More Than Pixels: Becoming A User Experience Designer

As our tools and our deliverables move increasingly into the digital sphere, many graphic designers are hearing more about the field of UX, or User Experience. But what exactly is a "UX Designer"? The IxDF defines UX Design as "the process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users" which includes research, strategy, ideation, and creative output – not just to make something look great, but to make someone's experience better.

This session presents a path forward into UX for design professionals looking to broaden their perspective from the world of pixels to the world of people. We will discuss how graphic design and visual communication skills translate to the field of user experience, the new mindsets we need to embrace, and how user experience designers are uniquely positioned to succeed in a world of changing tools and technologies. Whether you've been thinking about transitioning your career, or your work has been edging into the design of interactive apps or websites, this session has something for you.

Transcript

1. MORE Becoming a User Experience Designer THAN PIXELS
2. @marktimemedia I Design & Build DIGITAL INTERFACES HI, I’M MICHELLE. Rockstar at saying stuff. Adorable badass. Carefully curated spontaneity. Meticulously organized chaos. The Anxious Alicorn.
3. @marktimemedia WHAT IS UX?
4. @marktimemedia “The process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users.” https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design
5. @marktimemedia brand perception brand awareness sales outcomes marketing goals who they are why they're here their problems their goals BUSINESS PEOPLE UX
6. @marktimemedia UX CAREERS UX Designer STRUCTURE BUSINESS CONTENT RESEARCH APPEARANCE TECHNOLOGY UX Engineer UX Architect UX Writer UX Analyst UX Researcher Interaction Designer Visual Designer UI Designer Information Architect Content Strategist Frontend Developer Product Designer Systems Design Business Analyst Product Researcher Market Researcher Content Development SEO Backend Developer
7. @marktimemedia UX CAREERS UX Designer STRUCTURE BUSINESS CONTENT RESEARCH APPEARANCE TECHNOLOGY UX Engineer UX Architect UX Writer UX Analyst UX Researcher Design Tools/Figma Prototyping Tools Wireframing IA Tools User Comprehension Design Tokens Excel Sitemaps Journey Maps Survey Tools Archetypes & Personas Tone, Readability, & Voice UI Copy Component Libraries IDE Whiteboards Excel JavaScript Wireframing CSS Survey Tools Usability Testing Whiteboards Usability Testing Qual. & Quant. Visuals Instructions
8. @marktimemedia WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN UX?
9. @marktimemedia MAYBE… • Already building digital interfaces or assets • Interested in psychology, business, etc. • Want a more direct relationship with end users • Desire more cross-functional collaboration • Want more holistic involvement in projects • Want more decision making power • It pays well (on average)
10. @marktimemedia THE SKILLS THAT FIT Why designers are good at UX
11. @marktimemedia VISUAL COMMUNICATION
12. @marktimemedia INFORMATION HIERARCHY
13. @marktimemedia DESIGN PRINCIPLES
14. @marktimemedia ATTENTION TO DETAIL
15. @marktimemedia CREATIVE THINKING
16. @marktimemedia EMPATHY
17. @marktimemedia Thanks for the free slide!
18. @marktimemedia RETHINKING THE CRAFT What designers need to relearn How UX diverges from visual design (and what we can do instead)
19. @marktimemedia CONVERSATION OVER COMMUNICATION
20. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Clear messaging • Appropriate language • Brand voice Enabling successful interactions through clear choices and understandable feedback. This is our goal.
21. @marktimemedia USABILITY OVER AESTHETICS
22. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Color • Typography • Imagery • Branding Experiences that are accessible, understandable, consistent, useable, and delightful. This is our goal.
23. @marktimemedia RIGHT-SIZED FIDELITY OVER PIXEL-PERFECTION
24. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Details • Precision • Comprehensiveness Using the right tools to solve the right problem. This is our goal.
25. @marktimemedia RESEARCH OVER INSPIRATION
26. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Creativity • Innovation • Being clever • Uniqueness Using qualitative & quantitative research to gain a holistic understanding of our users which supports our design decisions. This is our goal.
27. @marktimemedia SYSTEMS OVER PAGES
28. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Compelling and understandable layouts • Attractive imagery, graphics, and supporting visual content • Good design principles Building & maintaining consistency using design systems and component libraries to deliver a unified experiences over multiple screens or devices This is our goal.
29. @marktimemedia OUTCOMES OVER OUTPUTS
30. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Journey Maps • Sketches • Wireframes • UI Design • Mockups • Prototypes Making our users’ lives better through designing solutions to their problems. This is our goal.
31. @marktimemedia ITERATION OVER COMPLETION
