Dr. Matthias Klenk’s Post

Do you have a to-don’t list for UXRs? A to-don’t list consists of things that you must avoid at all costs as a UX researcher. It's the opposite of a to-do list. Here’s what's on my to-don't list for UXRs: ❌ Ask leading questions because you already know what the answer is. ❌ Make assumptions based on feedback from one participant. ❌ Make research inaccessible for other teams, to stay relevant. ❌ Present a 50-page long paper on the findings, with the key learnings right at the end.   ❌ Close yourself off to new tooling and methodologies because you’re too senior to learn. What would you add to a to-donts list for UXRs? Drop the wisdom in the comments👇!

What a cool thing to have a UX portfolio featured ;) In May of this year, I submitted my portfolio to be reviewed. Hopefully *fingers crossed*, showcased on the Open Doors newsletter. Months went by and as I searched for a full-time role in UX, I kept polishing it. Kept changing it, modifying it, tweaking it, and all the "MAKING THIS THING BETTER!" verbs you can think of. I really did a lot... Just to increase my chances at getting a job while competing with hundreds, if not ThOuSaNdS, of UXers for a good job. I honestly completely forgot about ever submitting it for a review. Isn't that hilarious? All I cared about was getting better. Being better, Then all of a sudden, *boom!* I got a message from Florian Boelter (thank you) saying he'd taken a second look at my portfolio and guess what? He noticed the growth. *Tears of pride* He checked it out after version "V_Final_Final_FinalNowThisTimeForReal" was out and about and gave it a thumbs up. I guess hyperfocusing on something you love to do does really help, huh. Proud to be growing. Always growing. Cheers, J - P.S: Check it out over here (scroll down) https://lnkd.in/gbKiGXay And btw, did reading "ThOuSaNdS" annoyed you as much as it did me? 😂

I have a dream that one day, our industry will return to what it was meant to be: a place where the *user* comes first, where UX isn’t an afterthought or a checkbox but the driving force behind everything we do I have a dream that one day, we’ll stop building based on *assumptions*, hunches, and ego, and instead start listening to our users needs again. Observing, understanding, and acting on what they need, not what we think they want I have a dream that one day, research will stop being a buzzword and go back to being a discipline - a rigourous, structured, and scientific process that delivers *valid insights*. Insights that drive decisions. Insights that build the right thing I have a dream that metrics will mean something again. That success will be defined not by how many users we can convert or how many features we can cram in, but by how well we’ve *met the needs* of the people we’re designing for I believe in a future where UX professionals are recognised for what we are: the ones who connect the dots, the *problem solvers*. The ones who ensure the user isn’t just a consideration but the reason the product exists in the first place I dream of a time when we take pride in what we create - not because it’s clever, flashy, or trendy, but because *it works*. Because it helps. Because it makes someone’s life a little easier, a little better And I believe that when we get this right - when we return to a true user-centred process - we’ll create products that matter. Products that last. Products that people love, not because they have to use them but because they *want to* Let’s get back to the first principles. Let’s do the work properly. Let's do more than 'good enough' and let's make great products and make UX about the *human* once again [Written by me, then AI'd to fit better with MLK's speech] I'm hiding this down here for anyone actually reading: I'm offering free consultation and mentorship to any PM who has any questions about anything to do with UX, Research or Design. I'll give you 30 minutes one-to-one to discuss anything you want, with full confidentiality. Got questions? Worried about something? Let me help, PM and I'll do what I can

Thought I should share this reply to one of my responses to LI's AI-based questions. Honorable response and fair. >>> Here's the reply: Darren, I personally agree with you 100% because we probably came up in UX in a similar fashion. However, with the advent of the "Product Designer" title, many companies want you to also do the visual design as well. It can make the job search very difficult for many pure UXers. >>> And here's my response: I agree that companies are moving in such a manner, but one of the problems we're experiencing in the discipline is allowing companies to dictate and define who we are and our trajectory. This move is aligned with the siege against UX that I started sounding off about in 2011-2012. Folks have long misunderstood UX and, instead of becoming informed, tried to redefine who we are and what we do. The advent of project work is a reality, but it DOES NOT change what UX is and what UXers are supposed to be and do. The insertion of visual design, coupled with the casting off of the fundamentals (happening en masse) is a crime against UX. More power to those going in the direction of product, but UX will always remain UX. ********** It's time to STOP letting others dictate WHO and WHAT we are as UXers!!! Many are kowtowing and we're all suffering for it. #ux #realuxtalk

One sentiment I always offer Junior Designers entering the industry when asked about soft skills UXer’s should develop: Learning to be REALLY GOOD at being bad at things. A paradoxical concept that translates to accepting the vulnerability that comes with starting new things, and continuously exposing oneself to this truth until.. well, it’s no longer true! To be BAD at being bad at anything is to exist in a state where the fear of failure exceeds the fear of not knowing. Here’s how I combat this!

