NN/g UX Podcast

How has the UX field changed over the years? What does the future of UX work look like if scope is wildly expanding? Will we be automated out of a job? What should teams do to ensure they’re not misinterpreting data? Kenya Oduor shares her thoughts on these questions and more, offering suggestions for UX professionals wishing to set themselves up for success in a future of coexistence with artificial intelligence systems and automation. (Surprisingly, these tips are quite helpful for planning and analyzing quantitative user research as well.) Learn more about Kenya Oduor, Ph.D. and Lean Geeks: Bio, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, LeanGeeks.net Related NN/g Articles & Videos: The Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and User Experience (4 min video) AI & Machine Learning Will Change UX Research & Design (11 min video) 10 Usability Heuristics in Interface Design (article) Visibility of System Status (Usability Heuristic #1) (article) Hierarchy of Trust: The 5 Experiential Levels of Commitment (article) Related NN/g Course: Emerging Patterns in Interface Design (UXC course - full day or 2 half-days)

Visual design takes a lot more work than just making things look pretty, and is a fundamental part of many user's experiences. Our digital design lead, Kelley Gordon, shares some practical tips for both designers and "non-designers" alike to strengthen visual designs and improve working relationships.  Read more about Kelley Gordon here Follow us on Instagram @nngux Full-day courses and 1-Hour Talks referenced in this episode: Design Critiques: What, How, and When (1-Hour Talk) Web Page UX Design (UXC Course) Visual Design Fundamentals (UXC Course)

What does it take to be successful in the field of user experience? There isn't a single, clear-cut answer, but there are a number of different skills, traits, and perspectives that foster better workplace relationships and strengthen creative problem-solving. Anna Kaley and other fellow NN/g UX Specialists offer their insights on the commonalities that highly effective UX professionals seem to share, and how they can enable more human-centered outcomes. In this episode... Anna Kaley proposes "6 C's" list of characteristics that enable UX practitioners to succeed in the workplace. Maria Rosala shares some findings from our UX careers research, which prove have some timeless advice, despite frequent changes in the industry. Tanner Kohler highlights the importance of human-centered research versus feature-focused research in creating human-centered designs. Rachel Krause offers recommendations on how to evolve from being a designer in isolation into a designer with influence. Kim Salazar discusses the necessity to see ambiguity not as something to be feared, but as something to be explored. Finally, a featured clip from UX Certified community member, Katherine Joyce which celebrates habits and mindsets to which we all can aspire.

Have you thought about your career lately? Chances are, you have - given the buzz around the record high voluntary resignation rates during this “Great Resignation.” In this episode, Sarah Doody, UX Researcher, Experience Designer, and Founder of the Career Strategy Lab, shares her thoughts on how UX professionals can design their ideal careers, whether they’re in the market for a new role or not. Read more about Sarah Doody:  Website (sarahdoody.com) Twitter (@sarahdoody) LinkedIn (/in/sarahdoody) Instagram (@sarahdoodyux) NN/g Resources on UX Careers: Jakob Nielsen: How to Start A New Career in UX (2-min video) UX Careers (free 90-page report) Growing in your UX Career: A Study Guide (article) Portfolios for UX Researchers (article) Interested in working with us? Apply to this posting by April 4th

UX professionals often find themselves saddled with the burden of convincing others to value UX work. David Glazier, Sr. Staff UX Lead of Digital Experience at Illumina tells his story about how effective communication helped him get buy-in with stakeholders and key decision-makers. Read more about David Glazier on LinkedIn Courses & Talks mentioned in this episode: Storytelling to Present UX Work (live, full-day UX Certification course) VR & User Research (1-hour recorded talk by David Glazier) Presenting to Stakeholders (1-hour recorded talk, related More articles, videos, and upcoming training can be found at www.nngroup.com

