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KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL UX CAREER Bill Albert, PhD Executive Director Bentley University User Experience Center 7 October 2015

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Bentley UXC 3 • 150+ graduate students in HFID • UX Certificate program • UXC = “teaching hospital” model

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Why It Matters • Personal satisfaction/happiness • Career advancement • Monetary security • Contribution to the UX field • Making the world a little better 4

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My Motivation 5

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UX Career Growth 6 UX Training “Basics” First Job “Practice” Early Career “Building Confidence” Mid-Career “Showing Value” Late Career “Big Picture”

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UX Areas of Focus 7 Design Research Strategy

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Training • Learn from others • Academic programs • Professional programs or certification • Online courses 8

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Continuing Education 9 • Always be learning • Books/articles • Online resources

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Networking 10 • Meet people • UX events • Non-UX events • Informational interviews • Online communities

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Projects 11 • Not all projects are equal • High profile • Big impact • ROI calculations • Great teams

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Expanding Your Expertise 12 • Wear different hats • Research – Design – Strategy • New tools • Qualitative – Quantitative methods • Business data

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Demonstrating Value 13 • How can you provide value? • ROI – align with business goals • Communication to management • Intangibles (make others great)

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UX Champion 14 A UX champion reduces friction • Senior Management • Institutional Support • Budgets • Priorities http://www.uxforthemasses.com/what-makes-good-ux-designer/

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Mentorship 15 A mentor is your compass • Technical skills • “Soft” skills • Career guidance

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Leadership 16 • Anyone can be a leader • Start small • Find leadership opportunities • Seek feedback • Set an example

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Building Relationships 17 • Your career is about people • Trust - value • Different perspectives • Learning from others • Working towards common goal

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Flexibility 18 • Don’t be hardline UX • Incremental improvements • Adapt on the spot • Hold your ground when you need to

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Publish / Present 19 • Dive in! • Find the right venue / publication • Go broad – new perspectives

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Volunteer 20 • Give back • Find an organization • Contribute (don’t wait) • Meet people!

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Find Your Passion 21

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Thank You! Bill Albert, PhD Bentley Univ. User Experience Center Executive Director www.bentley.edu/uxc [email protected] @BentleyUXC @UXMetrics LinkedIn Group – Bentley UXC