The Chicago chapter of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA Chicago) co-hosted an event with General Assembly on February 4, 2016, that featured a dynamic panel and lively Q+A. Local UX leaders discussed everything from leveling-up in a current UX/UI role to transitioning to UX from another role to getting started in the field. In this presentation, Chicagoland UX Directors note what they look for when recruiting UX talent, recommend UX resources (books and training) and identify examples of great UX work.

1. @GA_CHICAGO | GENERALASSEMB.LY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY + IXDA CHICAGO PRESENT:
Coming up at GA: Event
Donuts+Design
Part-time
User
Experience
Design
LEVEL UP + TRANSITION TO UX
Full-time
User
Experience
Design
Mar 5-May 7 Apr 18-Jun 24
Feb 25
8:30-9:30am

2. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the
products and services that they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and
beyond. IxDA intends to improve the human condition by advancing the discipline of
Interaction Design. We rely on individual initiative, contribution, sharing and self-
organization as the primary means for us to achieve our goals.
@ixdachicago
IxDA is a network dedicated to the
professional practice of Interaction Design
1"

3. Tonight’s IxDA Event !
!
!
!
!
!
is sponsored and hosted by…!
2"
Level Up and Transition to UX

4. 3"
Annual Conference!

5. Announcements & Upcoming Local Events!
4"
UX Strategy Chicago & UX Book Club
"UX Strategy" Chicago Book Launch with Jaime Levy
Up until now, the practice of UX Strategy has been overrun by highfalutin
propaganda and no practical guide that explained the strategic techniques as
an easy-to-apply methodology. That's why Jaime says she wrote her book
UX Strategy. Come on down for this book party/talk and challenge the author
with the your hard questions. She's truly thrilled to meet so many other UX
Strategists all in one place. There will be a book raffle, O'Reilly Media swag,
as well as books for sale for $25 (even less than on Amazon).
http://www.meetup.com/UXSCHICAGO/events/228201429/
Wednesday February 10, 2016 6:30pm-8:00pm
Capital One
77 W Wacker Dr. 22nd Floor
Chicago, IL

6. Announcements & Upcoming Local Events!
5"
Chicago Lean Startup
Getting Lean and Mean – Why & How to Use Lean Startup Methods
Come hear the Lean Startup Circle's Todd Wyder discuss his over 20 years of experience
in building lean startups and the reasons why those tools are so effective.
No business idea survives its first interaction with customers, and that is exactly why lean
startup methods are valuable to evolve a concept. Todd will discuss those issues
including how to properly match solutions to market problems, interacting with initial
customers, developing a Minimum Viable Product to prove the concept.
So join us on the 18th for some great lean startup discussions, beer, and some tasty
wraps from Square Roots Kitchen.
Tickets: $10 – includes pizza, beer & drinks
http://www.meetup.com/ChicagoLeanStartup/events/228239566/
Thursday February 18, 2016 5:30pm
VentureSHOT
744 N Wells Street
Chicago, IL

7. Announcements & Upcoming Local Events!
6"
The Information Architecture Institute
World IA Day 2016
http://www.2016.worldiaday.org/location/chicago-illinois-united-states
Saturday February 20, 9:30 am – 6 pm
FCB
John Hancock Tower
875 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago
20th Floor

8. Our Community!
7"
Join our online community!!
www.IxDAChicago.org
www.facebook.com/IxDA.Chicago
Twitter: @ixdachicago
Email: chicago-local@ixda.org

9. Our Community!
Your IxDA Chicago Local Leaders"
8"
Edward
Stojakovic
James
Martin
Golli
Hashemian
Lon
Taylor
Irena
Svidovsky
Sam
Dietz
Sam
Spicer
Jayne
Spottswood
Richard
Verne
Nicole
Love

10. Announcements & Upcoming Local Events!
9"
IxDA, March Event
Emerging Technologies – How Companies Are Leveraging
Instagram and Other Platforms to Enhance User Experience
Head to the IxDA site for more details to be posted soon!
http://www.ixdachicago.org
Wednesday March 2, 2016 6:00pm
Razorfish
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60654

