Mabel Chin

Another great Macquarie Design Blog post by Leah Ochroch went live this morning. Insightful, practical tips to ensure your design is accessible for all. #design #experiencedesign #uxdesign #accessibility

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Discover the ultimate guide to scaling your Australian business with Google Cloud. Learn how Cloudverse, a trusted Google Cloud partner, can help you leverage cloud technology to optimize operations, reduce costs, and drive growth. #CloudComputing #CloudServices #DigitalTransformation #BusinessGrowth #AustralianBusiness #ScalableSolutions #CloudStorage #AIandML #DataAnalytics #CostEfficiency #GoogleCloudPartner #CloudMigration #CloudSecurity #ITInfrastructure #RemoteWork #DataDrivenDecisions #MachineLearning #InnovationInBusiness #CloudStrategy #BusinessScaling #TechnologyPartner #EnterpriseCloud #CloudOptimization

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Will I ever stop talking about the business value of design? NEVER. Designers are under selling themselves if they don't know how to connect the dots. It only took me first half of my career working directly with founders to build business through different stages, plus 7 years to build my own side hustle from nearly drain out my life savings to turning over multi six figures to figured out:👇 Designers absolutely need to know more than design to succeed in the business eco system. so where do you even start? All will be revealed in this session. Warning: this talk will be filled with relationship analogies. come for a laugh 😂 ✌️🌈🚀 #businessdesign #designcareer #productdesign #uxdesign

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Next week. I'm talking about disconnection of business and design Atlassian Sydney. Looking forward to share few nuggets about getting these two to talk to each other. Thank you for the crew behind the scene Kevin Wilkins, Lydia Bradshaw, Sylvia Luk, Ashlee King, Sarah Stokes, Tim Dixon, PhD, Timothy Parker for organising. Reminder for everyone, I also run a half day in bootcamp on 21st JUNE in Sydney on - Mastering Business Acumen for Designers. Link in comment. 💬🔗 #businessdesigner #productdesigner #productstrategy

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What are the best design, product and alround tech events these days? I've been out of the loop since covid but would like to get out and about more. AND if anyone is interested in hosting me talk about how designers should move into product, let me know!

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📢 I recently completed the UX Australia course ‘Fostering collaboration by running better stakeholder workshops’, facilitated by Elena Sanchez & Loletta Cheng. 💡Key learnings were: 1. Understanding stakeholder workshops 2. Types of workshop activities 3. Defining workshop objectives 4. Stakeholder mapping 5. Preparing a workshop script 6. Workshop facilitation tips I look forward to applying these insights and methodologies to future workshops!

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Thanks Steve. It's a noble quest, for sure. An effective answer should be one that will unlock someone's understanding of design, and cause them to act differently as a result. I think you are close. To me, a definition using design as a strategic capability should include the things you've mentioned. I feel it should also include bringing the ambitions to life (eg a future state experience vision of sorts). As you know, strategy is also as much about what you say no to as what you say yes to, and being very clear about the path you take to get there. Those decisions could be made with any number of customer insights or lack thereof, and therefore I would include the fact that design can play a part in prioritising, defining horizons and also de-risking the big bets.

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Join us at the Askable webinar. You’ll hear strategies how we scale research maturity at SEEK

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Design is not limited to a screen. Culture, services, even relationships (sad as it sounds) have much to gain from design thinking. I’m hosting a panel next Wednesday in Melbourne called “Design Beyond Boxes” where I’ll be interviewing three people who have taken their UX design skills into new domains. The problem is, I’ve had a late drop-out that I need to replace. If you know a Melbourne-based black-belt professional who has gone from UX into legal design, org design, spatial design, designing AI products or things you can touch, please introduce me. Bonus points for interesting journeys or diverse perspectives

