Sian Allen

Our Senior Product Designer Rosie Dent-Spargo held a superb session in February with the Product Design team to create values and principles. Using guidance from Dan Makoski's book Uplifting Design, the session was dynamic and layered. The focus wasn't solely on creation, but also how we might embed principles and values into daily work. This write up is the Rolls-Royce of "How to"s, and is a very valuable read for those looking to create and instil values and principles within any team. https://lnkd.in/e7DXm_Ca #productdesign #principles #values

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FREE UX AUDIT - Extended for 1 week! ⚡️ We’ve had so many enquiries about the free UX audits I posted last week, and I haven’t had enough slots. So I’ve decided to extend the offer for an extra week! I have LOVED doing these. I have LOVED seeing into so many companies I might not necessarily have seen prior to putting out this offer. Have a product you know could be better, but not sure where to start? This is your chance to get a fresh perspective. I’ll dive into your user experience, call out where improvements can be made, and give you actionable feedback that drives real growth. ⏳ Limited slots available for this final week, so don’t wait. Drop a comment or message to grab your spot - first come, first serve! Book your Free UX Audit here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eSuEksRX #uxaudit #userexperience #productdesign #growth #designthinking #startups #freeaudit #anyday Expand North Star GITEX GLOBAL Largest Tech & Startup Show in the World

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What we need to see more of in the design world: - Moving away from hiring based on image alone - Designers actively participating in business-led communities - More design founders leading the way - Greater appreciation for both visual design and technical expertise - Designers with coding skills integrated into their roles - Raising the barrier to entry to ensure quality and skill - Recognising design as a key value-creator in companies - Hiring designers for diverse, non-design roles - Stronger mentorship programs within companies - Senior designers (VPs to ICs) getting hands-on with the tools again What would you like to see?

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🌟 Enhancing User Experience: The 4 C's Approach at FACEYOUTH Charity! We've prioritized a smooth user experience for FACEYOUTH Charity across multiple devices by applying the 4 C's: Consistency, Continuity, Context, Complementary. This approach ensures seamless experiences across various device screen sizes, considering device adaptability, interaction between the user and the device, content organization, and how users interact with each device. Achievement: A usability participant started a process on their laptop/desktop, saved it as a draft, and finished it later on their mobile phone, highlighting our commitment to user-centric design. Stay tuned for our website launch! Together, let's foster meaningful connections and drive positive community impact. Ify Anyaegbu #userexperience #uxdesign #buildinpublic #4Capproach #ux #uxui #ui #usabilitytesting #responsivewebsite #webdesign #mobileapp #usercentereddesign

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I have never been asked for any design degree Not once... Want to know what they actually ask? ✅ They ask for the work ✅ For the journey ✅ For the impact ✅ They want to see what I've built 🔴 It’s never about the certificate 🟢 It’s always about the results They remember the projects Not the paper 🔴 So stop chasing validation 🟢 Start showing your work Because in the end No one remembers a degree → they remember the impact. P.S. What do you think is more important for a designer: a degree or their portfolio? - 🔄 If this resonated, hit repost ✉️ Questions? I'm here to help 🔔 Follow for more insights

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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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Great read including the comments. And yes we are definitely in a phase that's driven by speed and rapid development which will eventually flip as we see products coming to the market and failing rapidly as well. But may be this will help transition companies to think long term and adopt deeper Human-centered thinking. Eventually enabling better holistic experiences through better research and strategy, at-least thats my hope.

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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 👇

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You could get arrested if you ignore this post! Accessibility isn’t just an option – it’s a legal requirement in the UK and can directly impact your business. 🚨 I’ve put together 5 Steps to Nail Accessibility in Your Designs – practical tips to make sure your UI works for everyone, including users with disabilities. Check out the short PDF below! 👇 🌟 Small changes can make a big difference! 🌟 #Accessibility #UIDesign #InclusiveDesign #UX #eCommerce #Shopify #WCAG #DigitalInclusion #figma Figma

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What you need to know if you’re a designer thinking of getting into management → https://lnkd.in/eaH4jFae Design manager or design lead? 🤔 Here’s what it really looks like to take on a management role. From resourcing and stakeholder wrangling to the dreaded paperwork, this is a breakdown of the role and realities of the job. Is design management your next step? 📌 Team performance & stakeholder management 📌 Resourcing talent 📌 Crafting objectives 📌 Report performance & career progression 📌 Team cadence & schedule 📌 Meetings, meetings, & more meetings 📌 Admin

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For my UX friends — something to think about as you enjoy your coffee and scroll through LinkedIn this weekend. I'd love to hear your thoughts. What are your favourite UX tips?