32. @marktimemedia While this matters… • Meeting deadlines • Shipping new features Continuous learning and improvement through ongoing listening and research. This is our goal.
33. @marktimemedia IN SUMMARY Conversation over communication Usability over aesthetics Right-sized fidelity over pixel-perfection Research over inspiration Systems over pages Outcomes over outputs Iteration over completion While there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
34. @marktimemedia GENERATION 1: THE BIRTH OF UX
35. @marktimemedia “USABLE” A new industry is born User-friendly personal computing Improving “engineering interfaces” Foundations for best practices 1970s 2000s 2020s https://leaders.centercentre.com THE EVOLUTION OF THE UX INDUSTRY
36. @marktimemedia WATERFALL METHODOLOGY REQUIREMENTS DESIGN DEVELOP TEST DEPLOY MAINTAIN
37. @marktimemedia “USABLE” “USER EXPERIENCE” Functional, practical, resilient, delightful Birth of “mobile” Introduction of Agile (2001) A new industry is born User-friendly personal computing Improving “engineering interfaces” Foundations for best practices 1970s 2000s 2020s https://leaders.centercentre.com THE EVOLUTION OF THE UX INDUSTRY
38. @marktimemedia AGILE MANIFESTO We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan While there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more. https://agilemanifesto.org
39. @marktimemedia EXCERPTS FROM AGILE PRINCIPLES • Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. • Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. • Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. • Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential. • Working software is the primary measure of progress. https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html
40. @marktimemedia THE SPRINT SCRUM/ DAILY UPDATE (24hrs) BACKLOG “DEFINITION OF DONE” PLANNING IM PLEM ENTATIO N 2-4 WEEKS REVIEW RETROSPECT FEATURE FEATURE
41. @marktimemedia SCRUM SPRINT EPIC RELEASE ROADMAP VISION
42. @marktimemedia WHAT’S MISSING?
43. @marktimemedia HOW DO AGILE & UX FIT TOGETHER?
44. @marktimemedia SIMILAR GOALS?
45. @marktimemedia GENERATION 2: TACTICAL UX
46. @marktimemedia “USABLE” “USER EXPERIENCE” Functional, practical, resilient, delightful Birth of “mobile” Introduction of Agile (2001) Product-centric/business-centric “UX-As-A-Service” A new industry is born User-friendly personal computing Improving “engineering interfaces” Foundations for best practices 1970s 2000s 2020s https://leaders.centercentre.com THE EVOLUTION OF THE UX INDUSTRY
47. @marktimemedia SCRUM SPRINT EPIC RELEASE ROADMAP VISION
48. @marktimemedia PRODUCT EXPERIENCE
49. @marktimemedia REACTIVE SERVICE
50. @marktimemedia OUTPUT FOCUSED
51. @marktimemedia DONE = “WORKING”
52. @marktimemedia SPRINT START Question identified SPRINT END UX Research Answer “We need it now!” Make a guess Other Insights Build SPRINT START Sprint plan from roadmap Sprint plan from roadmap Definition of Done TO THE BACKLOG https://leaders.centercentre.com
53. @marktimemedia Back to the free slide again!
54. @marktimemedia FRUSTRATED LOW-VALUE STUCK
55. @marktimemedia “ While Agile is an approach to problem solving, Design Thinking is an approach to problem finding. ” https://www.mendix.com/blog/design-thinking-vs-agile-combine-problem-finding- problem-solving-better-outcomes/
56. @marktimemedia GENERATION 3: STRATEGIC UX
57. @marktimemedia THE EVOLUTION OF THE UX INDUSTRY “USABLE” “USER EXPERIENCE” “STRATEGIC” Functional, practical, resilient, delightful Introduction of Agile Product-centric/business-centric Tactical “UX-As-A-Service” A new industry is born User-friendly personal computing Improving “engineering interfaces” Foundations for best practices 1970s 2000s 2020s https://leaders.centercentre.com Goal-oriented Future-facing Vision-focused
58. @marktimemedia z SCRUM SPRINT EPIC RELEASE ROADMAP VISION
59. @marktimemedia HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE
60. @marktimemedia PROACTIVE EXPERTISE
61. @marktimemedia OUTCOME FOCUSED
62. @marktimemedia DONE = “SOLVING”
63. @marktimemedia SPRINT START Questions identified SPRINT END UX START Build Definition of Done SPRINT START Question identified SPRINT END Definition of Done SPRINT START Insights Direction from vision Solving the problem Insights Direction from vision Solving the problem Direction from vision https://leaders.centercentre.com Build
64. @marktimemedia WHAT’S NEXT?
65. @marktimemedia WHAT PART OF UX SPEAKS TO YOU?
66. @marktimemedia Resources: Organizations & Education • Nielsen Norman Group nngroup.com • Center Centre/Leaders of Awesomeness https://leaders.centercentre.com/ • UXPA Minnesota https://uxpamn.org/ • Interaction Design Foundation https://www.interaction-design.org/
67. @marktimemedia Resources: Timeless Reading • A Book Apart https://abookapart.com/ • Rosenfeld Media https://rosenfeldmedia.com/ • Don’t Make Me Think and Rocket Surgery Made Easy https://sensible.com/ • The Design of Everyday Things https://jnd.org/books/
68. @marktimemedia QUESTIONS? Here’s how to get in touch: Michelle Schulp Hunt michelle@marktimemedia.com @marktimemedia mynameismichelle.com bit.ly/more-than-pixels 𝕏