11. Tonight’s Event!!
Level Up and Transition to UX
User experience (UX) is one of the most interesting, quickly emerging fields, with a
promising job landscape and a keen interest from business groups.
Tonight you'll hear from local industry leaders on everything from leveling-up in your
current UX/UI role, to transitioning to UX/UI from another role, to getting started in the
field.
Moderator
Mark Baldino - Co-Founder, Fuzzy Math
Expert Panelists:
Danyell Jones - UX Architect, kCura
Pradeep Nayar - User Experience Director, Allstate
Jennifer Hegener - IT Recruiting Practice Lead, Palace Gate Corporation
Neha Biggs - User Experience Research Manager, Grainger
10"

12. Co-Founder, Fuzzy Math
@FuzzyMath
MARK BALDINO

13. IT Recruiting Practice Lead, Palace Gate Corporation
@Chi_Recruiter
JENNIFER HEGENER

14. JENNIFER HEGENER
WHAT I LOOK FOR IN UX TALENT:
•Current, succinct portfolio including wireframes
•Error free resumé
•Articulate

15. 3 ATTRIBUTES IMPORTANT TO A UX PROFESSIONAL:
JENNIFER HEGENER
•Out of the box thinker
•Attention to detail
•Collaborative

16. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
JENNIFER HEGENER
•NETWORK!
•www.LinkedIn.com
•Example Groups
•IxDA Chicago
•UX Professionals
•User Experience Jobs
•How to Ace a Job Interview: A Visual Guide to Landing
a New Job

17. Independent Consultant, UX Research
NEHA BIGGS

18. Virgin America
www.virginamerica.com
NEHA BIGGS
AN EXAMPLE OF AWESOME UX WORK:

19. 4 ATTRIBUTES IMPORTANT TO A UX PROFESSIONAL:
NEHA BIGGS
•Insatiable curiosity
•Balancing great design with business goals
•Storytelling
•Flexibility

20. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
NEHA BIGGS
•Books: Measuring the User Experience
•Blogs: Smashing Magazine, 52 weeks of UX
•Virtual Course: Design Thinking @ Stanford
dschool
•UX Bootcamp: Bentley University

21. UX Architect, kCura
@kCura
DANYELL JONES

22. Uber
www.Uber.com
DANYELL JONES
AN EXAMPLE OF AWESOME UX WORK:

23. 3 ATTRIBUTES IMPORTANT TO A UX PROFESSIONAL:
DANYELL JONES
•Personality
•Willingness to Learn
•Passion

24. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
DANYELL JONES
•Groups
•Conferences
•Your UX department
•Blogs
•School

25. User Experience Director, Allstate
@DesignOnMyMind
PRADEEP NAYAR

26. UX: Pivotal Labs
http://pivotal.io/labs
PRADEEP NAYAR
AN EXAMPLE OF AWESOME UX WORK:

27. 3 ATTRIBUTES IMPORTANT TO A UX PROFESSIONAL:
PRADEEP NAYAR
•Ability to quickly adjust and adapt to changing situations
•Unquenchable quest for knowledge & asking why
•Attention to detail in design & metrics

28. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
PRADEEP NAYAR
•Books, books, & more books. Rosenfeld Media & Safari books
•SafariBooksOnline (video & audio books),UIE’s All You Can Learn
Library (videos), lynda.com
•Oline sites: SmashingMagazine.com, UXMatters.com,
boxesandarrows.com, and medium.com
•Local Meetups
•School/Training: General Assembly, Designation, Bloc, Skillshare,
DePaul, IIT ID

29. #LEARNATGA
WIFI:SPACE PASSWORD:W0RK5PAC3 (W-ZERO-R5PAC3)
•Mark from @FuzzyMath
•Jennifer @Chi_Recruiter
•Pradeep @DesignOnMyMind
•Danyell from @kCura
•Neha UX Researcher
•IxDA @IxDAChicago
•General Assembly @GA_Chicago