five rules for mentoring new user experience professionals
DESCRIPTION
This presentation was an IGNITE session at the UXPA 2012 Conference and is accessible here: http://www.igniteshow.com/videos/5-rules-mentoring-new-user-experience-professionals Being a successful mentor requires an organization’s support for a mentorship program; getting buy-in from all parties before committing to a mentoring project; structuring the mentor-mentee relationship to the benefit of everyone involved; and pinpointing the methodology or best practices for mentoring. How can you make mentoring work for you? Mentoring is different from managing. It’s different from teaching. These are important skills to have, but they usually involve managing projects and people, or teaching skills and behaviors. They maintain a manageable status quo or have a limited scope. On the other hand, mentoring involves a social contract, where the mentor wants to set up a one-to-one relationship to effect a change in the person being mentored. As a mentor, you want to bring the mentee to a higher level, say from a Junior Designer to a Senior Interaction Designer, a Business Analyst to a Usability Researcher, or a nervous UX Practitioner to a confident UX Moderator.TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
5 Rules for Mentoring New User Experience ProfessionalsBob ThomasManager of User Experience, Liberty Mutual
[email protected]@bobthomas
![Page 2: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
What Does It Mean To “Mentor,” as Opposed to “Teach”?
๏ “to teach or give advice or guidance to (someone, such as a less experienced person or a child)… − Merriam-Webster Dictionary
๏ However, teaching (or coaching) is related to tasks and often comes with a specific agenda (the teacher’s)
๏ Mentoring is related to personal choice and also comes with an agenda (the mentee’s)
![Page 3: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
What Does Mentoring Mean to Me?
๏ Developing a relationship where both mentor and mentee benefit
๏ Being a leader in our field
![Page 4: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
User Experience Opportunities
U IA D
Usability Research/Testing Information Architecture Visual & Interaction Design
![Page 5: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Rule #1๏ Sometimes, your boss can be your
mentor
![Page 6: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
If You Establish a UX Practice, People Will Seek You Out
![Page 7: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Mentors Can Provide Learning Opportunities for Mentees
![Page 8: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Mentors Can Give Mentees Confidence
![Page 9: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Rule #2๏ Sometimes, your boss can’t be your
mentor
![Page 10: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Performance-Based Objectives Can Introduce Conflict
![Page 11: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
If Your Boss Is Your Mentor, Your Objectives May Not Match Up
Your Boss’s Performance-Based Objectives for You
Your UX-Based Objectives
A X
B Y
C Z
![Page 12: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Rule #3๏ A mentor is responsible for
guiding and assisting the mentee, based on a social contract
![Page 13: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
A Mentor Is There For You When You Have No Right or Wrong Answer
![Page 14: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Rule #4๏ You can’t mentor a stone
![Page 15: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
You Cannot Successfully Mentor Everyone. At Times You Will Fail.
![Page 16: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Rule #5๏ Perspective is additive
![Page 17: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Let’s Face It: We Can’t Make Carbon Copies of Ourselves
![Page 18: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Mentors Enable Mentees to Lend Their Unique Perspectives to the UX Community
![Page 19: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Summary๏ Rule #1: Sometimes, your boss can be your mentor
๏ Rule #2: Sometimes, your boss can’t be your mentor (in other words, find someone else)
๏ Rule #3: A mentor is responsible for guiding and assisting the mentee, based on a social contract
๏ Rule #4: You can’t mentor a stone
๏ Rule #5: Perspective is additive
![Page 20: Five Rules for Mentoring New User Experience Professionals](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070315/55522784b4c90520548b527e/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Thank you very much
Bob ThomasManager of User ExperienceLiberty Mutual
E-mail:
Twitter:
@bobthomas