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Check out Allison Ravenhall's insightful talk from A11y Camp on Customer Informed Accessibility in the CommBank app. This session highlights how usability testing with low vision users revealed an issue in our App 5.0 redesign. Some of you might remember Jacob Torres Agudo and Liam Corry's presentation at The Research Society Human Insights conference, where they discussed the research journey behind the new CommBank app home screen (I might of mentioned it a couple of times, did you hear they won an award?). Allison's talk goes deeper into how our testing with low vision users uncovered an unexpected design flaw. Usability testing often gets a bad rap for being boring and low value, but for me, it's some of the most crucial work we do. A lot of the time designs pass with flying colours, but it's those moments when we uncover a usability issue that are truly invaluable. This is especially true when we're addressing the needs of users with accessibility requirements. Enjoy this super informative talk and learn more about the importance of usability testing in creating accessible designs: https://lnkd.in/gKrQTexE #commbanklife #accessibility #a11y #research #humaninsightsconference

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The Note Taker - Unsung hero in user research 💥 💡 🔥 Over 15 years in UX research, the work I’m most proud of—and that’s had the greatest impact— involved the support of a note taker ... whose regular role ranged from BAs and engineers to designers, fellow URs, PMs, DMs, and engagement leads... you name it! But sometimes I still get asked: ❓“Why do you need a note taker?” ❓“Can’t you just take notes yourself?” ❓“Aren’t automated transcripts enough?” Here’s the truth ... 👉 a good note taker is so much more than just someone who jots down notes. 👉 In fact, the term ‘note taker’ seriously undersells the value they bring. 👉 Their true impact? Better research, better business outcomes, and stronger teams—ultimately benefiting the users who rely on the products and services we create in tech and beyond. Why a note taker is good for business 🔹 Higher quality insights leading to more informed decisions. 🔹 Faster turnarounds, keeping projects on track. 🔹 Mitigating risks of delays by avoiding single points of failure, especially during research-heavy phases like discovery. Why a note taker is good for morale 🔹 Prevents burnout by supporting the researchers’ wellbeing 🔹 Encourages collaboration and shared understanding 🔹 Provides support and camaraderie that can be more impactful than any team-building exercise. Why a note taker is good for quality 🔹 Reduces biases from only one person being familiar with the research data e.g. sunk cost fallacy, availability heuristic, recency bias, attentional bias, and more! 🔹 Prevents siloed work by opening up the research process to others on the team 🔹 Research knowledge continuity, speeding up onboarding and reducing ramp-up time on follow-up projects. 🔹 Ensures richer insights and stronger recommendations. Two heads are indeed better than one. So... is a note taker always needed when doing research? No, not always, but here's when I think it's particularly beneficial to bring in a note taker: ⚡ The phase of the work is generative/discovery research. ⚡ Timelines are ambitious, quick research turnaround is needed, single points of failure are high risk. ⚡ High-quality insights are a top priority ⚡ The researcher is new to the project and/or domain, a note taker who helps sense-make adds perspective and value. ✨ User research is a team sport, and note takers are star players. Thank you to all the note takers everywhere! We see you and appreciate you 👏 🏅 ❓Have you worked with an exceptional note taker who elevated your research process? Or maybe you’ve taken on the role yourself? Share your experiences or thoughts below—let’s celebrate the unsung heroes of UX together! 👇 #UXResearch #Collaboration #Teamwork #Wellbeing #UserExperience #BusinessNeed Image by Ash Lamb ---- 💬 Want a friendly chat about all things UX or how I might help you in your career? ➡ DM me or book an intro chat here: https://lnkd.in/erzqHcX8

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"Austerity service design has been going on for so long, and has crept up on us so slowly that it isn't something that we notice now" We reflect on a career of designing under austerity and how this has shaped the field of service design over the last 14 years since the 'Big Society' term was introduced Can we end austerity-era service design? https://lnkd.in/eUCP5jX6

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When Melbourne’s brightest UX, product, and design leaders sit down for dinner, you know the conversation is going to be anything but ordinary. 🔥 At our latest Insight Exchange event, we tackled everything from scaling research in tight-knit teams to balancing execution with influence. From grappling with delivering big results from lean resources, to moving from product complexity to design simplicity, we dug into what it takes to thrive in today’s evolving landscape. We learned that sometimes, it’s not about having more—it’s about making more happen with less. ⚡️ Special shoutout to everyone who came with their ideas, challenges, and a thirst for deep discussion. Whether it was navigating the constraints of research budgets or debate over dog sweaters (adorable or absurd?), your insights made the night unforgettable. Wish you were there? Let us know—the next event is already in the works. Until then, check out the highlights from our Melbourne dinner below. 🥂 #InsightExchange #Askable #UserResearch #UX #ProductDesign #CX

