by kliadmin | Oct 7, 2014 | Conferences, Personas, UX
by Kelly Nercess
Where do your social preferences lie when you think of a typical Friday night? Do you envision dancing the night away with a group of friends at the hottest nightclub? Or opt for a more laid-back evening with the latest Stephen King novel and a glass of wine in front of the fire? By choosing a preference, you are also declaring the trait of an introvert or an extrovert. Mike Townson shared his insights to the topic of introverts and extroverts at the Big Design conference in Dallas last month. How does this concept impact your ability to screen the right participants for your study goals?
On the scale of introverts and extroverts, sometimes there is no clear direction. You might feel drawn towards one side of the spectrum or you may find yourself smack dab in the middle. I, for one, can totally relate to this idea. I learned there is a word for that, we’re called Ambiverts by Townson. We “can be considered moderately comfortable with groups and social interaction, but also relishing time alone, away from a crowd.” They are an intermediate between an introvert and an extrovert and share the same qualities that are possessed by both personalities. As an Ambivert, I can prefer quiet nights alone re-energizing my mind by simply keeping my thoughts to myself. Activities might include getting lost in a new book or reorganizing my kitchen. I get easily exhausted when I am constantly surrounded by people or feel the need to entertain others. On the other end, I do frequently enjoy social outings and I like to engage and interact with other people that are similar to me. I find comfort in a Friday night out with friends sharing our weekly stories over a beer.
Aside from my personal take on the topic, what does this mean for the UX industry? How do personality traits of an introvert and an extrovert really affect the moderator that is conducting an in-lab Qualitative study with a one-on-one interview, or a focus group? The loudest person in the room and the most outgoing is the right one in a focus group. That is absolutely not true. User Experience focuses on introverts and getting in to their minds and what they think and pulling out their thoughts and making them feel comfortable to share their opinions. When you are in the interview process to gain participants, it shouldn’t be about having the outgoing extrovert personality. It doesn’t mean that they are always the best candidate for the study and can get the most valuable information because they are the loudest.
Even being classified as an introvert or extrovert can play a considerable role in an office environment. It can determine whether a person is better suited in a cubicle setting with frequent loud conversations happening around them, or a more excluded setting that includes a private office and fewer distractions. So Townson poses the question, “How can we have a more friendly work environment for all personality types?” Well, the answer may be simple by using these tactics:
- Quiet time blocks
- Check with someone over IM/email before coming over to talk with them
- Huddle rooms for quick conversations
- Phone “booths” for conference calls
Management styles should adapt when considering introverts and extroverts. Ideally a mixed management style that caters to both personalities. Take advice from all angles and don’t exclude particular insights because it may come from someone else with a different personality. The allure of living in a society that can be considered a melting pot allows us to gain different points of views – leverage that!
Overall, I was able to learn a great deal from Mike Townson about the psychology behind introverts and extroverts and how we can incorporate these personalities in to not only the UX world, but also our daily lives. So now I pose the question, where do you think you fall on the spectrum?
by kliadmin | Sep 10, 2014 | Conferences, usability, UX Fellows
by Rick Damaso
Love your job? Chances are if you work in UX, you do.
My recent trip to UXPA 2014 offered me more than the opportunity try authentic Fish & Chips. It gave me great insights to the UX industry and as it turns out, great perspective on the people that make up the industry. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was the consistently, inconsistent career & educational backgrounds of UX professionals. After nearly a dozen conversations that described incredibly diverse paths to their current role, I decided this warranted a closer look. After some digging it turns out that not only are UX professionals incredibly diverse in their educational backgrounds, but their career satisfaction ratings were noticeably high¹. In order to understand why our colleagues were rating their job satisfaction so highly, I decided to first look at the characteristics of successful researchers. I wondered how current growth within the industry and optimism on future developments within their profession shaped their feelings towards their job.
In order to answer these questions I first looked at the qualities that make up professional UX research associate. I asked participants at UXPA2014, employees within Key Lime Interactive and colleagues across the industry to chip in. I received some pretty interesting opinions. Most success stories were based on educational backgrounds. Some of the responses described researchers as having “solid computer programming skills, a background in Anthropology or Psychology and some exposure to Human Factors training.”