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Launching Lipstick Wheel! 💄 I have around 20 lipsticks and only wear two. Sounds familiar? This is the story of every girl because we don't know what shade will look good on us until we apply it. Personally, I don’t like using testers in stores, so I often end up buying the wrong shade. But not anymore! Introducing the most intuitive lipstick wheel, which tells you exactly what looks best on you. No more guessing, no more wrong shades! Download the Rad beauty app now to discover your perfect lipstick shade and never waste money on the wrong color again. Tag a friend who needs this today. PS: I finally found my power shade and I cannot be happier! #NewLaunch #BeautyTech #LipstickWheel #RadbeautyApp #PerfectShade #BeautyInnovation #Makeup #WomenInTech #Empowerment #Innovation

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I know Ollie has been talking a lot about design sprints recently, so I thought it would be good to start bringing the 'Becky' angle to it! 🤓 Becky insight No.1: Embrace collaborative user-testing with your clients! We've just finished sprint 1 of 2 with Marina, Ali and the Home Connections team, helping them overhaul the user experience of their property management software. On the final day of the sprint, we test the new prototype that we've designed. It's gold for us to see and hear real people use it and learn where it succeeds and where it needs improvement. What's even MORE valuable is when the client hears it directly too, because this means as a team, we can move fast into effective iteration - utilising the sweet spot of knowledge - our expertise as UXers, fresh user feedback and Marina and Ali's wealth of knowledge and perspective about their product. Always, always involve the client in user testing 💪

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Got Friday off to a great start this morning, speaking at Design Network North's "Rise and Design" Event ☀ The theme was “How to give your customers what they REALLY want” so I shared my thoughts on: 1. How to get teams aligned around a shared understanding of who their customers are 2. Getting teams used to declaring assumptions and finding ways to test and learn - quickly 3. How Personas don’t need to be a Marmite asset - focus on situations and contexts and treat as a living document 4. How to find ways to listen to your customers - even when challenged with budget and time constraints 5. And above all, triangulate research insights with data and don’t let *just* your data do the storytelling! Thanks to Terry McStea for the invite to talk, for the audience, their questions and discussions - and to Nick Goodwill of Mamas & Papas for sharing their approach to new product development. It’s great to see these types of events happening “oop North” - and this one is a great way to mix with designers across a range of industries - not just digital. As is life, we have more in common than that which divides us and the more we come together and chew the collective design fat, the more there is opportunity for new perspectives, growth and learning. After all, that's design's superpower - to not necessarily have all the answers, but to have the tools to find out - and have some fun along the way. Image: As per the Hippy Wisdom™ imparted, also by me, this morning "In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the experts there are few" - Shunryu Suzuki. Happy Friday! ✌

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4 rounds of interviews and a design challenge, over a 6 week period? Why are we still doing this? You’re hiring a designer for a project, not a CEO. I have a candidate who is so deflated, being told round 3 is being delayed and they’ll “get back to them.” Is it a deliberate test of patience? Or poor/outdated HR practice? Your hiring process is a relfection of your culture. #jobs #recruitment #tech #design #ux #career

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It doesn't matter how good your design education is, if the business doesn't understand design, or why it needs you! Frustratingly, organisations just don't seem to understand that when they want to change something, or do something new, they are embarking on a design process, not a build process. Design shouldn't be seen as an operational cost, it's an investment in future outcomes, and that process requires the effective product management of designers, developers, architects, analysts, and business SMEs all working together! Even developers are are part of the design process because until it's in production, there are still unknowns, and challenges. I often say, if your business was a hotel, would you employ your operational staff to build it for you? Or would you buy bricks, and hire bricklayers and give them a fixed deadline? Or would you want to hire expert designers, and architects, surveyors, engineers, electricians etc etc?! #design #productmanagement #strategy #whatisproduct

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Over the last year, the Product Designers at Pion have been encapsulating what it is to be multi-faceted, creative problem solvers. We've focussed on improving our Design System within Figma making it easier and more enjoyable to use for ourselves and our colleagues. We approached the problem of how to make it more efficient by using design thinking and research techniques. The original efficiency tests we ran in March last year found that among the Product Managers collectively almost one full quarter was spent lost in our system, 60% of the time coming away frustrated and without what they were looking for. This March we ran exactly the same moderated tests and I'm pleased to say that the designers, alongside their day-to-day work, have improved Design System efficiency by 50%, giving our colleagues and the business 6 weeks back on average per year. That's a huge efficiency gain 🚀 Well done, team! The original article on how we set the baselines can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ezY_dZ3h The new article on our results 1-year later can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eHjz9rD4 #figma #designsystem #productdesign #designops

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The reality of being a designer is having the ability to take criticism with a pinch of salt and work on developing a thick skin. Not everyone will like what you produce and having the ability to navigate difficult feedback is important. If you cant take criticism well then design might not be the best career choice for you. Stay strong 💪and keep creating 🎨 #GraphicDesign #Branding #Creative #LogoDesign #DigitalArt #SmallBusinessOwner #SmallBiz #entrepreneur #startup #businessowner #businessgrowth

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