My presentation on UX Job roles as presented in San Francisco at the HOW Interactive Design Conference

1. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
UX Roles
And what it means for you
With Patrick McNeil

2. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
What is UX Design?

3. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Employers & Employees
do not agree
In particular

4. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Topics for today
I want to consider the following:
• Descriptions of UX roles & job types
• Key attributes of UX jobs
& employees
• How does UX change a
teams workflow

5. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Hello, I’m Patrick McNeil
• UX Architect at Magellan Health
• Former professor – passionate educator
• Researcher / Designer / Developer
• Writer of many things

6. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
What is UX Design?
So again,

7. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
For me UX Design is
1) The process of enhancing digital
interfaces with a core focus on the
users needs, tasks and behaviors.
2) Without users there is no UX.

8. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Elevator pitch
Get one!

9. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
1) UX Roles & Job Types

10. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Job title nonsense
Pain point

11. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Job titles I encountered
• Web Designer
• UX Designer
• UX Developer
• UI / UX Designer
• UI / UX Developer
• UX Researcher
• UX Strategist
• UX Architect
• UX Engineer
• Experience Designer
• Web Developer
• Front-end Developer
• User Interface Designer
• Interactive Designer
• Interaction Designer
• UI Artist
• Usability Researcher /
Specialist / Analyst /
Engineer
• Product Designer
• Digital Designer

12. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
UX Job Title Generator
Source: http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/ux_job_title_generator.html

13. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
UX as a buzz word
Pain point

14. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Annoying terms you will find:
• UX Best practices
• UX Sensibilities
• UX Trends
• Pattern libraries

15. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
All code for jobs that
don’t actually include
“real” UX work

16. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Code!
Pain point

17. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
To blend UX & Development
People really, really, really want

18. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
UI/UX Developer position

19. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
I am letting code go
I have a confession,

20. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
User
Research
UI
Structure
Visual
Design Coding
Interaction Design
UI Design
Graphic
Design
UX Development
UI/UX Design or UX Architecture
UX Research
Primary UX Roles Secondary UX Roles

21. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015

22. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Ask lots of questions
The moral of this story,

23. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
2) Key attributes
Of UX Jobs & Employees

24. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
A focus on users

25. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
User Research
Some form of
Surveys don’t count

26. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
An iterative process
No one gets it right the first time

27. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Assertive,
Co-operative &
Diplomatic

28. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Patient,
Humble
& Open

29. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
3) How UX changes
a teams workflow

30. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
UI Model = Data Model
Most developers default approach:

31. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
UX Designers strive to have the…
UI Model =
Users Mental Model

32. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Work ahead
The UX Designer must

33. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Change the entire
teams direction
UX will at times

34. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
Carry the torch
The UX Designer must

35. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
The UX Designer must
Be an aid to the
developers

36. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
The UX Designer must
Say no to a lot of people

37. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
If UX is new to the team
Employee vs Employer

38. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
On pmcneil.com
Get this presentation

39. 9/20/2015 @DesignMeltdown How Interactive Design Conference 2015
</presentation>