UX Competency – Full Data SetJohn Knight

25-02-2010

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Job Postings on BCS Usability News

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UX Industry - current risks/opportunities

Low barriers to entry - anyone can call themselves a UX practitioner

Fast moving industry in constant flux requiring new skills and competencies

Diverse discipline covering widely different skills - e.g. design and research

Lack of UX education and gap between practitioners and educators

Lack of defined roles and even job titles

Lack of clear skill sets and career paths

Accreditation and standards have failed in this area

Practitioners often have (and need) multidisciplinary backgrounds - no single fix

Clients and employers may not be familiar with the discipline and know what to ask for

Risk - low quality will compromise the sustainability of the discipline.

New industry with big impact and low barriers to entry

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Some Observations - Current Job Market

• Rise of portfolios vs. CV or wireframe examples

• Method of deliverables is changing - skills relating to one option is a risk e.g. wireframing

• Medium – emphasis on Web which is overdetermined

• Client/employer capability - knowing what is good UX is maturing

• Research seems to be more tightly defined than design

• Learning on the job/intern increasing

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Job Postings on BCS Usability News

User Experience Consultant Senior User Experience Professional User Research /Tester /IA Web Usability Practitioner Senior UX /IA Director, UX and Site Optimization User Experience Designers Lead User Experience Architect User Experience Architect /Manager Head of Design, Digital Media Graduate User Experience Consultant Junior User Experience Consultant Manager /Lead Information Architect Android Mobile User Experience Designer

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Full Job Title Analysis

00.020.040.060.080.1

0.120.140.160.180.2

Titles

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Some Key UX Roles

1. Accessibility Engineer2. Design Manager3. Information Architect4. Interaction Designer5. Localisation Engineer6. Requirements Engineer7. Service Architect8. Specification Manager9. UCD Researcher10. UX Champion11. UX Creative12. UX Project Manager13. UX Prototyper14. Visual Designer

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Full Role Analysis

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Areas of work

Accessibility

Requirements

Evangelise

Specification

Prototyping

QA

Interaction

User analyst

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Full Skills and Deliverables Analysis

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

Generalist Design Library Best practice Coding Experiment

Skills + Deliverables

Series1

9

Full Job Focus Analysis

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1

Job Focus

DeveloperManagerDesignConceptLeadExpert

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Full Deliverables Analysis

02468

10121416

Deliverables

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Some General UX Competencies

1. Ability to see the big picture and also work at very detailed level2. Ability to apply knowledge and evaluate solutions on the fly - pragmatism3. Insights into impact of design/research decisions4. Understanding and commitment to design for all and usability – user advocate5. Good knowledge of the domain – best practice6. Ability to communicate UX ideas to stakeholders

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The UXCF Dimensions

• Practice – e.g. underlying discipline – IA, user research etc

• Competency focus – e.g. abstracted skills relevant to practice - analysis

• Role – e.g. type of work done – manager, designer etc

• Externalisation – e.g. what is produced - reporting to wireframes

• Competence - novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, expert

• Progression – e.g. level in organisation/career - Junior to senior

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UXCF 2010 - Insights into UX Jobs

Practice orientation

Split between more tradition UCD roles and the newer UX ones

UCD roles are more research based while UX ones focus on design and best practice

Competency orientation

Roles evenly split over four orientations - Technical, Generalist, Interaction & Best Practice

Role orientation

Four way spit between - Manage, Lead, Design and Expert orientations

Attitudinal orientation

Four way spit between - Passionate, Analytical, Creative and Detailed

Analysis of 40 UX role descriptions

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UXCF Dimensions Applied

UCD UX

30 70

UCD UX

30 70

Manage

Design

Lead

Expert

10

30

3525

Manage

Design

Lead

Expert

10

30

3525

Practice orientation

Competency orientationRole orientation

Attitudinal orientation

Technical

Interaction

Generalist

Best practice

25

25

25

25

Technical

Interaction

Generalist

Best practice

25

25

25

25

Passionate

Creative

Analytical

Detailed

25

25

25

25

Passionate

Creative

Analytical

Detailed

25

25

25

25

Rationale for role

Usable

World class

Quality

20

40 40

Usable

World class

Quality

20

40 40

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Rationale for Workshop (2010) – Current situation

Strengths• Strong demand from industry for UX • Weaknesses• Lack of clearly defined career paths, roles and quality metricsThreats• Low barriers to entry • Low quality could compromise further success• Roles and definitions could be imposed from outside the profession – main driver

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Organisations involved

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Workshop structure

9.30-11.00

Plenary:Firstsessionbeginswithsomeoftheworkshoporganiserswhowillprovideaninitialscopeof thefield,identifyingexistingdefinitionsforUX-relatedskillsandroles,andtoidentifygaps.Thiswillconsistofpresentationsincluding:•Asummaryofpointscommontoanumberofpositionpapers•reviewofexistingcompetencyframeworksrelatedtoUX•AhistoryofpastactivitiestodefineandprofessionaliseusabilityFollowedbypositionpapers•RobMettlerandcolleagues,PAConsultingGroup•DavidTravis,UserFocusLtd•Jose-RodrigoCordoba,RoyalHolloway,UnivofLondon•StephenChambers,RedGate•ScottDodgson,SKOPOS

