Download pdf - Making More UX Designers: Practical UX Apprenticeship

MAKING MORE UX DESIGNERS:Practical UX Apprenticeship Presented by: Fred Beecher

©2010 Dimension Films

DEMAND FOR UX IS VORACIOUS

SUPPLY OF UX TALENT IS… WEE

©2014 :: @fred_beecher :: #uxapprenticeship

UX

10% - Design School

90% - Dumb Luck


UX

10% - Design School

60% - Dumb Luck

30% - Specialty School


UX

10% - Design School

30% - Specialty School

50% - APPRENTICESHIP

10% - Dumb Luck

INTEREST DEMANDAPPRENTICESHIP


INTEREST DEMANDAPPRENTICESHIP


13BOOKS READ

13MENTORS PER APPRENTICE

THIRTEENWORKSHOPSPAGES OF REFLECTION PER APPRENTICE

20

GIFs EMAILED

1,701 1,138NERDY CULTURAL REFERENCES MADE

TWENTY-FIVE

DESIGN METHODS

TWELVE

APPRENTICESHIP WEEKS

THIRTEENPROJECTS PER APPRENTICE

252MENTORSHIP HOURS

ONEEXTREMELY CREEPY FAKE DOG

2ADORABLE LITTLE DOGS




BUSINESS VALUE

TRACKING

PEDAGOGY MENTORSHIP

HIRE FOR TRAITS

APPRENTICESHIP ARCHITECTURE

©2014 :: @fred_beecher :: #uxapprenticeship flickr: johnny vulkan

• Reduce hiring cost

• Reduce lost opportunity cost

• Achieve growth goals

• Solidify client relationships

• Apprenticeship can help offset its own costs!

BUSINESS VALUE


HIRE FOR TRAITS, NOT SKILLSGood UXDs are…

• Passionate

• Curious about people

• Curious about technology

• Quick learners

• Detail oriented and “Big Picture”

• Thick-skinned

Good Apprentices are…

• Capable of accepting feedback

• Self educators

• Aware that UX is about people

• A cultural fit for your organization


PEDAGOGYLEARN OBSERVE

PLAYPRACTICE


DESIGN METHODSBUSINESS STRATEGY - Stakeholder Interviews

- Business Discovery Workshops

- Feature Analysis

- Communicating Business Discovery Findings

USER RESEARCH - Planning & Recruiting

- In-Person Interviews

- Remote Interviews

- Contextual Inquiry

- Survey Design & Analysis

- Web Traffic Analysis

- Research Analysis & Synthesis

- Communicating User Research Findings

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE - Card Sorting & Analysis

- Search Log Analysis

- Content Strategy

- Content Auditing

- Site Mapping

INTERACTION DESIGN - Ideation & Design

Workshops

- Scenarios, Storyboarding, & Process Flows

- Screen Layout & Design

- Interactive Prototyping

- Prototype testing

USABILITY EVALUATION - Heuristic Review

- In-Person Usability Testing

- Remote Usability Testing


LEARNING

READINGWORKSHOPS

PLAY

Apprentices found it extremely valuable to work through design problems together… even as a team of novices!



MENTORSHIP IS THE ENGINE OF APPRENTICESHIP


Principal Mentor

Apprentices Large Design Team


Design Manager

Apprentices

Medium Design Team


Apprentice

Small Design Team


Acco

untab

ility

Observation

Assistance

Mentorship

Oversight


Acco

untab

ility

Observation

Assistance

Mentorship

Oversight

APPRENTICE • Watches • Asks questions

MENTOR • Shows what

they’re doing • Explains why

GATES • None


Acco

untab

ility

APPRENTICE • Assists with

menial, related tasks

• Bills time

MENTOR • Shows what

they’re doing • Explains why

GATES • None

ObservationAssistance

Mentorship

Oversight


Acco

untab

ility

APPRENTICE • Executes the

method • Bills time

MENTOR • Talks apprentice

through the method

GATES • Workshop

complete • Apprentice

feels ready


Mentorship

Oversight


Acco

untab

ility

APPRENTICE • Executes the

method • Bills time

MENTOR • Checks

apprentice’s work

GATES • Apprentice

feels ready • Mentor agrees


MentorshipOversight


DEFINE APPRENTICE CAPABILITIES


TRACK APPRENTICE PROGRESS

TRACK OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE©2014 :: @fred_beecher :: #uxapprenticeship

TRACK REFLECTIONS, THOUGHTS, & FEELINGS©2014 :: @fred_beecher :: #uxapprenticeship

TRACK PROGRAM FEEDBACK©2014 :: @fred_beecher :: #uxapprenticeship


YOUR NEXT STEPS - LAY THE FOUNDATIONBUSINESS VALUE

• Meet growth goals?

• Offset recruiting costs?

• Profitable employees?

• Client goodwill?

• Determine the length

Define how apprenticeship will benefit your organization

HIRE FOR TRAITS

• Standard UXD traits

• Additional traits?

• Undergrads?

• Grad students?

• Career switchers?

Define apprentice traits & identify key sources


• Choose design methods

• Write/choose workshops

• Develop reading list

• Create “play” projects

Define how apprentices will be exposed to the basics

PEDAGOGY

• How will you spread the burden?

• What different levels of mentorship are required?

• What should apprentices be capable of?

Define the mentorship structure of your program

MENTORSHIP

YOUR NEXT STEPS - INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN


YOUR NEXT STEPS - SET UP TRACKING

TRACKING

• Forms, spreadsheets, databases, processes, etc.

• Progress & feedback

• Practice opportunities

• Feelings & reflections

• Program feedback

Set up the infrastructure you need for tracking

Fred Beecher UX Apprenticeship Lead !

[email protected] nerdery.com/fb @fred_beecher !

slideshare.net/fred_beecher/

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