To test the validity of these statements, and in true UX fashion, I conducted some ethnographic studies on some unsuspecting colleagues and UXPA2014 delegates. Knowing their education background and comparing it to the “suggested educational paths” would allow me to determine if it was their training or other inherent qualities that make great researchers. It turns out that only about half of the participants I observed were trained in the previously mentioned disciplines. So what was the common thread between the greater population? It seems that at the heart of almost all UX professionals lies a naturally inquisitive spirit, the willingness to pursue a career of lifelong learning and excellent communication skills.
Armed with this information I wondered how such a diverse group of men and women would describe their job satisfaction. Would they express optimism towards the future of their industry? According to a study conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group, UX professionals rank their job satisfaction a 5.4² on a Likert scale. They also ranked pay/benefits satisfaction as a 5.2³. But does earnings truly correlate to higher job satisfaction? Harvard Business Review author Tomas C. Premuzic argues that “there is less than a 2% overlap between individuals pay and pay satisfaction”⁴. This leads us to infer that job satisfaction and satisfaction of pay are independent of each other. So what other factors could be driving the overall satisfaction from such a diverse pool of workers? Nielsen researchers noted that after polling over 1,000 UX professionals, the core activities of a UX researcher included: presenting solutions/concepts, persuading others and critically analyzing tasks or activities, which strongly correlates to the qualities observed during my impromptu ethnographic study.
As a whole, the UX industry finds itself in a period of tremendous growth. With more than half of all UX professionals living in the United States⁵, other markets will soon look to qualified professionals for expertise and guidance. So ask yourself this, do you feel well-rewarded and highly valued? Do you see your work as being intrinsically good for humanity? Do you enjoy being engaged and being able to use many of your skills on a daily basis? Then smile, you are probably a UX professional.
1. Nielsen, Jakob, and Susan Farrell. “User Experience Careers.” User Experience Careers. 2013. Web.
2. Nielsen, Jakob, and Susan Farrell. “User Experience Careers.” User Experience Careers. 2013. Web.
3. Nielsen, Jakob, and Susan Farrell. “User Experience Careers.” User Experience Careers. 2013. Web.
4. Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas. “Does Money Really Affect Motivation? A Review of the Research.” Does Money Really Affect Motivation. Harvard Business Review, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Aug. 2014.
5. Nielsen, Jakob, and Susan Farrell. “User Experience Careers.” User Experience Careers. 2013. Web.
by kliadmin | Sep 8, 2014 | Conferences, mobile, Mobile Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, usability
Overall words to describe the Big Design Conference 2014: Jam packed, smart people, memorable and, of course, Phil freaking Tippett. In case you don’t know this legend by name, he’s been the visual effects creative mind behind on Star Wars and Jurassic Park! Here’s the highlight reel on Day 2 to close out this exciting two day conference.
Do You Trust Me Now?: Content Convergence in the Age of Social Media by Rahel Anne Bail @rahelab
Rahel talked about having a content marketing strategy. The quicker your company realizes that everyone is a brand ambassador, the more successful you’ll be. A couple takeaways:
- Unless we’re creating content meant for social validation and social interaction, we’re not doing it right.
- Social media is not the same as social business. One-way communication is not social. It’s advertising.
- Customers may claim that they don’t care about social in business context. They’re in denial.
Give a hoot! Mapping (and caring for) the Semantic Environment by Jorge Arango @jarango
This lively (and academic talk) had audience members shouting “Give a Hoot!” throughout the presentation in order to confirm salient points. Jorge taught us how human beings react to and derive meaning from language and the nuances of context. For example, responsive has a different meaning for web designers vs medical device developers. Be thoughtful about the semantic environment in your writing.
The Design of Content: Strategies for Lasting Impressions by Keith Anderson @suredoc
Keith argues the point that the design and reading experience has been improving since the 1450s. He takes his theories from Gestalt psychology, the idea of what the eyes take in the mind will process as a whole. Takeaways from the presentation include:
- Content strategy can be defined as the art AND science of controlling the creation, storage, maintenance, and dissemination of words and their associated assets and context to be congruent with an organization’s goals.
- The User Experience movement has simultaneously helped and hindered how we communicate.
- Our job as content writers is to anticipate readers’ expectations and provide them with quality content within a context perspective.
- Take your content seriously. Write and design with a purpose.
- Take the time to conduct reader research. Build profiles, conduct surveys, and make sure you understand what they expect from you.
Body Language: Hidden UX Insights from Body Language by Brad Nunnally @bnunnally
Brad cited scientific examples that included the fact that human beings make decisions 7 seconds before they physically communicate them. If we can focus in on body language we’ll get an early indication and non-verbal confirmation from our qualitative work.