You might have asked yourself what we mean by Beyond UX. Here's what outdated training doesn't teach you: → The way businesses have been built in the past 40 years doesn't work anymore → *How* you do your work is just as important as *what* you do → UX is far more than a product or service's flow or function We grew up being told: - You have to engage in competition to succeed - Empathy doesn't matter in business - Only so-called hard skills matter (soft skills are this weird, separate thing) Yet the majority of startups fail because: A) They're not solving a real problem B) They seek profit over anything else In both scenarios, understanding human behaviour and caring about sustainable growth and #impact (on humans and the planet) would have helped. So, as you think about your career moving forward: ↳ Think of where you can have the most impact and build that story in your mind (there is only one of you—competition doesn't exist.) Don’t obsess over money without considering the value you can offer ↳ When you deliver value and help people, you will be valued and money will follow Don’t focus only on learning technical skills ↳ Look at how you engage with your customers, peers, and collaborators. Consider where there is friction, discomfort, or misunderstanding. Ask yourself why. Looking beyond #UX means finding the greater value you can offer and uncovering new pathways to your future. — If these considerations resonate and you're working on building a top-tier career in UX, apply to join our free community: https://shorturl.at/xyMNQ.

This week on UX Foundry ... As I raced to check the teammates I will be working together with on a task this week...few questions ran through my mind. Like...who and who will be on my team? A rhetoric question right? I know. Luckily for me,I found my name on team 10 list, and saw the "agba designers" I was paired with. Omooooo....I became so happy eh!😂 Being on the same team with Onadeko Ghiyas and Ugonna Omeihe is such a gold mine for me...I mean,we created our group almost immediately and jumped on our research. Fixed a meeting time and jumped on a call to plan our project. Less than one hour into our first meetup, and I already learnt how to use #whimsical from Ugonna Omeihe and #htmltodesign plugin from Onadeko Ghiyas 💃💃💃 I'm lucky shey????I know 😂😂😂 ................................... Our task is to redesign the homepage of the National Open University website. First we are to understand the website,study it and make our research including the target audience (which we did). From our research,we discovered that the target audience for the institution(NOUN) are; 👉Working professionals seeking further education. 👉Adults returning to education for older adults 👉Young school students seeking alternative pathways, looking for more flexibility. My next post will feature our brief UX audit for the homepage using heuristics evaluation. Team 10 #TeamX #theproductlady #UXFoundry #targetaudience #Noun #UXAudit #HeuristicEvaluation #UIUX #UserExperience #WebDesign #AestheticDesign

Day 9 - Learn UX with me 🏁 🧠 Why Your Users Aren't Always Rational: A UX Designer's Guide to Behavioral Economics Ever wondered why your users sometimes make choices that seem completely illogical? 🤔 The answer lies in Behavioral Economics. This fascinating field shows us that people aren't always the perfectly rational decision-makers that traditional economics assumes. We're influenced by emotions, biases, and mental shortcuts – and that has HUGE implications for UX design. 💡 Key takeaways for UX designers: Bounded Rationality: We don't have infinite brainpower! 🤯 Make choices easier by minimizing cognitive load and offering clear, concise information Loss Aversion: We HATE losing more than we love winning. Highlight the potential downsides of not taking action Anchoring: First impressions matter! Set the right anchor with pricing, product comparisons, etc. Mental Accounting: We put things in mental boxes. Use this to your advantage by framing costs and benefits in the right way Nudging: Gentle nudges can guide users towards better choices. Think default options, social proof, and clever framing. By understanding these principles, we can design interfaces that truly work with human nature, not against it. The result? Happier users, better decisions, and more successful products. 🚀 #UX #BehavioralEconomics #DesignThinking #UserExperience #ProductDesign

Interesting article with hypotheses about how to adapt our career trajectories and outlook in UX design and research in late-stage cap. What do you think? "Much like late-stage capitalism, late-stage UX is characterized by its market saturation, heavy focus on financial growth, commoditization, automation, and increased financialization. Corporations exert significant influence over the economy and society, and designers can only push so far when advocating for user needs. How can we navigate this landscape as designers in 2024?" Thanks for sharing Cal Thompson https://lnkd.in/eXmmS9DN

🌟 **I did a thing!** 🌟 Honestly, I thought this UX design program would just be another certificate (to add to the many I have collected over the years 🤭), but it ended up being so much more than that. Not only did I learn new tools and skills to help my clients, but it also reminded me how much I love digging into data—especially when it shows how people think and behave. It’s funny, looking back at all the roles I’ve had, the thing I’ve always enjoyed most is analyzing human behavior. This program just confirmed that’s where my passion really lies. ❤️ Feeling excited about what’s next and grateful for this experience! #UXDesign #HumanBehavior #AlwaysLearning #UXJourney #ContinuousLearning #UserResearch #eCornellStories