1. Deconstructing/Reconstructing User Experience
Demystifying UX in the working world

2. A bit of background
(Hi! We’re Mike & Michael of mkeUX)

14. Deconstructing UX

15. What the hell is UX?

17. The Good:
People know that UX is important

18. The Bad:
People don’t know what UX is

19. So, where does that get us?

24. UX Job Titles

25. Let’s look at some actual job descriptions

26. What You Will Be Doing
We're now looking for a talented UX Designer to join our team in Buffalo, NY and contribute with our next ground-up build for our new
application.
• Enjoy being a key contributor in a small team/startup environment
• Have a flair for user experience design. You're probably pretty picky about things like fonts, and can explain your process to determine
whether an interface follows intuitive design guidelines.
• Have oodles of experience with HTML and CSS
• Have 3+ years of user interface design experience in applications (whether it be native computer programs, web-based apps, or mobile
apps)
• Added bonus: You have graphic design skills and can draw widgets and icons
• Either have a Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
What You Need for this Position
At Least 3 Years of experience and knowledge of:
• User Experience
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Wireframes
So, if you are a UX Designer with experience, please apply today!
User Experience Designer

27. What You Will Be Doing
We're now looking for a talented UX Designer to join our team in Buffalo, NY and contribute with our next ground-up build for our new
application.
• Enjoy being a key contributor in a small team/startup environment
• Have a flair for user experience design. You're probably pretty picky about things like fonts, and can explain your process to determine
whether an interface follows intuitive design guidelines.
• Have oodles of experience with HTML and CSS
• Have 3+ years of user interface design experience in applications (whether it be native computer programs, web-based apps, or mobile
apps)
• Added bonus: You have graphic design skills and can draw widgets and icons
• Either have a Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
What You Need for this Position
At Least 3 Years of experience and knowledge of:
• User Experience
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Wireframes
So, if you are a UX Designer with experience, please apply today!
User Experience Designer
Enjoy being a key contributor in a small team/startup environment
What they really want: A human with a job
Have a flair for user experience design. You're probably pretty picky about things like fonts, and
can explain your process to determine whether an interface follows intuitive design guidelines.
What they really want: No idea
Have oodles of experience with HTML and CSS.
What they really want: A designer with dev skills
Have 3+ years of user interface design experience in applications (whether it be native computer
programs, web-based apps, or mobile apps).
What they really want: No idea (what do they mean by user interface design??)
Added bonus: You have graphic design skills and can draw widgets and icons.
What they really want: A graphic designer

28. Scope of Responsibilities/Expectations
This is a software engineering position, as a contributing member of a user interface (UI) / user experience (UX) development team, where
responsibilities include:
• Analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of applications that provide the primary user interface to many embedded
products developed within the department.
• Interface directly with the customer to gather user interface requirements, present application prototypes, and provide product training.
• Develop and maintain user interface application documentation including application help.
• Contribute to the development of user interface standards and guidelines for the department.
User Experience Designer
Desired Skills
• Good eye for aesthetics
• Interest in solving usability problems
• Experience developing user interface applications using Java, Android, and/or HTML5.
• Strong understanding of Object Oriented Design principles.
• Excellent communications, organization, and documentation skills.
Preferred Skills
• Familiarity with both Java and JavaScript.
• Familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, or similar.
• Experience developing Single Page Web Applications with AngularJS, jQuery, Ember.js, etc.
• Experience using CSS3 and HTML 5 features such as Web Sockets or Canvas.
• Experience with data visualization.
• Mobile or tablet development and design experience.
• Formal training in User Interface Design.
• Experience writing unit tests.
• Experience working with embedded/real-time systems or applications.
• Knowledge of cellular systems (GSM, UMTS, CDMA, etc)
Candidate must be a U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain the necessary security clearance as required by government contract.