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Excited to share about our project on improving public transport accessibility for the vision-impaired! My partner, Wonho Kim, and I recently had the opportunity to discuss this project on Vision Australia Radio's Focal Point program Vision Australia. We talked about what inspired us and what we're hoping to achieve. The inspiration for this project stemmed from a personal connection. We have friends and family members who are vision-impaired, and witnessing the challenges they face using public transport highlighted the importance of accessibility. We saw a real opportunity to make a positive impact within the transport app sector. This isn't just about improving an app; it's about empowering our loved ones and others in the vision-impaired community to travel more independently and confidently. Currently, we're focusing on talking directly with vision-impaired individuals to understand their experiences and challenges with public transport. Their valuable feedback is the backbone of our research, helping us define the problem and develop solutions that truly meet their needs. How you can get involved: We'd love to hear from you! If you have any experiences or insights you'd like to share about public transport accessibility for the vision-impaired, please leave a comment below. You can catch our interview with the lovely Peter Greco on Spotify and OMNY FM. https://lnkd.in/dVbNjRGh
https://lnkd.in/d_-krYwG #accessibility #publictransport #visionimpairment #userexperience #community #makingadifference

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A little job market update from me. This is what I'm seeing out there across the world of design in Australia: 👉 We're still seeing most of the roles on the market across the end-to-end Product Design and Service Design space. There has - for the last year or so - been a real dip in pure User Research roles going to market, as well as a significant decrease in Content Design roles too. As the market stabilises, we anticipate a resurgence in demand here. 👉 Most of the roles on the market at the moment are at the Senior to Lead/Principal level - we're not seeing too many mid-level jobs out there, though we are seeing some of our bigger enterprise businesses investing in their grad schemes after a bit of a hiatus! 👉 Within these roles, there is a clear need for seasoned Senior ICs. Companies are seeking designers who can be on the tools, lead projects, and mentor junior members of staff. 👉 While the contract market is still busy, there is a notable tilt towards permanent positions, with a bit of downward pressure on salaries. 👉 The landscape at the leadership level remains quiet, though a lot of businesses I'm speaking with are earmarking budget for these types of hires in the new financial year. 👉 Most positively, there seems to be a shift across most verticals away from purely BAU, to new products, services (and usually CAPEX funded) projects. If you're looking to discuss your next step or looking to build out your team in the new year, get in touch! 📲 0414 636 440 📧 [email protected]

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Despite being a techie and an accountant, I decided to invest some time into learning about User Interface Design by taking a course at RMIT. After 6 weeks of studying and embracing some new tools, I have gained my certificate. Probably an overlooked skill requirement when you are building budgeting /reporting models but I can certainly see the benefits already. Thanks to Chartertech Pty Ltd for this opportunity and to Adrian Cantelmi (mentor at RMIT). My new favourite tool is Figma 😀 #UIDesign #figma

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Australia is deciding on banning social media for minors, potentially up until the age of 16. As a UX designer, I think this is great, and here's why ↓↓ 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: "𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘬𝘛𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩." Instead of approaching multiple platforms and asking for changes (which we'll unlikely see), the Australian government has suggested age verification processes, which many other countries have also discussed in recent years. Those who oppose the idea have argued about personal freedoms. Still, they forget that social media platforms profit from all ages and do the bare minimum to create better safety for young audiences. User experience has been ranked second to profits, and big platforms would rather keep users glued to the screen than deliver ethically sound experiences. As UX designers and developers, we should not allow young audiences on these platforms if we can't deliver safe and exceptional experiences for them. Original Articles: https://lnkd.in/d8BeRjF9 https://lnkd.in/dMEWCGxY

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