how to become a ux designer

becoming a UX designerglen lipka

vp, user experience | Marketo

@glenlipka

glen lipka

• started designing in 1995 in NYC

• blogging since 1997 (commadot.com)

• 2007, first employee of marketo (IPO May, 2013)

• vp of user experience

• @glenlipka

what is UX design?

• info architecture

• graphics

• interactions

• mental models

• lexicon

• education model

• service flow

• overall experience

existentialism

being a designer

education

• HCI from university

• tradecraft / general assembly

• self-taught

http://commadot.com/books-for-ux/

sympathy empathy

what would I feelif I was in

their shoes?

how to they actually feel?

hard skills

• adobe ______________________

• html / css

• jQuery

getting a UX job

for fame and fortune

applying

• recruiters

• job boards

• direct communication on linkedIn

easy asks

• mentoring

• internships

• informational interview

cover letter

• well written

• passes turing test

• short

resume

• short & simple (1 page)

• well written

• typography

linkedIn

• recommendations / endorsements

• nice picture

• current links

portfolio

the only thing you completely control

the immature poet imitates and the mature poet plagiarizes - TS Eliot

google: great ux portfolios

typography

easy to read

• spacing

• font size

• color

UPPERCASE IS DANGEROUSTHIS IS PRETTY HARD TO READ. ALL OF THE TEXT LOOKS THE SAME MAKING IT EASY TO

LOSE YOUR PLACE. NORMAL SENTENCE CASE IS BETTER. PLUS CENTERED TEXT MAKES THIS

HARD TOO.

interactive

• sensible information architecture

• good affordances

• intuitive interface

ingredients

• process maps

• wireframes

• sticky notes walls

full meals

• finished design

• 100% size screenshots

• interesting and tasty

your first design

• design something from scratch

• polish the look

• create a clickable prototype

blog and twitter

• interesting content

• you are not a quitter

• sense of humor

the blink test

10 seconds is all you get

always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

the interview

cheat sheet

masterful conversations

reflect inquire

advocate

what is your design focus?

• website design

• application design

• service design

• education (curriculum) design

• industrial design

• big company

• startup

• mobile

• consumer

• business

who are your influences?• don norman: design of everyday things, emotional design

• alan cooper: about face 3, the inmates are running the asylum

• dan ariely: predictably irrational

• not steve krug: don’t make me think

• not apple. unless you get ultra specific

why you?

• work harder than anyone else

• absorb the culture quickly

• easy to work with

let’s do a design exercise

• modern

• don’t hold back technically

• use the full screen

• draw big

• hear feedback, iterate

• multiple devices

• machine learning

• keyboard shortcuts

• understanding of patterns

• creative thinking

do you have any questions?

• prepare 2 questions (research in depth)

• “how do you think I did?”

• “what attributes makes one successful here?”

follow-up

• send a thank you - handwritten most impactful

•get specific

• send immediately via snail mail or deliver personally

compensation in the bay area

• 80-120k for new designer

• bonus

• stock

you’re hired!

what now?

make an impression

• show up early with a great attitude

• listen, but be firm with your needs

• find common ground solutions

everything else

decisionsthat matter

establish design principles

http://commadot.com/ux-design-principles/

what’s after that?

• mentor someone else

• pay it forward

juanita lee

questions?@glenlipka