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.

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!

UX Open Days - a good idea to embrace?

A certain software firm we work with in France have just had the genius idea of holding a ‘Usability Week’ – a series of open days for other company staff members to pop their heads into the UX department and learn a little more about what goes on in there. Kind of like a science department open day at school, for business students to marvel at.

As well as presentations, demonstrations, talks and titbits they focused on explaining elements of user experience such as responsive design across platforms, persona development and accessibility, and why they are integral to the success of the businesses’ internal and customer-facing digital output.

I wonder if something like this should be rolled out by more firms? It seems like a great idea to raise awareness and most of all, show off how important UX is!

Have you gone down the same route in your firm? Are you planning to? Would you try to do this on lunch times or would you prefer to have walk in sessions throughout the day so employees can see your team members hard at work? Keen to hear your thoughts on this topic!

 

Please contact Sam.Emmett@ic-creative.co.uk.