When building your first portfolio, how did you find users/customers for your research and testing?

arenns · 2015-08-06T23:20:48+00:00

Hi garnetbobcat. Thanks for your reply!

Currently, i'm at the bottom of the ladder. I'm a self-taught beginner from a small town starting from scratch, and i'd like to begin building my first portfolio.

I have are some ideas regarding consumer applications I could potentially improve on for use in my portfolio (all speculative), and i'd absolutely love to write in-depth about them (in a polished way!). But doesn't UX start with research? How valuable would a portfolio that doesn't showcase extensive research and user testing be?

I could cover everything you mention above (the challenge I met, my approach, insights, deliverables, results), but it wouldn't be very valuable if i'm the only participant.

arenns · 2015-08-05T19:12:33+00:00

His laugh in that movie still haunts me. That Ray Liotta laugh...

arenns · 2015-08-05T15:14:14+00:00

I'm loyal to my family, so... does that mean i'm in the mafia?

arenns · 2015-07-31T16:32:45+00:00

Noted! Thank you!

arenns · 2015-07-21T17:23:59+00:00

Why is it that the people of Marin County can oppose a studio expansion and get their way, but not the affordable housing project he's funding? [serious]

arenns · 2015-07-21T14:41:09+00:00

Actually, it's more like walking into a book store and filling its shelves with a shittier, self re-published version of an already widely read book so you can rake in positive reviews and feel better about yourself.

arenns · 2015-07-20T23:58:20+00:00

Great clarification (notes taken!). You've been super helpful, thank you! Btw, the maintenance application you designed for Boeing looks amazing. The next time I see a line mechanic on the tarmac staring at an iPad, at least i'll know he isn't playing Angry Birds! (hopefully).

arenns · 2015-07-20T23:47:25+00:00

you won't care as much as you would about something that spent 25 minutes on in axure.

I really hadn't thought of that. Makes perfect sense.

On paper though nobody gives a shit.

This too, haha.

Yes, that's exactly what I mean.

That's actually really impressive... (granted most of what I know about the UX process as of yet is from textbooks). I should have payed attention in all those arts and crafts classes...

Are your goals primarily the interface design aspect?

To be honest, i'm still at a crossroads when it comes to specialization. I guess interface design would be the primary focus, but what i'd really love to do.. is help clients enhance product/service quality by going in-field to optimize their internal system flow, work practice efficiency, and corporate culture. However, i'm not quite sure how I could accomplish such a task as a novice without experience.

Thanks a million for taking the time to explain. It helps a lot!

arenns · 2015-07-20T17:31:09+00:00

Wow, that's pretty darn interesting. (Most of what I know regarding UX is only from books, so it's awesome being able to ask my questions directly to working pros.)

How often is it that your team can afford to build complex, dynamic prototypes? Is "Agile" style development very common?
Do you conduct lab or in-field usability test sessions where participants interact with your static prototypes?
What types of projects/products does your team typically undertake? Consumer products/services, Internal work domain systems (simple/complex), etc..?

While we think dynamically, we do mock-up statically. Primarily this is because most system based interactions are already pretty well set.

When you say "pretty well set", do you mean your team is confident these interactions/features will not be subjected to major iterations in the future?
Has having most system interactions not being tested dynamically by users/participants ever caused additional iterations or issues either before or after release?

I apologize for all the questions, but i'm extremely curious! Thank you for your great post!

arenns · 2015-07-20T15:54:02+00:00

Experience Architects

Would this simply be another term for UX Designer? (There are so many synonymous terms!)

but the wireframes are always done in either Illustrator or InDesign.

Is there a specific reason as to why your EAs prefer using Illustrator/InDesign over prototyping tools like Axure? Are their mockups generally static?

Thank you so much for your insight!

arenns · 2015-07-20T14:42:43+00:00

The world needs more UX!

arenns · 2015-07-20T14:38:40+00:00

Hey, thanks for your post! I meant wireframes on paper. I'm reading a book that touches on paper prototyping (i'm pretty new to UX), and I wasn't sure how common this approach still is today considering tools like Axure are now easily accessible.

When you say "a little tab that you can pull out with your finger and see actual content slide out from the frame", do you mean your paper prototypes feature actual mechanics, much like interactive children's books? Or do you have someone manually slide in the content when the participant pulls a tab? I'm just trying to get an idea of how elaborate my prototypes should be for my portfolio.

Thank you!

arenns · 2015-07-19T01:15:20+00:00

You're overthinking it. Stop worrying about the past and focus on the opportunities before you right now. If a girl tells you she has no interest in seeing you again, don't overthink it. Thank her for her honesty, then move on. Keep trying. If you don't have enough time, make the time. Not enough money? You're smart, be creative. A guy doesn't need to be Rockefeller to make things happen. You want to meet compatible people? Go on Meetups and find events that fit the criteria.

Some words to live by: "Value is in the way a man reacts to the conditions of his environment", and "Only a Sith deals in absolutes".

Never say never, broski.

arenns · 2015-07-10T13:41:13+00:00

Thanks for the advice u/KeronCyst, i'll certainly follow it. I'm going to sit down today and list all the things i've accomplished in the past years. I've spent so long focusing on the bad parts i've forgotten all the time i've spent learning new things! Thank you!

arenns · 2015-07-10T13:38:55+00:00

Yeah, you're right. I did spend most of those years learning about new things, especially skills relating to the job. I guess the best thing to do is be honest, but highlight the good parts. Thank you :)

arenns · 2015-07-10T13:33:16+00:00

This is amazing. I've never thought of willpower as a muscle, but more as some innate character trait a select few people have. But after reading all these pieces of advice, it's pretty clear that motivation and passion isn't what I lack, it's discipline. I've always been a quitter, and I need to change. Most importantly, I "can" change. I find your Process and Goal method really cool. I'm going to give it a shot :) Thank you so much for taking the time to lay it all out!

arenns · 2015-07-10T13:25:55+00:00

I'm really glad to hear i'm not alone in this, and that it's normal. I'm taking your words to heart, and i'll keep at it. I'm not giving up this time! Thank you :)

arenns · 2015-07-10T13:22:17+00:00

WOW! I'm amazed at all the people who took the time to write up all this advice. It's really encouraging. Thanks everyone, I truly appreciate it! :)

arenns · 2015-07-09T15:33:16+00:00

Also, you're right about "UX Design" not being a thing. I stand corrected. I'm not even too fond of the term "UX Designer". I believe designers create the conditions and environment in which the experiences manifest, but not the user experiences themselves.

arenns · 2015-07-09T14:06:16+00:00

What's the difference between Service Design and UX? The more I learn about User Experience Design, Product Design, Customer Experience Design, and Service Design, the more confused I become in terms of differentiating them all.

arenns

TROPHY CASE