Alexandra Steenbeek

I've been working on some service design patterns with Dave Skinner for his project Design Patterns for social housing - https://lnkd.in/eC9p5RRv A service design map is often inaccessible - the designers will have worked hard to capture all the stages but the map will be a PDF or a diagram which doesn't easily resize to fit your phone. Your audience can't resize the text. It can't be read by screen reader software, either. As a solution: try making the map into an HTML table with two columns. For a mobile view, make each row resemble a card. Sorted! 😎 Hire interaction designers to find ways of putting content online. 😇 Transcript: 1. A numbered service stage with a representative icon Describe the stage in detail. Capture any pain points and improvement ideas. "Include verbatim quotes from research." Optional: include an emoji for how the person is feeling at this stage. Backstage - a policy or legal factor (grey) Backstage - a technical factor, such as a database (green) Time-based process (blue) Pain point or blocker (pink)

16

5 Comments

We, experience designers, often double as experience cartographers. Mapping is a favoured technique of ours - it helps us visualise needs, goals and behaviours. We map journeys, stakeholders, actors, mental models, empathy… Yet we sometimes forget that “the map is not the territory”. It is an abstraction and a reduction of what it represents. Whilst re-reading the insightful volume “The Great Mental Models” by Farnam street, I got reminded of wisdoms such as “Maps are not purely objective creations. They reflect the values, standards and limitations of their creators”. Think about the map of a customer journey which is, in fact, an abstraction of a metaphor. Firstly, the journey metaphor is slightly skewed as it presupposes linearity. Secondly, the map is inevitably biased depending on the angle we take to depict the relationship between product and customer whilst focusing on the best possible commercial outcome. With the above in mind, it is essential to see the customer journey in conjunction with the human journey and not to confuse business objectives and product consumption with customer needs. The marriage of a cousin, the excitement of a glistening new car, the bucket-list trip to Tasmania rather than “credit card and current account, “needs”. By continuously responding to the ever-changing nature of the human needs and thus avoiding the commodification of the human, we can build meaningful relationships with the customer. No matter how well we, experience cartographers, have mastered the technique of the map, our aim should be to connect with the territory. Only then will the journey become a memorable and lasting voyage, rather than a quick get-away. #customerjourneymapping #mentalmodels #farnamstreet

37

1 Comment

This is a great read about UX maturity in organisations - what it is, the various levels of maturity and strategies towards levelling up.

7

Interesting article on rethinking the role of UX Teams. https://lnkd.in/eN7SQHEm #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

6

This has happened to me before where a company wanted me to design something for them as part of the interview process and they told me I wouldn't get paid for it. I didn't do it. Designers need to learn to start their own businesses. #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #entrepreneurs

1

A very useful and handy Accessibility Checklist For Designers (PDF: https://lnkd.in/e9Z2G2kF) by Geri Reid and Dave Musson It provides practical guidelines for integrating accessibility into design from the outset.

2

I’ve recently completed an accessibility study of the BBC website based on the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This provided valuable insights into how large-scale platforms can enhance their accessibility to ensure inclusivity for all users. I’ve attached a details & the key findings and recommendations. Accessibility in digital design is more important than ever, and it’s essential that we continue striving toward more inclusive user experiences. #Accessibility #WCAG #InclusiveDesign #UX #WebAccessibility

11

1 Comment

Action needed: Each year DesignOps Assembly puts together THE benchmarking report for the DesignOps profession. The survey for the 2024 DesignOps Benchmarking Report is open and we need everyone in within the DesignOps world (including designers who help out with DesignOps) to participate. You’ll help DesignOps, Design, Product, and Business leaders and teams to better understand the landscape of our work. You'll also help everyone in the design industry understand trends, changes, come and the overall health of our industry (including salary info, team sizes, team impact etc..) Please take 10 minutes to fill this out. If you have ever referenced prior reports you know how important it is. 👉 bit.ly/DOA2024Survey 👈 Deadline for responses is July 31. #designops #ops #dpm #designprogrammanagement #design #designoperations #designleadership

130

6 Comments

Quite often you see advertised roles for "UI / UX" going about, where user interface and experience is grouped under one title. Many designers will know that these two disciplines, whilst sharing similarities, have distinctions that are quite important and often misunderstood, particularly when it comes to UX. You see this a lot in the web3 industry and with start-ups, where it's natural that in smaller teams designers will wear many hats, however this overlap runs the risk of missing out on the beneficial aspects that UX can bring to a business, relegating it to simply a front-end concern. UX includes many disciplines under it's umbrella, such as design, research and content. However it's goals really centre around making the experience the best it can be to answer concerns set out by the business / start-up / project. For example: - Improving onboarding is a UX task, but this leads to a higher number of users on the platform, a business metric - Creating a decluttered and straightforward user journey is a UX task, but this leads to higher incoming revenue, products sold etc. and potentially beating a competitor, a win for the business - Designing intuitive patterns is a UX task, but can create trust that makes the product more predictable, encouraging users to return and use the platform, another win for the business It is easy to see where UI and visual design fit into this, however it goes beyond simply making things look good, but ultimately making them function properly. A UX designer may never work on the final visuals, a UI designer may never work on user journeys and prototyping. Joel Marsh sums up the value UX can provide for project perfectly in his book UX for Business: "Value is User First, Business Second, and Always Both." #UXDesign #UIDesign #UIUX #WebDesign #ProductDesign #Design #Startups #Web3 #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain

7

Human Centred Design People are frustrated with everyday things due to ever increasing complexity. The solution for this is Human - Centered Design (HCD), an approach that puts human needs, capabilities and behaviours first and then signs to accommodate those needs. Human centered design is a philosophy. It means starting with a good understanding of people and the needs that design is intended to meet. #humancentereddesign #HCD #users #designapproach

1

I'm in a UR, UX bubble, so I have a question about life outside... Do other specialisms in technology, for example Business Analysts or Solution Architects to name but two, debate the merits or otherwise of using AI in their work as much as the UR and UX folk? If they do, can someone point me to some points of view from outside my bubble. (if only I could be bothered to make an AI image of me in a bubble to illustrate this post.)

13

3 Comments

UX voices from the world of design agencies — where are you? The UXers I respect and follow on here are wonderful sources for insight and experience — of working in-house, or in product/tech companies. But the people I’ve struggled to find are those doing great UX in design agencies or consultancies, and talking about it. Where are you? Who are you? (and to the agency UXers I follow, or have connected with, I love you but I need more, sorry) #UX

4

9 Comments

I’m interviewing some designers for a role at LOCAL. And I’m surprised to see how little research people do about the company they’re applying for. In fact they are also ill prepared with showing their portfolios. It is a massive waste of both our times and shows you don’t really care about your career with us. If you can’t convince me with your work, how will you convince the client? I would highly recommend that before you interview (especially with me) : 1. Study our work, have an opinion and be ready to reference it 2. See what project of yours you would like to present which fits our ethos and level of detailing so I may see how well we can work together. It doesn’t matter if it’s personal or client work, it should be a specimen of your expertise. 3. While talking about your work, please don’t waste time only explaining the clients business, spend more time on what design soluton YOU came up with and what YOUR process was. 4. Also be ready with a clarity of what you see doing at the studio with us. 5. And lastly know that we are a remote company. So don’t ask us where we are based out of. It’s the biggest giveaway that you haven’t done your homework. If you aren’t ready with all of this. Prepare yourself and then schedule a call. People hire people. People hire when you have struck a connection. Make sure you strike one. ✨

155

17 Comments

I'll be running an Introduction to User Experience Design for codebar Norwich on the 9th of May at Fuel Studios 🎉 Wether you’ve been a developer for years or just starting out, when you are coding you make decisions all the time that can effect the user’s experience. 🧠 In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn the ‘UX cheatsheet’ to help make decisions that improve a user’s experience. We’ll then look at using that cheatsheet to pull apart websites to understand the decisions they’ve made that have led to a poor user experience. 👎 You don't have to be a developer if you are also just interested to know more about UX, come and join us. 🤓 Link to sign-up in the comments 👇

47

5 Comments

Despite years of developing user-centric design methods, there's still a solution-first mentality in senior management. Senior stakeholders, typically won't come from a background in design, sociology or anthropology. They are more likely to have a business degree. Business thinking is all about KPIs, risk management, return on investment, efficiency, etc. They tend to want to deliver something tangible to shareholders, show progress and have something to measure, as their professional career is pegged to these types of achievements. Linear models give them a feeling the universe is deterministic and they are reducing risk. How can organisations become customer-centric? I worked on a couple of projects at Intuit, where they changed their 8,000-person organisation by embedding a Design-for-delight (D4D) culture. They used 'catalysts' to spread the knowledge. Intuit customers visited the office and were on first-name terms with the employees. The story is fascinating about how they changed from a product-led organisation to a customer-centric community. It's an old video, but back in 2011 they were going through a big change that included leadership training in UCD. (26 mins) https://lnkd.in/eV4dqcnn

9

1 Comment

My first blog post! Take a look at the similarities between goldsmithing and user research 👩‍🏭 👩‍💻  I'd love to hear your thoughts

23

2 Comments

Designers are being exploited. I've become increasingly concerned with the state of design hiring processes since my first redundancy back in 2021, and I fear we've reached breaking point (at least I have). Today, we're talking about design tasks. It's now commonplace for potential employers to ask jobseekers to complete an unpaid "task" during the selection process. These so-called tasks usually require days of work, and often involve creating designs that the company genuinely needs and could potentially use without payment or permission. This leaves designers in an impossible position: should we leave our dignity at the door, comply, and get used (after all, we're #Desperate for work) - or say no and hope the next company, if there is one, has morals? It's also hard to spend limited time on a task, when you know you're up against other designers who may simply spend longer on it and therefore be selected to move forward, based solely on their "effort" rather than skills. The good news is (unless you sign something to the contrary) any work you create for these tasks belongs to you, even if you use their branding. If you have any legal concerns around IP, speak to Carrie Bradley! I've already made several posts documenting tasks I've been asked to produce in full, so if you're interested in seeing just how much we're being asked for, check out my older content. One company I was a huge fan of ghosted me after I completed a week's worth of work for them. I'm now saying no to tasks, full stop. If none of us comply with their unethical practices, they'll be forced to do something radical: judge us based on our portfolios and CVs that have taken years to curate. Wouldn't that be something?

1,105

188 Comments

If you're looking to up your accessibility game, your search is over. Join my colleague and accessibility guru Grant for some insights and guidance next Wednesday!

7

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

33

1 Comment