Kieran Anderson

Accessibility Consultants & User/UX Researchers There's an interesting dynamic I'm spotting in the job market currently. While Accessibility Best Practices and Qual and Quant Research Methodologies are becoming more stringent in Product Designer job descriptions, these disciplines more commonly are becoming designated roles within organisations. Clearly, the voice of the user and accessible design are coming to the forefront of design strategies. However, it looks like there are two schools of thought emerging as to whether we tack these on to Product Designer job descriptions, or bring in specialists. What do you folks think? Personally, I'm of the view that Designers should at least have a knowledge of these disciplines, but you always run the risk of them being spread too thinly with all the other responsibilities associated with their roles. #ucd #accessibility #research Salt

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A twist on Design bootcamps / courses 👀 I put a post out last week about bootcamps and been pondering on it since with some of the responses. A key problem is their ‘cookie cutter’ nature And the lack of ‘real world’ set up So here is my question 👇 Instead of bootcamp students being given generic design briefs from orgs, what if they were given a 1 or 2 month ‘placement’ as part of an in-house design team? - Put into a squad project alongside an existing designer - Not paid (...but wouldn’t be for doing the course project either) - Given deliverables to hit - Gain ‘real world’ experience - Build industry relationships - Potential job at the end if good (?) - Mentoring experience for in-house designers Appreciate that there realistically might not be enough ‘places’ out there for all students But interested to hear thoughts nevertheless 👍 An idea with legs 👎 An absolute no go #Design #Bootcamps

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Designers - thoughts on the new Figma #UI3?? I've been hearing a few people voice concerns about the usability of the tool throughout the day, and I'm keen to hear my network's thoughts. The new update will be rolled out to all Figma users on 10th October, but the beta is currently live if you've not yet had the chance to check it out. #figma #ui #design Salt

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In July, UX/UI design briefs saw their biggest position drop ever. Falling from its usual position in our top three down to sixth place, this represents a huge shift in ‘typical’ demand on our platform. This category was our highest performing, both value- and volume-wise, in 2023, and so it comes as a shock to see its investment deplete so suddenly this month. It made up over double of the amount of briefs in January as it did this month (13% compared to 6.3%). To view the rest of July’s report, simply click the link below. https://lnkd.in/er3NHGtd #marketing #marketingbriefs #uxdesign

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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)

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Designers struggling with NDA's? Wanting to get in the room for that interview but companies want to 'see' the work first? This is for you. I've long had an opinion on this topic, but the power of our Design:Unfiltered series is all about getting perspectives and insights from some of the world's best. Here Dave breaks down tactful and tangible ways Designers facing NDA challenges can overcome. If you're a Designer seeking new work but feeling challenged and limited by the hiring process of 'showing your work' - You have Options! You have ways and means and you are not at a disadvantage over any other designer! In saying that, cannot wait to go live with another stream tomorrow where no doubt we'll be dropping more nuggets of gold! #designunfiltered #designrecruiting #designtips #portfoliotips #designhiring

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Harnessing User Interface Complexity for Better UX Just published a new article challenging the notion that simpler is always better in UX design. Key takeaways: • Strategic friction can enhance user engagement and create meaningful experiences • Identifying user friction through journey mapping, analytics, and user feedback is crucial • Balancing complexity with user needs is key to successful product adoption Want to learn more about strategic friction? Check out our new article: https://lnkd.in/gHQn_QFe #UXDesign #UserExperience #ProductDevelopment #DigitalStrategy

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OK I wrote another thing. It's called 'Make Product Design Great Again' It has graphs and ranting, also a mild apology to the design recruitment industry https://lnkd.in/eU9FvzvE Enjoy! #productdesign #UX #UI #product #design #designops #designthinking

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In today's world of UX, workshops are a crucial way for teams to collaborate, innovate, and make decisions. As a UX Consultant at cxpartners, Henry Bacon has had the opportunity to plan and facilitate many workshops, both internally and with clients. In this article, he shares some of his top tips for how to plan and run effective workshops. Whether you're new to it, or an experienced facilitator, read on to find out how you can make your next workshop a success. https://lnkd.in/eiEx_yK3