29. Scope of Responsibilities/Expectations
This is a software engineering position, as a contributing member of a user interface (UI) / user experience (UX) development team, where
responsibilities include:
• Analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of applications that provide the primary user interface to many embedded
products developed within the department.
• Interface directly with the customer to gather user interface requirements, present application prototypes, and provide product training.
• Develop and maintain user interface application documentation including application help.
• Contribute to the development of user interface standards and guidelines for the department.
User Experience Designer
Desired Skills
• Good eye for aesthetics
• Interest in solving usability problems
• Experience developing user interface applications using Java, Android, and/or HTML5.
• Strong understanding of Object Oriented Design principles.
• Excellent communications, organization, and documentation skills.
Preferred Skills
• Familiarity with both Java and JavaScript.
• Familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, or similar.
• Experience developing Single Page Web Applications with AngularJS, jQuery, Ember.js, etc.
• Experience using CSS3 and HTML 5 features such as Web Sockets or Canvas.
• Experience with data visualization.
• Mobile or tablet development and design experience.
• Formal training in User Interface Design.
• Experience writing unit tests.
• Experience working with embedded/real-time systems or applications.
• Knowledge of cellular systems (GSM, UMTS, CDMA, etc)
Candidate must be a U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain the necessary security clearance as required by government contract.
Analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of applications that provide the
primary user interface to many embedded products developed within the department.
What they really want: A researcher, designer, engineer, tester
Interface directly with the customer to gather user interface requirements, present application
prototypes, and provide product training.
What they really want: A researcher, business analyst, trainer
“This is a software engineer position”
Develop and maintain user interface application documentation including application help.
What they really want: A technical writer
Contribute to the development of user interface standards and guidelines for the department.
What they really want: Developer?, Designer?, Maybe?
Master's Degree and classes, coursework or internship in Java.
What they really want: A nerd
Good eye for aesthetics.
What they really want: A visual designer (this is a meaningless statement)
Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain necessary security clearance as required by government contract.
What they really want: An American

30. Required
1. High School Diploma/GED
2. At least 2 years experience in user experience design
including wireframes, prototyping and user flows
3. At least 2 years experience in applying user research
methodologies
4. At least 2 years experience in software tools for creating
design deliverables: Adobe Creative Suite and Keynote
5. At least 2 years experience in Photoshop/Illustrator
6. At least 1 year experience in creating prototypes (ideally
using Keynote)
7. At least 2 years experience in defining information
architecture and interaction design for iOS applications
8. At least 1 year experience in Portfolio (examples of iOS
design deliverables and finished products)
9. Basic knowledge in Agile development
10. Readiness to travel Up to 3 days a week (home on
weekends-based on project requirements)
11. English: Intermediate
What???!?!!?!!?!
Preferred
1. Bachelor's Degree
2. At least 4 years experience in user experience design
including wireframes, prototyping and user flows
3. At least 4 years experience in applying user research
methodologies
4. At least 4 years experience in software tools for creating
design deliverables: Adobe Creative Suite and Keynote
5. At least 4 years experience in Photoshop/Illustrator
6. At least 2 years experience in creating prototypes (ideally
using Keynote)
7. At least 4 years experience in defining information
architecture and interaction design for iOS applications
8. At least 3 years experience in Portfolio (examples of iOS
design deliverables and finished products)
9. At least 2 years experience in Agile development
10. English : Fluent

31. Questions

32. Break

33. Reconstructing UX

34. Mythical user experience designer with an
advanced and adaptive skill range.
Outstanding skills in graphic design, rapid
prototyping, front end development, user
testing, technical specifications, marketing
and branding. It does not have an opinion, it
has a process, and harmonies with any
environment.
UX Unicorn | u•ni•corn - yõonə,korn |
noun
Source: http://uxunicorn.com/

35. But… Unicorns don’t exist.

37. User Research focuses on understanding user behaviors,
needs, and motivations through observation techniques,
task analysis, and other feedback methodologies.
– Wikipedia

38. Information architecture (IA) focuses on organizing,
structuring, and labeling content in an effective and
sustainable way.
- usability.gov

39. Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and
governance of useful, usable content.
– Kristina Halvorson

40. UX Architect (or Strategist) goes all the way from
defining the strategic objectives—vision and strategy—
to team objectives and tactical plans, as well as
execution and monitoring.
- Sudip Ghosh

41. Graphic design, also known as communication design, is
the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and
experiences with visual and textual content.
- Juliette Cezzar

42. UX developer to bridge the gap between design and
technology. We need to be able to think and speak the
language of designers. It’s our job to help translate their
vision to the development team in a way that they can
understand and accept.
– Tim R. Todish