There is no question that user research has changed over the last two years, but how significant are those changes? The answer is complex, but User Interviews' Erin May (VP Growth & Marketing) and JH Forster (VP Product) demystify these trends and share their observations and hopes for the years to come. Check out the Awkward Silences podcast by User Interviews Erin May: Twitter (@erinhmay), LinkedIn John-Henry (JH) Forster: Twitter (@jhforster), LinkedIn User Interviews: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook Related NN/g Articles & Videos: Recruiting and Screening Candidate for User Research Studies (article) Qualitative Research Study Guide (article) Quantitative Research Study Guide (article) Related 1-Hour Talks: Remote Research Trends (1-Hour Talk) How Inclusive Design Expands Business Value (1-Hour Talk) Upcoming Training Events: Virtual UX Conference January 8-21  (2 half-day format) Qualitative Research Series April 4-8 (5-day training event) User Interviews Links: The State of User Research 2021 Report User Research Field Guides Recruit 3 research participants for free on UserInterviews.com

As design teams mature in size and scope, the importance of intentionally designing and systematizing processes, approaches, and tools becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Kate Kaplan shares insights from her research studying design teams and offers tips for those seeking to initiate and lead DesignOps efforts as a way to make design more impactful at their organizations. Learn more about Kate Kaplan on LinkedIn and nngroup.com NN/g Resources Mentioned: DesignOps 101 (free article)  DesignOps Maturity (free article) 6 Levels of UX Maturity (free article)  UX Maturity Stage 3: Emergent (free article)  DesignOps: DesignOps: Scaling UX Design and User Research (UXC course) Other Links Mentioned: Rosenfeld Media’s DesignOps Summit: ​​https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designopssummit2021/ A note on companies to follow, from Kate: "There are so many teams at different organizations publicly sharing and publishing their DesignOps journeys and experiments, and I think that willingness to share is amazing and points to the greater community being built around DesignOps. Some that come top of mind to follow are Salesforce, Cisco, IBM, AirBnB, Pinterest, Athena Health, Atlassian. Most of these companies have internal design blogs or medium channels where they share their approaches."

A two-part podcast episode discussing the implications of decentralized computing and mixed reality on the future of UX work. Geoff's Website: geoffrobertson.me 1-Hour Talks discussed in the episode: Blockchain 101 Blockchain & UX Related courses: Emerging Patterns in Interface Design (UX Certification eligible course) Upcoming online events: Intranet and Employee Experience Symposium: Nov 9-10 Qualitative Research Series (5-Days): Nov 15-19

Product visions can align a team and inspire a better future state. When visions stem from real user needs, the ideas that follow have the greatest potential for success. NN/g UX Specialist Anna Kaley discusses keeping users at the center of product development, and shares insights from next weeks' UX Vision and Strategy Series, presented alongside Chief Designer, Sarah Gibbons. Read more about Anna Kaley (NN/g bio) Referenced courses and training series: UX Vision and Strategy Series (Oct 18-22, 2021) with Anna Kaley and Sarah Gibbons Product and UX: Building Partnerships for Better Outcomes Being a UX Leader: Essential Skills for Any UX Practitioner Lean UX and Agile Related (free) videos & articles: UX Vision (3-min video by Anna Kaley) Create an aspirational view of the experience users will have with your product, service, or organization in the future. This isn't fluff, but will guide a unified design strategy. Here are 5 steps to creating a UX vision. UX Roadmaps: Definition and Components (article by Sarah Gibbons)

To kick off Season 2, we're releasing a special edition episode, inspired by a tweet posted by @AllisonGrayce in Feb 2021, where she asks followers, "what's a #ux hill you regularly die on?" Host Therese Fessenden asks both NN/g team members and members of the UXC and UXMC community what issues, topics, and principles they fiercely stand by, and shares their answers. Guests and submissions featured in the episode (in order): Chris Callaghan (UXMC) - UX and Optimisation Director (Manchester, UK) Twitter: @CallaghanDesign Kara Pernice - Sr. VP at Nielsen Norman Group Bio: nngroup.com/people/kara-pernice  Mary Formanek (UXMC) - Senior User Experience + Product Lead Engineer (Arizona, US) Mary's Article: "Label Your Icons: No, we can’t read your mind. Please label your icons." Tiktok: @UXwithMary Ben Shih - UX Consultant and Product Designer (Stockholm, Sweden) Portfolio: benshih.design Rachel Krause - UX Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group Bio: nngroup.com/people/rachel-krause/  Anna Kaley - UX Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group Bio: nngroup.com/people/anna-kaley You can find also information about the upcoming UX Vision and Strategy Series with Anna Kaley and Sarah Gibbons here.