11.15 -12.30

Breakoutintotwogroupstodiscusspapersandworkonthefollowingobjectives:

•A“bottomup”definitionofUX:Acollectionoflow-levelunderpinningskills/knowledge relevanttoUX(inparticularidentifyingifthesecomponentskillsarenotlistedinexistingframeworks

•A“topdown”definitionofUX:AVenndiagramoralternativewayofrepresentingwhereUXrolessit comparedtootherrolesinanorganisation,forexample:IT,business,marketing,ergonomics,designroles.Inparticularcanweidentifyrolesthatarenotmentionedinexistingframeworks

1. 30 -2.45 Plenary:Secondsession–Asurvey(ByUPAUK)ofexistingUXoccupationsandsalariesfollowedbypapersthathelpusidentifythe learningthatbothpeopleandorganisationsmustgothroughtocreateprofessionalisminUX•WilliamHudson,Syntagm•SusanTurner&PhilTurner,EdinburghNapierUniversity•PhilDay&colleagues,NCRCorporation•MitjaKoštomaj,ThamesValleyUniversity•AlisonBlack,AlisonBlackResearching&Consultancy

3.00-4.00 Breakoutgroups– firstlytorevisitthemorning’sdefinitionsinthelightofwhattheyhavejustheard,andthentomakeprogressonthefollowing

•Bottomup:AsharedsenseofwhatpersonallearningisrequiredbothtoentertheUXprofessionandtoallowtheUXpractitionertomakeprogressintheircareer.Identifymodelqualifications,trainingcourses,professionalbodiesandexisting(orpossible)accreditation.Identifycareerstructuresforindividuals

•Topdown:whatarethelevelsofUXcapabilitymaturity thatanorganisationmustachievetoofferaneffectiveUXservicetoclients,andhowcanthesebedeveloped.Aimtoproducesomemodelcollaborativeactivitiesandworkflows/processes,andmodelorganisationalstructures.

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Some conclusions

Bad/difficult• Growing diversity of roles – not just usability testing• Experience valued over qualifications• Design (vs. HCI) introduces a fundamentally different perspective • Fast moving industry which defies static definitions• Disconnection between skills frameworks and employment practice• Potential gap between education provision and industry skill needs• Progress requires multiplicity of stakeholders – not all represented or known Good/easy• Potential agreement on some basic definitions/roles etc• Accreditation is unlikely for the foreseeable future – lessons from the past• Appetite to get this sorted – across organisations – for the 1st time?

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Discussion points

• Can one person do everything? • Should barriers to entry be raised?• Is accreditation a brake on innovation?• Should the market work its ‘magic’ or is that a risk?• Should there be prescribed qualifications and career paths?• Which is more relevant - Portfolio or Degree?

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Discussion points

• Can one person do everything? • Should barriers to entry be raised?• Is accreditation a brake on innovation?• Should the market work its ‘magic’ or is that a risk?• Should there be prescribed qualifications and career paths?• Which is more relevant - Portfolio or Degree?

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Appendix - UXCF 2010 Poster

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User requirements

Concept, Service designIdeation

Prototyping

Interface designWireframing

Usability testing Implementation

Functional requirements

Visual design

IA

Business Analysis

Marketing

User researcher

UI Developer

UX DesignerUX Architect

Acce

ssib

ility

Usability tester

UX Jobs UX Activities

Web analytics

CoreUX/UCDac,vi,esandassociatedprofessions

OutputfromUXCF2010byNigelBevan

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UX Architect

Persuasion/influence

Communication

Analytical

Skills

Concept/Design

Innovation

Exploration

Direction

Vision

Implementation User research

Evaluation

Proto/sketch

Info.vis

Pragmatism

Flexibility

Evaluation

Att’n to detail

Tech knowl.

Usability exp

Objectivity

Research

Training

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Attitude

Opinionated

Be creative

Learn to learn new things

Say what you cannot do

ArticulateResponds well to feedback

Works in teams (co-pilot)

UX PRO

Make it personal

Be the glue between depts/teams

Go out of comfort zone and engage

Value to process

Analytical skills

See the big picture

Simultaneous bird’s eye and detail Understand

process & methodology

Knowledge of [tech] industry

Tools & their uses

Know a number of tools

Knowledge of the process

Active listening

Know when to use method

Craft

25

Learn to learn new methodologiesWork in teams

Be analytical

Communication

Collaboration and facilitation

Flexible

Analytical skills - understanding

Collaborate

Active listening

Be able and willing to articulate user and business needs

Know another methodology

Know a methodology

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Knowledge

Personal qualities

Skills

UX

Research

Design

Process

Evaluation

Creative

Problem solving

Multidimensional

Pragmatism

FlexibilityReceptiveness

Appreciate other views

Presentation/communication

VisualOralWritten

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Pragmatism

Standard usability techniquesKnowledge

Presentation skills

Knowledge of “design process”Knowledge

User research techniquesKnowledge

Best practice/standardsKnowledge

VisualOralWritten

QualitativeQuantitative

Prototyping tools – however simple

Not being defensive

Appreciation of others views

Flexibility