43. A designer…with experience working across interaction,
UI, visual, and motion design.
– Twitter

44. So, now what?

46. Should I apply for that UX job?

47. Yes? Great! How?

49. How do I find awesome UX people?

50. Experience: 5-10 years
Additional Responsibilities:
Leads design work on major programs doing
some of the design themselves and providing
oversight/direction to other designers on the
program.
Additional Technical Skills:
Design - Overviews work giving feedback and
iterates their thinking with continual review.
Planning and mentoring the work of other
Experience: 0-2 years
Responsibilities:
Executing design work consistent with design and brand
standards, analytics insight, customer feedback.
Takes direction from a Senior UX team member and
requires close guidance to deliver design work
effectively.
Technical Skills:
Design - Sketching, concept creation and wire framing,
producing sitemaps and user flows, creating clickable
prototypes. Working with user research teams to plan
usability testing sessions and delivers artifacts for
testing. Using user insight, analytics, best practice,
competitor analysis to inform design decisions.
Design Specification - Delivers appropriate level of
specification needed to ensure high quality
development on time.
Data interpretation - Required (with guidance) to
document data from analytics sources.
Best practice and design consistency - Researching and
sharing industry trends, competitors, and comparable
experiences. Driving and documenting design standards
and patterns across channels and products.
Technical Knowledge - Proficient in key software
packages such as Axure and Photoshop. Sound
knowledge of web and mobile technologies.
Interaction Designer/UX Designer/IA
Experience: 2-5 years
Additional Responsibilities:
Delivers design work on programs of any size
with minimal oversight.
Effectively negotiates trade-offs with product
management and engineering.
Additional Technical Skills:
Design - Shares work to get feedback and
iterates their thinking with continual review.
Design Specification - Collaborates as
appropriate on creating user stories to define
development tasks.
Planning - Plans own work executing against
deadlines. Finds ways to maximise the efficiency
in an agile process.
Working in a team - Collaborating with visual
designers, developers, product owners,
marketing, and content managers to define
product experience and champion the user.
Junior Senior
http://vitamintalent.com/vitabites/the-great-expectations-of-a-ux-hire

51. Experience: 5-8 years
Additional Responsibilities:
Leads design work on major programs doing
some of the design work themselves and
providing oversight/direction to other designers
on the program.
Additional Technical Skills:
Wider knowledge of new interactive
technologies and techniques across platforms
and industries to draw from to influence
approach.
Good working use of PowerPoint or similar tools
for crafting presentations for presentation up to
board level communicating ideas through visual
design, prototypes and motion graphics.
Experience: 0-1.5 years
Responsibilities:
Executing design work consistent with design
and brand standards, analytics insight, customer
feedback.
Takes direction from a Senior UX team member
and requires close guidance to deliver design
work effectively.
Technical Skills:
Skilled in using Adobe Creative Suite packages,
mainly Photoshop and Illustrator.
Skilled in motion graphics using After Effects
(desirable).
Strong sensibility of best design practices for
production delivery across platforms, i.e.
desktop and mobile.
Knowledge of interaction architecture practices
Visual Designer
Experience: 2-4 years
Additional Responsibilities:
Delivers design work on programs of any size
with minimal oversight.
Effectively negotiates trade offs with product
management and engineering.
Additional Technical Skills:
Full understanding of best design practices for
production delivery across platforms, i.e.
desktop & mobile.
Well versed in IA practices across UX and the
ability to take wireframes through to well
crafted visual designs with supporting
annotations.
Ability to prototype designs using Axure and/or
Junior Senior
http://vitamintalent.com/vitabites/the-great-expectations-of-a-ux-hire

52. Experience: 6-10 years
Additional Responsibilities:
Planning and executing any scale of research
project.
Senior stakeholder management and
Experience: 0-3 years
Responsibilities:
Begin assisting in running research sessions.
Write up research notes, perform competitor
analysis.
Takes direction from senior UX team.
Technical Skills:
Methodologies - Experienced in research
methods - usability testing (lab), phone
interview, focus groups.
Familiar with contextual/ ethnographical study,
remote study (online), card sorting, diary study,
eye tracking, intercept surveys, participatory
design, A/B MVT testing.
Software - PowerPoint, Word, Excel. Familiar
User Researcher
Experience: 3-6 years
Additional Responsibilities:
Planning and executing smaller scale research
projects, drawing on research from various
areas of the business: analytics, customer
insight, help desk.
Good presentation skills and able to present to
senior stakeholders and good stakeholder
management skills.
Additional Technical Skills:
Software - Familiar with Final Cut Pro, Tobii eye
Junior Senior
http://vitamintalent.com/vitabites/the-great-expectations-of-a-ux-hire

53. Questions?

54. Thanks.
MIKE KORNACKI
mkeux.com
mike@mkeux.com
@lordshales
MICHAEL SEIDEL
mkeux.com
michael@mkeux.com
@michaelseidel