I know many eyebrows must have risen at this statement. But, a surveyed number may surprise you even more; almost 47% of the employers prefer their potential candidates to be currently employed. And, as a UX Recruiter that has spoken to several UX Designers, I can confidently say that starting to build a network with recruiters and keeping a good awareness about what is in the job market, while still employed, works in your advantage in making a…

 As a UX Researcher, I thought I'd share some of the things that have best facilitated the interdisciplinary collaboration between usability researchers and designers. Please free to add to this list based on your own experience.

1. GET DOWN INTO THE TRENCHES.  As a researcher, understand the candidate design directions.  Kneel down by the desk of the designer/research with whom you are collaborating so you are both sharing a screen. Fully grasp the design and technical limitations…

One of the greatest assets any Designer can cultivate is the ability not only to solve problems, but to  solve problems on the fly!

Inevitably, due to a quirk in communication, or an accidental shut down of your computer, a problem arises that demands an immediate solution - if not sooner. When it involves your client and their needs, you know your reputation and your paycheck are on the line.

Truly a  Designer can find a beautiful solution to any problem given time. The mark…

The importance of Portfolio in the design arena is undeniable. Especially with the rapidly changing UX recruiting trends and highly competitive UX job market, a well built resume is not enough to cut the bill.

As hiring managers become increasingly busy and competition hikes up for a dynamic UX job, it’s very hard for hiring managers to figure out the right design talent who will fit not just in a UX role but in the overall design philosophy of the company. And,…

 I wanted to write blog post about my experience at the HOW Interactive Design Conference in DC. I quickly dug up my notes, found all of the hand outs I received and pulled up the website hosting all of the speakers’ presentations. I thought about all of the important things I learned and the conversations I had with my boss upon returning in an effort to convince him that we needed to start doing all of these important things right now. I tried to decide on what would be the best way to…

What is a Tweet? Who is on Facebook? What’s a LinkedIn Profile?

It’s fair enough to say that these questions are today obsolete!! The reach of social media and the rapid adoption of social channels are evident. Though we hear people arguing about how long the fever of social media will remain (that it might just be a phase),…

In case you haven't been following the tons of articles trashing Apple's love of skeuomorhpism and praising Android's move to a minimalistic interface, I'll give a brief overview.

First, to define "skeumorphism." According to Wikipedia, skeuomorphism as used in the design world is "an element of design or structure that serves little or no purpose in the artifact fashioned from the new material but was…

Doing a first-time UX consultation, I sometimes feel like an auto mechanic walking into a buggy shop circa 1905 and trying to tell the carriage maker that the horses will soon be outclassed. It's hard to consult from a defensive position, even when the writing is on the wall that things are changing. The main issue is that the service I offer is often seen as either redundant to current efforts or entirely unnecessary... or even nonexistent.

Even with the prevalence of social media in…

Do you think it's advantage a Designer should learn all the web programming codes?

Please share your thoughts. Thank you!

Food. We just need it. We just need to design it. UX Food

Talk about the user experience !

Check out the 2012Gravity Free Conference ' Play With Your Food ' photos and vote at : http://www.exhibitoronline.com/gravityfree/moments.asp

Thanks to Bestica’s generosity, I was able to attend the CHI2012 conference in Austin, TX in May. There were a number of great workshops and sessions that took place, but in order to do a deep dive, I have decided to focus on one particular workshop.



During CHI2012, I was fortunate enough to attend the Designing With the Mind in Mind workshop with Jeff Johnson of UI Wizards in San Francisco.  Johnson discussed in detail the…

Gravity Free

I can only say a huge 'Thank You' to Bestica for the chance to attend Gravity

Free - the world's only multidisciplinary design conference.

And what a conference it was! "Outlaws & Icons" were in abundance. Creative

geniuses in all forms from George Lois the 50 year - yes I said 50 YEAR -  front

line veteran in American Graphic Design to Martin Kastner designing

excruciatingly specific Service Ware…

Over the weekend, I won the Bestica Giveaway for the free tickets to the Gravity Free Conference in Chicago! I was ecstatic because I never attended anything like this before and was excited to expand my horizons.

Held at the Venue Six10 at the Spertus Institute downtown Chicago May 1 and 2, I went there not knowing what to expect. ‘Outlaws and Icons’ creatively was the name of the event, most of these speakers did not follow the norm of their time and were called…

When I finished my Ph.D. program 5 years ago and accepted my first UX position as a Usability Analyst, I fell victim to certain mistakes, or ways of thinking, that I would have loved to have avoided.  So if there are any recent grads (undrgrad or grad school) out there that are about to accept, or have recently accepted, a User Experience job in a corporate environment, I wanted to share a few things that might help you better adapt to your new role.  And if there are others out there with…

Do you think lightbox solutions are over? Have you encountered one on your cell? Did you have to close it? Could you? Any future with lightbox solutions that you can see?

It already feels like it’s been too long since we raised a toast and welcomed a fresh 2012! Maybe that’s because it’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-way through the first quarter of this year. Phew! Time’s really flying! And, from our perspective, the UX job market certainly seems to be riding this fast and furious wave.

By…

As you’ve been looking around for the right UX job to suit your skill set and passions, surely you’ve noticed that each company has their own specific set of requirements and preferred experience. We’re not blowing your mind with that information, you already know.

But! We have recruited UX designers to fill projects and jobs for clients across a wide range of industries located in most longitudes, and we have a little more insight into just what they’re looking for—beyond those hard…