I am not a real UXer.

‘Real’ UXer is what I call a practitioner that went to school for Human Factors, or Information Architecture or Computer Science. I went to art school. I studied visual communications and illustration, and like a lot of other people, I transitioned from marketing design to technology almost by accident. I got my first job as a designer in a mobile app shop because I reminded the co-founder of her sister. Over the last 10+ years I have learned at ton and made the most of every opportunity I have been given.

Design Values

Don’t Guess.

Not all organizations will have heaps of analytics, dedicated researchers, or direct customer feedback loops. But even in a poorly resourced desert, finding a way to validate an idea or an approach is an absolute must. I have:

  • created prototypes and surveys for friends and family

  • drafted proto-personas using customer-facing team members as proxies

  • googled ‘best UX for [fill in blank]’

Requirements Are Just Recommendations

I always tell my design teams “Requirements are not requirements - they’re recommendations.” I do this to:

  • Empower them to ask questions and push back on things that don’t make sense

  • Remind them that in an iterative environment, things can always change; through shifting priorities, outside pressures, or new information

  • Reinforce that designers have a critical role to play in defining what is ‘required’ for an experience to make sense for the human on the other side of it

UX = Wireframes

A Product Designer or UX Practitioner should not need to open Figma to add value. I believe one of the best soft skills a designer can develop is flexibility and the ability to calibrate their practice to various constraints. The truth is: sometimes there just isn’t time. A practiced designer with a human-centered mindset can still contribute without opening their laptop.

Prioritization Is For Everyone. All The Time.

Everyone working in technology knows about prioritization. Yet in my experience, many organizations, teams, and individuals treat prioritization only as an activity that is applied to a product roadmap as opposed to an operating system. I believe the best products are created when everyone is asking themselves on a weekly (minimum) basis:

  • Am I working on the right things?

  • What is the next most important thing I need to do?

  • Does my personal backlog align with the primary objectives of my organization?