Lights, Camera, Interaction: Design Inspiration from Filmmaking by Adam Connor @adamconnor
We’re not filmmakers but in the interest of broadening our horizons we decided to take a closer look. What a treat to step outside the walls of marketing and UX-concentrated workshops to learn more about design in film-making. Adam took his passion for film and his experience in design to share his unique perspectives. Fun fact: Designers with a creative vision are often not put in the position to manage. There is a big difference between leadership and management. Here are some facts we came away with:
- Leadership is about vision and inspiration towards the future of that organization.
- Management is to keep things together and MANAGE the organization, not necessarily lead the creative path.
- Scenarios are the interaction between a persona and a use case.
- Mise en Scene: All of the tools other than dialogue, used by a filmmaker to tell a story (everything to design the scene that does not include any actual conversations).
Lessons I Have Learned from Leading UX Designers by Russ Unger @russu
This talk was brimming with great leadership advice that can be applied to any process. For now we’ll just share our favorite quote:
A leader is best when people barely know that she exists
when her work is done and her aim fulfilled they will say – we did it ourselves – Lao Tzu
You’ll have to wait for the blog post for the good stuff.
Headlines, HBO, and Harry Potter: A Case for Context by Justin Smith @xenoabe
Justin can win the award for most compelling topic title. Yes, he did briefly discuss Harry Potter and HBO and how they relate to compelling context. The audience also got to watch a very touching TD Bank commercial, which proves the case that meaningful context can really draw the emotions you are seeking for from your viewers.
- Context is the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement or idea, in terms it can be fully understood.
- Context is like a green screen.
- Sometimes you don’t want to give it all away in your headline. You want to be mysterious It’s ok to play with the user and some fun with your messaging.
Mitigating Scope Creep: Useful Tips for Project Peace by Michael Vaughn
Another good tactical approach presentation. Our top takeaway here centers on taking accountability when you start a project. Accountability for your company AND for your client. If you have a clear understanding of your roles then it’s easier to maneuver the project segues when they happen….cause they WILL happen.
Why Photos Rule The Internet by Tony Cecala @tonycecala
Companies like Target, Starbucks, UPS and Fedex have such a strong brand image that their logos can do all the talking. From passing a billboard in Times Square or swiping through your newsfeed on Facebook, you’ll recognize the logos of these brands. It’s a brilliant visual communication tool….once you have that kind of brand recognition.
- When building an identity for your logo and image, put a fair amount of consideration in to the design and colors you choose.
- Memes have become a popular way brands can communicate with a younger audience.
- Text and image-based posters used for political campaigns were memorable prior to the internet and can be considered a “meme” (think Uncle Sam).
- Facebook beats out Instagram, Snapchat and Flickr as the #1 outlet for photos and images to share your life with your friends.
- Tweets with images get 150% more retweets
- Tweets with images get 18% more clicks
Produce Like Picasso by Brian Sullivan @brianksullivan
We have one word for Brian’s presentation to close out the workshop portion of the conference: INSPIRATIONAL. Brian delivered a compelling presentation on the much-admired artist, Pablo Picasso, and showed us how to apply Picasso’s work ethics into our daily lives. Here is the secret, it is 5 Ps:
- Passion
- Purpose
- Proficiency
- Persistence
- Partnership
Our keynote closer was Phil Tippett and for this crowd it was quite a treat. Phil is best known for his VFX work on some of Hollywood’s most beloved movies including the Star Wars triology and Jurassic Park. It’s no wonder he’s crowd favorite at Big Design. We were struck by his opening statement that he isn’t a digital designer at his core but a student of art history. He loves making things with his hands and is still committed to stop motion animation. It was a nice ending to a great conference.
We’ll be sharing more opinions over the next few weeks so stay tuned if you want the inside scoop on BigDesign Dallas 2014.
by kliadmin | Sep 5, 2014 | Conferences, mobile, Strategy
If you haven’t been following our Twitter feed, then you have been missing out! Our Key Limers, Kelly Nercess, attended Day 1 of the Big Design conference in Dallas. Wish you were here soaking up all this UX knowledge? Do not despair. Here’s a brief synopsis of our day.
Opening Keynote: Building a Culture of Innovation by Jeff Gothelf @jboogie
Jeff had lots of great tactical advice on how to build a culture of innovation. We’ll write more about that later but the short answer is
Give Your Team A Meaningful Busines Goal
An example might be to increase repeat site visits or decrease shopping cart abandonments. Send back and let them figure it out. Give them a problem to solve not a solution to implement.
