Key Lime Interactive's Sr. User Researcher attended the HFES Conference and presented at the Student Lounge about "UX Consulting War Stories". Kelley Parsons shared her wealth of knowledge in the UX industry and her unique insights and lessons learned from this industry.

1. Kelley S. Parsons, Senior Usability Researcher
Key Lime Interactive

2. Introduction
2007 U.C. PhD – Human Factors Psychologist
Clearly not 25 years old, so why such a late start?

3. Key Lime Interactive (Senior Usability Researcher)
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND TAKE ACTION:
• What do I want my OUTCOME or result to be
• Take the appropriate ACTIONS to achieve that outcome
• If your game plan isn’t working, CHANGE APPROACH
(multiple ways to achieve desired OUTCOME)
Tony Robbins: Formula for Success

4. THOSE CRAZY EARLY YEARS

5. Those Crazy Early Years
Early college years
Outcome?
Action?
Game Plan?
Quit school and went to work (Vocational Rehabilitation)
Why am I NOT being promoted?!?!?!?!

6. Those Crazy Early Years
V.P. “Kelley, I want to see you in my office” YIKES
“Kelley, you MUST go back to school” BUT WHY???
“School isn’t for me…
• I don’t need my degree”
• I am super skilled without it!!!
Very simple:
No Degree - No Promotions

7. Those Crazy Early Years
‘Outcome’ (uncertain)
‘Actions’ (weak, went back to school)
No game plan to ‘Change’

8. Those Crazy Early Years
The course ‘game changers’ for me
Statistics, RM and HF
‘Outcome’/Direction
Knew what ‘Actions’ needed to take
‘Changed my Approach’ – studied hard

9. Those Crazy Early Years
Graduate studies:
• Sustained Attention / Stress and Workload
Sounds like a drag…….
I loved it and thought that the world would be my

10. Career Path (Grad Student)
NIOSH
Musculoskeletal Disorders HHCW
WPAFB – ORISE Fellowship
Pilots of UAV’s

11. CAREER PATH

12. Career Path
Things have certainly been interesting

13. Career Path
Long distance relationship last 2 years grad school
‘Outcome’ I wanted
‘Actions’
Changed my ‘Game Plan’

14. Career Path
Post Doctoral Fellowship at Cornell
Excessive walking
miles upon miles daily
Physical layout of nursing stations and nurse job satisfaction and stress
Temporary

15. Career Path
Burned out
Decided to teach for a semester
&
Then find full time employment
A semester turned into 6 months
Difficulty finding work in CNY
Panic began to set in

16. Career Path
• Posted on every job board imaginable
• Called department heads at local universities
• Contacted contacts of contacts
When it rains it pours - 3 Job Offers:
2 professorship offers
Kodak: HF Usability Specialist

17. Crossroads and Decisions
Much teaching experience
The Kodak Difference:
• New way for me to apply my HF skill set
• Challenging
• Seemed interesting
Go with the known and familiar
or
Take a chance on something completely unfamiliar

18. Crossroads and Decisions
Major Decision
Oh what to do, what to dooo?

19. Crossroads and Decisions: Kodak
HFES Met Ania Rodriguez
Founder and CEO Key Lime Interactive

20. Crossroads and Decisions: Kodak
Decision to go with Kodak altered the direction of my life
4 years = Major Layoffs
NO REGRETS
I Discovered that I LOVED USABILITY!

21. Crossroads and Decisions
Trouble finding employment in CNY
Many offers on the coasts
Remain in CNY
Couldn’t sit idle… $$$$$$......Independent Consulting (Remote Work)

22. Crossroads and Decisions
Independent Consulting –
Began bringing in work from various vendors
Recall while at Kodak: HFES Met Ania Rodriguez
Founder and CEO Key Lime Interactive

23. Crossroads and Decisions: KLI (Sr. Usability Researcher)
Key Lime Interactive full time since January 2014
All because of a chance encounter and networking

24. Crossroads and Decisions: KLI (Sr. Usability Researcher)

25. Crossroads and Decisions: KLI (Sr. Usability Researcher)
Exciting
Unpredictable
Crazy
Interesting
Do your best to make a thoughtful decision at EACH key decision point

26. Key Lime Interactive (Senior Usability Researcher)
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND TAKE ACTION:
• What do I want my OUTCOME or result to be
• Take the appropriate ACTIONS to achieve that outcome
• If your game plan isn’t working, CHANGE APPROACH
(multiple ways to achieve desired OUTCOME)
Tony Robbins: Formula for Success

27. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)

28. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Great Human Factors Practitioners:
Are well versed and broadly read

29. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Great Human Factors Practitioners:
Are NEVER sheep

30. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Great Human Factors Practitioners:
Know that there will be frustration

31. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Great Human Factors Practitioners:
Know that their professional opinions will be challenged
“Expert Opinion”

32. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Find ways to think BIG (beyond your current considerations)
EXPLORE NEW & DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES

33. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE!!!!

34. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Learn to learn outside of your immediate expert domain

35. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
Google +
Instagram
YouTube
Tumblr
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Vine
Snapchat
Vine + Twitter
……

36. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
WORD OF CAUTION:
Web Persona! Everyone can see you!

37. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)
Exude CONFIDENCE
(NOT ego….fine line but critical one – Don’t Cross it!)
• Stand Upright (head upright / eyes forward)
• Eye Contact (don’t stare them down….gets creepy)
• Firm Hand shake (not bone crushing / clammy and limp)
• ‘I CAN AND WILL DO THAT’ mentality

38. Final Words (Some Things I have learned)

39. Questions