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Design assessment as a senior? Hard Pass. Yesterday I was an approached by a new agency which was a referral from a colleague. They reached out specifically because of a high profile project I had last year and were impressed. After an awkward series of emails back and forth, they ultimately wanted me to take a design assessment… in exchange for an Amazon gift card. Yes, really. Aside from being offended and telling them no way, I questioned their true intentions. Ultimately, I learned from the colleague that my “test” was going to be used to pitch a prospective client. I don’t even need to explain how dirty this behavior is. I learned MANY years ago never to take a design assessment. Unless you’re new to the industry and need to get your foot in the door of full-time work, here’s what a test really means: 1. Assuming your portfolio represents your best work, the person reviewing it can’t connect the dots that you can do similar work for them. You don't wan't to work for them. 2. Your ideas will be borrowed for an incompetent internal team to implement. 3. You’re competing against other designers doing the same test. In the end, the “winner” will get the gig because they nailed exactly what was appealing to the reviewer and not your overall skillset. Remember, design is subjective. 4. Lastly, as in my case, you’re doing free RFP work. In any case, have some standards and either charge your normal rate for the work or tell them to find another sucker. You’re better than that.

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A snippet from the latest episode with Nikki Anderson, MA 🎙 - struggling with how to present your work to a hiring manager? This example may help you get your process down into a case study 👇 #ux #userresearch #uxresearch #uxpodcast #uxr #userexperience #spotifypodcast

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Streamlining UX audits A clear process... It’s true. A well-structured UX audit makes all the difference. And every successful audit has a clear direction. How do I know? I’ve done it over and over. Your next move? It’s not just about checking boxes. It’s about building a process that drives real improvements. Think of your UX audit as a roadmap. Is it helping you find the right issues? Or leaving you with more questions? Here’s what a streamlined UX audit does: – Identifies the key pain points – Provides clear, actionable insights – Prioritizes fixes that matter most This isn’t just another audit. It’s a strategic approach for better user experiences. PS. Need help setting up a UX audit that actually works? Just send me a DM.

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Struggling to define the user problem in your designs? Having a clearly defined and well-researched problem statement is key to ensuring you are tackling the issues your users are facing 👨‍💻⁠⬇️ ⁠ 🔗 to find out more: https://lnkd.in/du4MqZPd ⁠ Our Professional Diploma in UX Design will give you the skills you need to be able to confidently and accurately provide problem statements that help you become a better designer. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dbNk8r55 to find out more 👀⁠ ⁠ #ux #uxdesign #problemstatement #users

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Struggling to define the user problem in your designs? Having a clearly defined and well-researched problem statement is key to ensuring you are tackling the issues your users are facing 👨‍💻⁠⬇️ ⁠ 🔗 to find out more: https://lnkd.in/du4MqZPd ⁠ Our Professional Diploma in UX Design will give you the skills you need to be able to confidently and accurately provide problem statements that help you become a better designer. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dbNk8r55 to find out more 👀⁠ ⁠ #ux #uxdesign #problemstatement #users #design #tech

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Struggling to define the user problem in your designs? Having a clearly defined and well-researched problem statement is key to ensuring you are tackling the issues your users are facing 👨‍💻⁠⬇️ ⁠ 🔗 to find out more: https://lnkd.in/du4MqZPd ⁠ Our Professional Diploma in UX Design will give you the skills you need to be able to confidently and accurately provide problem statements that help you become a better designer. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dbNk8r55 to find out more 👀⁠ ⁠ #ux #uxdesign #problemstatement #users #design #tech

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Struggling to define the user problem in your designs? Having a clearly defined and well-researched problem statement is key to ensuring you are tackling the issues your users are facing 👨‍💻⁠⬇️ ⁠ 🔗 to find out more: https://lnkd.in/du4MqZPd ⁠ Our Professional Diploma in UX Design will give you the skills you need to be able to confidently and accurately provide problem statements that help you become a better designer. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dbNk8r55 to find out more 👀⁠ ⁠ #ux #uxdesign #problemstatement #users

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Accessibility is getting more important in websites. Let me or us know if you would like an accessibility audit done on your website.

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Is UX Leadership fading out? Where will UX and Design be down the track if we continue to squash UX Leadership and have Design continue to fall under other areas? What do you think the short and long term knock-on effects are going to be? #UXdesign #UXleadership #designleadership

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