Real-Time Content Marketing in a Connected World of Search and Social by Rob Garner @robgarner
Rob shares his insights on the way real-time content marketing has changed the way we relay information. Content marketing has emerged as a marketing budget line item and new digital discipline. You MUST have a strategy in order to make content marketing successful. There’s no flying by the seat of your pants in this approach. Real-time marketing is the extension of real-time communications across other outlets. Social media content is more than a simple tweet. You need relevant meaningful content, strategy and planning to make it all work.
UX of Voting by Elizbeth Rozenweig User Experience at Bentley University
The single most important UX issue that we as a nation face is the design and usability of our voting systems. Only since the 2000 election has this become a prominent issue. We’ll be writing more about this later but we encourage you to get involved at the Voting Information Project
101 Different Amazing Engaging Content Ideas by Bernadette Coleman @berniecoleman
CONTENT IS KING. In this engaging talk Ms Coleman took things one step further and crowned a “King of Content” to illustrate the importance of real-time communication. You can check out his photo here. She also broke down 21 secrets to leverage your content. We’ll give you the first 5 and save the rest for a later blog post.
Step 1: Publish The Article On Your Blog
Step 2: Publish It In Your Newsletter
Step 3:Submit Industry Blogs & How To Articles
Step 4: Post The Article On Google +
Step 5: Offer To Post The Article On Somebody Else’s Blog
ABCD of UX: – Understanding, establishing and sustaining human-centered design by Matthew J Doty @matthewjdoty
Generally speaking we’re talking:
A = Awareness
B = Basics
C = Change
D = Discipine
Again we’ll cover this topic in more detail later. Our main takeaway? In order to effect true change your team needs to be able to answer “YES!” for two important questions.
- Can I do it?
- Is it worth doing?
You can’t move forward without that level of consensus. You’ll also need an awareness of what good UX can really do. If you can explain that value to others, you’re on your way.
Introverts & Extroverts: Extreme UX Personalities by Mike Townson @miketownson
As a self-described introvert, I loved this talk. The idea of the introvert and the extroverts has been a fundamental component of our personality development. Key takeaways from the workshop:
- Can you be a little bit of both an introvert and an extrovert? Yes, they are called ambiverts.
- “Introvert while sober, extrovert while drunk” is a reasonable and common occurrence.
- Create an amazing team by combining one extrovert and one introvert. They can be a deadly combination and extremely competitive. They naturally compliment each other. Yin and yang anyone?
- Extroverts will easily tell you all about their lives and what they ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner that day. Introverts tend to be more internal and bottle up their thoughts.
- Introverts are typically perfectionists, while extroverts may be procrastinators.
From Scientist to Storyteller: How to Narrate Data by Eric Swayne @eswayne
What is the best definition of an insight?
- Something I don’t know AND
- Something I should know AND
- Something I can change
Inspiring Confidence: 5 Strategies to Establish Users’ Trust In Your Website by Tom Bowen
Everyone has the goal to have a trusted and and welcoming website so what drives users away from a website?
- Only 3% of visits to the average website result in a conversion so anything more is good.
- Make sure the overall look-and-feel of your website is up-to-date. Follow current design trends. Websites from the 90s send a warning shot to users. It appears no one is minding the store. Literally.
- Competitive pricing is key. Be realistic.
- Neglected ‘About Us’ pages can be a red flag that the website is outdated. Keep this data current!
CDO vs SEO: Why Content Discovery Optimization is the new SEO by Dan Sturdivant
Let’s start thinking in terms of great content instead of great keywords. Create an experience. In terms of Twitter, your ratio of content should be 9 informational tweets to every 1 self-promotional tweet.
What People Really Do On Mobile and How to Design For it by Pamela Pavliscak @paminthelab
Are you addicted to your phone? Do you take it to bed with you? Typical mobile users check their phones 150 times a day and 44% of users sleep with their phones (No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter!). Pamela ran several tests to learn how people interact with their mobile phones. Key takeways:
- 80% say that their phone is the first and last thing they look at every day.
