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STC UUX Community Newsletter |
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| Usability Interface |
The Career Path for Usability Professionals:
A Review of the UPA DC June 7, 2006
By David Dick, Washington, D.C. Usability SIG
The user experience community is broad and diverse, and it is still forming. Members of the community come from many different backgrounds but share a common vision. New professions have evolved from various backgrounds.
From this… |
Comes this… |
|---|---|
Computer science |
Human-computer interaction (HCI) |
Ergonomics |
Human factors |
Corporate training |
Performance improvement |
Library science |
Information architecture |
Branding and marketing |
Experience design |
On June 7, 2006, the Washington, DC, chapter of the Usability Professionals Association (UPA DC) held a discussion about the career path of usability professionals. The discussion featured three speakers who have extensive experience in the usability profession, including managers of usability departments and independent consultants:
- James Melzer, Senior Information Architect, SRA, manages a group of usability/user experience consultants. James has experience in library and information science, records management, taxonomy development, and other forms of information organization.
- Beth Toland, User Experience Research & Testing Director, Revolution Health, a former manager of User Research at Marriott International, is now forming a research team at Revolution Health.
- Christy Mylks, an independent consultant in user-centered design (UCD) and usability, has worked with numerous clients in the Washington, DC, area and abroad. She currently manages the User-Centered Research lab and advises program directors for the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The rest of this review highlights the questions and answers discussed during the meeting.
What advice do you have for students who would like to get started in the usability profession?
A degree in Human Factors (Masters or Ph.D.) provides an advantage for career advancement. However, there’s a lot to be said about reading and doing. The profession is less about academics and more about knowledge and experience. It’s easy to have the theory and lack the experience.
Students should include their class projects as achievements and accomplishments for their résumés and portfolios. Consider all of those experiences as lessons learned. Explain how you accomplished them, what you did, and how you did it.
What do employers look for in the interview?
Interviewers want to know how well you get along with customers, such as end users and budget holders. Be prepared to sell what you do as a specialty. One of the panelists stated that when she conducts interviews for usability specialists, she looks for expertise in usability and information architecture.
What do you look for in résumés or portfolios for usability professionals?
Pride in ownership of work
- Innovation of how you accomplished something
- Writing samples
- Evidence of collaboration with others in the organization to get the job done
Where are usability jobs advertised?
Employment opportunities are advertised at the following locations:
- Monster.com
- Professional societies such as UPA and ACM
- Washington Information Directory (available at public libraries)
- USA Jobs
Some opportunities are not advertised. Professional conferences and local chapter meetings are good sources of word-of-mouth opportunities. The person sitting next to you may be the head of a usability lab and may have an open position.
Where do you look if you want to do independent consulting?
Networking is essential. You can establish a network by attending meetings offered by organizations such as the local UPA and STC chapters. Don’t ignore past and present customers as important leads, either.
How do you break in to the field if you are an editor?
As an editor or writer, you may be asked to assist a usability specialist with a writing project such as a user guide. Be ready to suggest ways to improve product design, thereby preventing documentation from becoming a solution to poor product design.
Another option is to take a job at a small company. Small companies provide the greatest opportunities for professional development.
What are good resources for learning about usability?
- Contextual Design by Karen Holtzblatt and Hugh Beyer
- Paper Prototyping by Carolyn Snyder
- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
- Designing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen
- Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Rosenfeld and Morville
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
Is usability a top skill?
Usability is not a skill. It is an approach to representing users’ needs and developing a good product.
How do you deal with projects for the federal government?
Understand the difference between a private enterprise Web site and a government Web site:
- On a private enterprise site, usability is critical because of competition.
- On a government site, there is no other service provider for the service or information.
Do you see people in the usability field as generalists or specialists?
The generalist can handle many aspects of a project well. They tend to work well in a team. Specializing serves as a selling opportunity to enter a niche market.
What should a job applicant look for when interviewing?
Look at the working environment. Try to observe whether employees look happy or stressed. The appearance of the office and the arrangement of space provide visual clues.
How much does a usability specialist earn?
A salary survey is available on the Usability Professionals Association Web site at http://www.upassoc.org, and from the Information Architecture Institute site at http://www.iainstitute.org.
For more information about the Usability Professionals Association (UPA) and the UPA DC chapter, visit the following Web sites:
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