The question everyone looking at your UX portfolio is REALLY asking
I’d like to take you back in time for a minute — back to 1989, to be exact. The place is Kent State University, where I studied Graphic Design in one of the toughest programs in the country. And you need a little backstory on that to fully appreciate what I’m about to...
Thoughts on the New Year: you have all you need.
Friends, I’d like to share a few thoughts on the coming New Year, and a little UX career advice I hope is helpful. A few days back I answered a question in my Private Facebook Group, where a young man asked what he could do to prepare for a second round design...
Cut the bullshit: it’s time to end the tyranny of UX terminology.
Here’s a conversation I was party to earlier today, between the VP of Product and an in-house UX lead: UX: “So what we really need to do is institute DesignOps. We need to put together a DesignOps strategy.” VP: “A what strategy?” UX: “DesignOps.” VP: “What the...
Why you didn’t get that UX job interview.
Let’s say I’m a recruiter — or a UX hiring manager — looking at your UX portfolio. If the story it’s telling looks and sounds like one I’ve already heard a thousand times before, I’m moving on. No matter how great the work lurking under your cover may be, my...
3 reasons most UI Design is pretty — but ineffective.
Even the best-looking UI design can still be nothing but an obstacle, an unusable collection of nice-looking elements. Everything a user sees onscreen does one of two things. Each element either: Illuminates the path to their desired outcome and helps them get there...
Innovation, entrepreneurship, punk rock and why I do what I do.
A young design student recently contacted me to ask if I’d be willing to do an interview on the topics of innovation and entrepreneurship. My answer to these things, especially when it comes to students is always “of course,” so we got to it. He sent...
Am I too old for UX? (Tuesdays with Joe, Episode 12)
Today’s UX question comes from an experienced designer who’s wondering, like a lot of us who are past 40, if he’s too old for UX. Jim is increasingly feeling lost in the mad rush of design agency life, and is beginning to question whether or not he still...
Introducing the MAKING UX WORK Podcast!
Hey friends! I wanted to let you know that I’ve just launched the inaugural episode of my new podcast, MAKING UX WORK — and you can listen to it right here. It’s a little different than most of what’s out there, because my guests aren’t the “rock stars” of UX,...
Are UX Interview “Exercises” Crossing the Line?
I’m increasingly troubled by stories from young Designers and UXers about UX interview “exercises” potential employers are asking them to do. Specifically, I’m seeing too many instances where, to my eyes, it looks like these organizations are asking...