- 74% overlook or just ignore bottom navigation options
- 53% of mobile phone users have had a distracted walking encounter (being so involved in your phone that you walk into another person or fall off a stair)
That’s all for Day 1. We’ll be back tomorrow with a recap of Day 2. We’ll also be posting more robust content and links in the coming weeks.
by kliadmin | Aug 7, 2014 | Conferences, News, usability, UX Fellows
By: Rick Damaso
I recently had the opportunity to represent Key Lime Interactive at the UXPA 2014 Conference in London. This was my first official conference representing Key Lime so I was a little apprehensive. I wanted to impress my bosses and contribute in any way I could. As the new kid on the block I was feeling more than a little responsible for the trust and financial investment in my attendance. Adding to this self-imposed pressure was the fact that I was traveling with a UXPA veteran, self-proclaimed user experience Ninja and VP of Research, Eugenio Santiago. (You can follow him at @TheLimeNinja).
Whether you are reading this as a UX novice or have 10+ years of experience in the industry, you know the benefits of attending top-notch conferences. Not only do you get industry training, the latest trends, best practice review, and team building exercises; you get those awesome little pastries that seem to be on every dining cart. Ultimately, it’s all about the networking. I’ve learned that the user experience community is a small one. It’s a tight-knit group of professionals with long standing histories and crossed career paths, which can definitely be intimidating to newcomers. A pleasant surprise for me was the camaraderie and wonderful sense of humor we all share. Everyone is equipped with quick wit and good-natured jokes – most of which are aimed at web developers. Truth be told, I don’t know those jokes. It got me thinking…. What else I could learn before heading to the next conference? What tips could I share with you, the reader, on maximizing your experience at any professional conference? Here’s a few that come to mind:
1. PRE-CONFERENCE PREPARATION IS KEY
As my university professor used to say, ”Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. Have a list of target companies, vendors, and individuals that you would like to connect with professionally and personally. Most conferences will have a fan page on Facebook or a list of sponsors/attendees on their website prior to the event. Use that information to your advantage. It’s a great way to maximize the short coffee breaks between sessions. You may want to contact people in advance and set up a time and place to rendezvous and talk shop. Be sure to leave time in your schedule to allow for organic conversations. This is particularly true for training sessions where you’ll probably get to know your fellow attendees fairly well in a smaller group.
2. HAVE A 140 CHARACTER ELEVATOR PITCH
I wonder if the founders of Twitter ever envisioned their platform being utilized for virtual conference attendance? When used effectively, Twitter is a powerful tool to converse with speaker and other conference attendees, maximize corporate/personal exposure and start new business conversations. You can even schedule some tweets based on your planned itinerary. Be sure to follow the conference hashtag to extend your conversations beyond the conference walls.
3. DON’T BLEND IN
Don’t be afraid of wearing the “new guy” badge. The organizers will literally put it under your name on your conference badge so you won’t really have a choice anyway. Own it. There’s no reason to be shy. In fact, your “newness” is a great ice breaker. Everyone will be excited to see a fresh face. This is your opportunity to ask questions, stimulate discussions with panelists, and build equity amongst your peers. My advice for first time attendees, or for any professional looking to learn more about the UX industry, is to start a conversation whenever you find yourself in a crowd. Helpful hint: You are never “off-duty” while at a conference so be aware of who’s in the room during designated social hours. You might meet that industry player who you’ve been hoping to meet.
My theory going into my first big event with Key Lime, was that a novice and a ninja might look at a conference in very different ways. I imagined we would each have different definitions of a successful conference. As it turns out, our success metrics weren’t all that different. We each learned a lot during the five-day event, got some great tips to inform our research back at the office and met some incredibly smart people along the way.
After the closing keynote, I sat down with the ninja for a debrief. We compared notes and talked about some of most exciting takeaways. The ninja nodded at me and confirmed that we both had great experience. He had one piece of final advice for me. I eagerly pulled out my smartphone, ready to capture these final words of wisdom. He was going to give me the inside scoop. I was eager and thrilled to be a part of this secret knowledge. As he motioned me to come a little closer he said “So rookie, did you hear the one about the web developer walking into a bar…..He didn’t like the table layout”
by kliadmin | Apr 8, 2014 | Conferences, eye tracking
Eyetracking provides product designers with non-intrusive behavioral data collection in order to predict and detect failures. Resulting Gaze patterns help identify Potential Environment Distraction in the medical or clinical environments as well as various cultural differences.
At the recent HFES Symposium in Chicago, attendees found this poster to be helpful by demonstrating the importance of the clinician’s experience with new technology. Following successful trends, Key Lime Interactive plans to use Eyetracking to further identify errors within all hardware developer scenarios.
