Card Sorting: A Deeper Look

For those of you who have spoken with us lot at IC Creative before, you will know that I look after the Usability / UX Research side of things. It’s always interesting for me to learn more about the field and I do like to find things out as I go along.

Coming from a very unmathematical / unscientific educational upbringing, my mind does boggle sometimes at the different methods and tools you guys use to elicit statistics and other user data.

Every now and then I’ll come across a really good article which gives me a bit more of an insight into what it is the professionals do on a day to day basis. This article has recently been written by Jessica Miller, Usability Tester at WalkMe in San Francisco, who writes extensively on usability topics.  In it, she discusses the pros and cons of card sorting – the troubles she has found with it, and a useful insight into how you could overcome the complexity and conundrums which can arise from this exercise.

This may be of use to anyone like me who just likes to learn about these things, or anyone out there who comes up against the same issues with reading card sorting data which she does.

She begins: I’ve mentioned usability card sorting in the past, briefly as one of the more popular prototyping and visualising approaches for designing UX. But, I’ve never really talked that deeply about it, and given its popularity, it’s time I remedied that…. read more here!

 

To discuss this or anything UX related, please contact Sam Emmett.

 

Joining the UX movement – now is the time....

UX has gone from strength to strength;  IC Creative is definitely seeing more and more people starting to understand the significance and importance of a good UX.  It’s not always been the way, and the older heads that waved the UX flag to what seemed no avail, have seen how perceptions have changed and the importance of UX is being better received and consequently clients are reaping the rewards. I read an article that outlines why now is the time to become a UX designer, there are a lot of people who are going this way and I think it would be very useful. 

Why now is the right time to become a UX designer.

To discuss this or anything UX, please email Sukhi Kang.

The Perception of UX

Ever since the inception of IC Creative in 2008, we have shared teas and the odd cold beverage with UX managers and a number of designers who’ve told us what some people perceive UX to be, sometimes you can only take UX so far within a business as you’re fighting with powers that be to secure funding etc simply because people have completely the wrong perception.

I personally found this quite a good read, something that some of you may enjoy on your commutes to and from work. I imagine there will be some people out there who have this mindset about UX, I know how much it can get under the skin of those who are in the industry. It maybe something to keep on your desktop and pass onto those who ‘just don’t get it!!’.

 

Four myths about UX and how to bust them

To discuss this or anything UX, please email Sukhi Kang

Inside IC Creative

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has become perhaps the most important tool for companies across the globe to embed their brand image into the minds of their customers and potential customers. The breadth of SEM is almost infinite (on this planet anyway) and the rate of change in this area is staggering. Companies from start ups to international blue chips are developing new SEM strategies and often struggling with determining the best strategies to derive meaningful and measurable ROI  from their SEM activities.

That’s where IC Creative comes in. Our consultant John Baker specialises exclusively in SEM recruitment (SEM jobs, SEO jobs, PPC jobs). He delivers the most current skills to digital agencies and end clients, in the form of SEM / SEO / PPC professionals at the forefront of their profession.

John has an extensive pan-European database of contacts in the SEM community. Because he operates in this arena all day every day, John can authoritatively advice IC Creative’s clients on hiring strategy, resource requirements, etc.

Please contact IC Creative at any time to discuss the SEM market, whether you are seeking to implement or grow an SEM function, or whether you’re looking for a new career opportunity in this fast moving sector. (Contact john.baker@ic-creative.co.uk).

IC Creative to sponsor Cambridge Wireless Event

Cambridge Wireless is a leading industry forum and vibrant technology community with a specific interest in the mobile / wireless sector. One of its many Special Interest Groups (SIGs) is the User Experience SIG, which will be meeting in Cambridge on the 23rd May to discuss ‘Context Awareness as the Digital Sixth Sense: The User Experience Challenge’.

IC Creative, the UK’s leading UX recruitment company, is pleased to announce that it will sponsor this event alongside the host, Philips. Part of the remit is to sponsor the drinks reception, so we’ll be at the forefront of people’s minds (unless they have a few too many glasses, in which case we’ll be completely forgotten).

There is an "open presentation" for anyone who wants to bring along examples of great User Experience. The more the merrier, so bring along your best stuff and share it with a group of UX aficionados.

IC Creative has UX jobs throughout Europe for experienced UX professionals.

www.ic-creative.co.uk – now on mobile

Our new mobile website should run seamlessly alongside our current platform www.ic-creative.co.uk. 

The site provides a simple and easy user experience (as it should….) in terms of job search functionality and the ability to apply for UX jobs quickly and easily from all mobile devices.

If you spot any bugs please contact us.  Also any questions about a job, or the market in general, just email or call.