. I drew that..’ take the client on a journey. It’s all about the user experience here, if the interviewer has been taken on a journey through your portfolio, they’ve understood how you approached the task, the problems you came up against, the methods you used, how you thought outside of the box when you came up against hurdles and how you got to the deliverables, the client is seeing the product in action. This is a good user experience for them, they’ll invest in the product..

For example..

Buying a car	Hiring a UX Designer
Do your research (internet)	Do your research (Linked, Xing)
Watch videos and screen (youtube, forums)	Go through online portfolio / PDF
Go to a showroom to have a look	Skype / telephone interview
Test drive	Face to Face interview and expanded portfolio review
Question the salesman	Ask the interviewer questions
Decision	Decision

Obviously this is quite watered down, but my point is you wouldn’t buy a car without going through the process, you’re putting your hard earned money into something and you want to be made to feel excited about what you’re doing. Be the Aston Martin in your interview, you’ve got to the interview stage because you’ve passed through the previous phases.

If you turn up, it’s your fourth interview of the week, you’ve got a Dominos on order, hoping the delivery man doesn’t turn up in the middle of Eastenders then it’s not worth you being there. If you are there, you’ve done the research and have a genuine interest, show the passion you have in your work, sell yourself as that top end vehicle and give them the best test drive they’ve had (bit cheesy, I just got really caught up in the writing).

Just a few pointers, I’m more than happy to go into more detail over phone or email if you have any questions or pains about interviews.  Please feel free to contact me at sukhi.kang@ic-creative.co.uk

 

Smarter Energy Controls – a Usability Perspective

Shorter days and colder nights, winter is upon us. Many of you may be fighting the temptation to stick the heating on, leave the lights on and run hour-long hot showers upon crawling in from work. Don’t even mention the mould spiralling out of control in the coldest and dampest rooms…  the wet towels which remain forever wet….at a time when it’s way too cold to even consider opening the windows,  cranking the heating up and tumble-drying EVERYTHING is the only way to combat the feeling that you’re living in a cave. On top of this, you’ve got to have the TV on constantly as you’re certainly not going to be venturing outside for the next three months.

Maybe this is why winter is the most pertinent time to put some real thought into energy saving behaviour, and where UX practises can help guide us all in saving the pennies and the environment.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have recently commissioned a report on the Usability of Smarter Heating Controls; co-authored by Steven Wall and Filip Healy.

In the report, the specialists address the effectiveness of the technology users interact with to control energy flow throughout their homes. Taking into account demographics, impairments, education level and even smart-phone ownership, this report provides an interesting insight into the usability of heating control products currently on the market and provides recommendations for key requirements to keep in mind for future development.

With climate and economic change at the forefront of our minds, this proves to be an important piece of research which simultaneously provides insight, and emphasises the scope and relevance of the application of usability studies.

Please feel free to contact Sam Emmett to discuss all things UX.

New Year, New You: Find a New UX Job in 2014

What is it about the New Year which spurs people on to begin their job hunt afresh?

Certainly it has something to do with the idea of a “new year, new you” – a time when everyone around you is making resolutions to change one thing for the better. The past year has become a measurable increment of time which you can reflect back upon – languishing for weeks, or months in a less-than-ideal job is excusable, but when this period of stasis reaches a whole year you realise it’s time to do something about it!

Reasons for stagnating in a role which is comfortable – but not challenging – are myriad; proximity to home, a good enough pay packet, a friendly team wherein you have lots of friends. What people tend to realise come January is that you can always strive to achieve more. The New Year acts as a kick-start to move your life on and achieve something you can be proud of!

A lot of the time it’s not even the case that there’s anything amiss with the job or company you’re in. Over the last twelve months you will have changed; grown, learnt, and adapted – what suited you back when you started is not the best fit for the new, improved 2014 version of you.

So, invest some time in reassessing your current needs. Would you like to climb up the career ladder? Would you like to manage a team? Would you like more experience designing for a specific platform? Would you like to try contracting? Do you think you should be earning more money to support your lifestyle? Would you like to relocate, have you always dreamt of working in Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong….?

From our clients’ point of view, January is the perfect time to go on a recruitment drive. With everyone nicely rested from the Christmas break – now’s the ideal time for hiring managers to invest some effort and reshuffle their schedules to incorporate interviews and meetings with potential new team members. New projects are on the horizon – and more pairs of hands will be needed. On top of this, new budgets are being released and hiring roadmaps are being drawn up for the coming months.

If you want to take the initial steps towards a new career move, feel free to pick up the phone and call Sukhi or Sam at IC Creative on +44 (0)1189 881150. Alternatively, have a look through our current jobs which we advertise here.  With a searchable function; you can easily find the type of role you’re looking for or register your interest with a few simple clicks.

Hope to hear from lots of new UX’ers in 2014!