anatomy of a ux practitioner (samantha yuen)
of 18
/18
Anatomy of a UX Practitioner Samantha Yuen @duzkiez Jul 2014 Image: Play-Grand
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
UXPA 2014 Unconference presentation from Samantha YuenTRANSCRIPT
Anatomy of a UX Practitioner Samantha Yuen @duzkiez Jul 2014 Image:
Play-Grand 2 disclosure: social anxiety disorder 5 years Samantha
Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 What personal traits do great UX
practitioners possess? Do you really need to like people in order
to design for them? 3 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 key
questions 4 depth interviews Anna Himmanen Lead Consultant, APAC
Cresense Raven Chai Principal Consultant UX Consulting Eva Wan
Consultant, Analytics Nmbl Consulting Shah Widjaja Consultant, UX
Nmbl Consulting Koh Wei Eng Senior Design Ethnographer Joanna
Cockle UX Recruiter Xpand Group Michael Ong Senior Product Manager
bellabox Manisha Dikshit Qualitative Research Specialist Consumer
Faces Shamil Zainuddin Ethnographer Hong Khai Seng Principal
Consultant Foolproof Allan Caeg Product Manager mig33 Samantha Yuen
@duzkiez / Jul 2014 7 years 6 years 5 years 3 years 8 years 10
years 2 years 7 years 12 years 24 years 1.5 years Nov 2013 5 David
Travis Managing Director Userfocus Alvin Chai Co-founder & UX
Consultant NetizenTesting.com Luke Chambers Co-founder UX Mastery
Chiew Soon Aik UX Consultant NetizenTesting.com Sam Lorraine Chan
UI/UX Designer Tripid Philippines Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014
24 year s 4 year s 3 mths 1.5 year s 10 year s United Kingdom
Malaysia & Philippines Australia depth interviews Nov 2013 6
Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 UXPA survey 24 people 1 1 3 6 13
Other Startup Client side Digital agency Consultancy 4 1 3 3 4 3 3
3 Not a practitioner Less than 6 months 6-12 months 1-3 years 3-6
years 6-9 years 9-12 years More than 12 years 7 Samantha Yuen
@duzkiez / Jul 2014 Image: Wikihow 8 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul
2014 top personal traits {68%} Empathetic {64%} Curious {64%}
Thinker/Analytical {60%} Communicates well {56%} Open-minded {45%}
Observant {37%} Willingness to change {32%} Humble {28%} People
person {25%} Honest depth interviews {88%} Good listener {88%}
Observant {83%} Open-minded {79%} Thinker/Analytical {75%}
Communicates well {73%} Works well with others {71%} Curious {67%}
Empathetic {63%} Adaptable {63%} Patient {63%} Willingness to learn
UXPA survey 9 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 why these traits?
At the end of the day, what we are doing is about human beings and
for human beings. Methods can be learnt but not how to read people.
I trust my ability to read people when hiring someone. We have to
deconstruct everyday things, look at processes, deal with different
situations and make the unfamiliar, familiar. depth interviews
These are traits I have observed in successful practitioners /
would value most on a project. Empathy, understanding and
collaboration are key elements to deliver valuable and meaningful
results. Its important to leave yourself out of the room and be
open to what others have to say or do. UXPA survey 10 Samantha Yuen
@duzkiez / Jul 2014 someone who doesnt like people anti-social,
unfriendly not outgoing very introverted cant communicate well
prefers dogs to people despises people causes tension not team
player oxymoron two-face not genuine depth interviews not liking
people not the same as disliking them its separate from the job
dont have to like people to understand them curious and likes
solving puzzles emotional distance can help to rise above
stereotypes not liking the people you interview close-minded no
empathy cant communicate well territorial about his/her designs
UXPA survey 11 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 do you have to
like people? yes 38% no 31% maybe 31% depth interviews UXPA survey
yes 12% no 71% maybe 17% 12 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 yes,
you need to Its arrogance I know whats best for users so they
should shut up and accept my design. Users need to know they can
trust you and you have to enjoy spending time with people. UX is
user experience. If you dont like people, how can you immerse in
their lives and understand them? depth interviews Without empathy,
youre just an X, not a UX person. Designing for people you dont
connect with causes misunderstanding and lowers engagement. UXPA
survey 13 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 maybe Your work might
be good enough but not awesome. But maybe you can care about people
and yet not like them. They could bring different perspectives but
because they dont trust, fundamentals are not there. If you dont
like people, you can get the job done but wont go the extra mile.
depth interviews Not 100% sure you can be empathetic while hating
users. Empathy is not sympathy. Too often, UX-ers become
narcissists by projecting their values and logic into the work.
Sometimes designers tend to be emotional if biased towards the
target group. Best designers are neutral towards all things. UXPA
survey 14 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 no, its not necessary
You can be interested in human behaviour but dont have to like
them. Empathy is not liking people but being able to understand
them. Not all chefs have to love eating. As long as you appreciate
people. UX is still centred around problem solving. depth
interviews You dont have to like someone to understand them. You
need to be able to understand your users and be open to their
perspectives and past experiences, but you dont have to like them.
It could even be helpful to have slight negative feelings towards
them, this has been used for concepts such as the anti-persona.
UXPA survey 15 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 Image: Scientific
American Bronislaw Malinowski Founder of social anthropology Most
famous for study of natives on Trobriand Islands, Melanesia Study
praised for being even-handed without condemnation or condescension
16 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 Image: Scientific American On
the whole my feelings toward the natives are decidedly tending to
Exterminate the brutes. Hatred and contempt Lust for native women
Obsessive suspicions of others Image: Good Reads 17 Samantha Yuen
@duzkiez / Jul 2014 Image: Wikihow Be objective open-minded &
self-aware 18 Samantha Yuen @duzkiez / Jul 2014 thank you. @duzkiez