Goodbye UX Design, (I thought) I Knew You Well..
??Greg Schumsky
Video Producer | Storyteller | Video Production | Video Editor | Videographer | Motion Graphics | Storyteller| Budget Management | Project Management | Media Asset Management | Digital Asset Management
This is tough to say, but I'm giving up on this whole UX Design career path, and more so, being in the field of User Experience Design - or a "practitioner" of it.
You may be thinking "But Greg, you're actually really good at UX", or possibly the opposite.. I don't know, and really it doesn't matter either way.
To be clear, I do really love creating great experiences. In fact I dream it, breathe it and live it on a daily basis. It's just who I am and have been since as far back in my life as I can recall.
But this thing that's been flying about in design groups, universities, corporations, and Meetup groups calling itself as UX Design is just not me or a thing I want to be a part of, mainly because I've grown tired of "choosing my battles" with PRODUCT OWNERS who have countless failed previous products, or CEO's, or anyone who thinks they know what's best for the user/customer/guest/et al, yet for some reason decided to hire a UX person - maybe because it sounds cool to say to their colleagues "We have our own UX Designer". Kinda like "Check out my new Tesla". I don't think they will really know what UX means.
Look at any recent meme about UX, and the story is pretty much the same — the UX'er says what will make the thing it is they're working on better, and the Product Owner then deciding to do the opposite - and sticking to what they're comfortable with, even though that's failed them in the past. Yes, you can fight them on it if you wish, but at the end of the day, they will always win.
I really don't know who's to blame for that happening, yet no one seems interested in fixing that.
Granted, this is only experience from the app and software side of things, and I want to believe it's different when it comes to physical products and or bigger actual "experiences" that involve the guest or end-user "being somewhere".
So with that I've gone into work that is outside my comfort zone of the UX app thing, and into experience design for big, physical places. I've always loved to learn new things, and it's good to be humbled along the way when one is not the expert. I get to design actual, tangible things, build them, install them - all the while getting bruises, the occasional cut, bump or scrape, and I wouldn't really want it any other way.
At Hotrods & Robots, I use a mouse, but then also a hammer, power tools, paints, glues, Bondo, and make very small to very big things. Sometimes I'm designing and making custom props, robots or vehicles, and the rest is building for amazing exhibits or other themed wonders that tell amazing stories.
When it comes down to it, it's what I've always loved - making things that make people happy, and for a moment of their lives, takes them out of this world and into something a bit more magical.
PhD Student, Department of Political Science, UBC | Migration and Integration Research | ex-Deloitte Canada
6 年Vijit Bhati
Partner, Strategic Planning at The Carbon Crew
6 年I think the core challenge is that everyone feels that they are entitled to their opinion since UX tends to be treated as a creative exercise rather than a research or science-driven discipline. I wish I had a nickel for every meeting I've been in where I'm presenting years of data on a customer segment and some says "yeah, but I was talking to my nephew and...". At the end of the day, if you are following what you love to do and working at a place called Hotrods & Robots, I think YOU won, not them.
Researcher / Mentor / IA / UX at IA Design & Usability
6 年Of course, everything changes and you must run out and get new training and a new degree—really candidly give us all a break! Demonstrated research gives excellent reasons about why doing information architecture, user experience design, usability testing may increase profit margins. People should not so gullible—/?ɡ?l?b(?)l/—to believe all the stuff you might read on LInkedIn about user-centered design. Goodbye fake news!
Unfortunately, it's an organizational constant that the people in charge of defining new products for new markets, were promoted in the past on their success in defining old products in prior markets.? And they don't realize (or are possibly afraid to admit that they don't understand) that the market has changed. The saying in the military is that the Generals are always planning to win the last war. But also - not all management (nor all Generals) are like that.? So you need to find the organization that "knows it doesn't know" and is open to listening.
Experience Design Lead
6 年I share your frustration. I think culture shifts in modern tech companies could be the answer to this problem. I wrote this piece on how I feel this can be addressed: https://link.medium.com/Dqew1zQvgT