Ignoring UX in your app dev process is like purchasing a beautiful bathroom sink, installing all the pipes, and then leaving the sink on the bathroom floor.
User Experience Design
UX Design Career Advice
I have been asked several times for advice on entering the UX field, and thought I would post my most recent response to a woman moving from the fashion industry into wearables and health devices:
The app industry (even/especially wearables) is a UX designer’s dream. An app is nothing without conscious placement, animation, and movement decisions. It’s 90% content with a bit of gloss added at the end to make it look modern, but most of the “delight” users and clients refer to come from UX decisions.
First of all, I recommend checking out Meetup.com and finding groups near you like IXDA, AIGA, CHI, etc. They frequently have meet ups with free or inexpensive talks, panel discussions, workshops, and social gatherings. There may even be some specifically focused on wearables. We just hosted (here in Atlanta) a talk on Android wearables this past weekend.
We have a week-long bootcamp on designing iOS and Android apps, so have done a lot of competitive research and have a robust list of schools and other training resources. Those might offer more or additional options for you (though this list is long!).
Another great resource for UX news is email newsletters from MailChimp UX, Smashing Magazine, Mutual Mobile, and Mobiquity.
Don’t Forget Delight
Poster I created for our first Mobile Design Bootcamp students. Aarron Walter’s “User’s Hierarchy of Needs”. Hand printed by Danger Press. Such pyramid. Such delight. (Note: I think Walter’s original design said “Pleasure” instead of “Delight” but I think that’s weird, and Delight is a magic word-du-jour.)
Contoso Cookbook
When I worked with Microsoft (through BNR) to update and teach their new Windows 8 design principles, my Microsoft partner and I built a new app from the ground up to show the app design steps in our lectures. Each faux product they create is branded Contoso. So we made Contoso Cookbook.
It was definitely the best way to understand the platform, and although it was a difficult project in many ways, I’m really glad I was a part of it. I mean, they did send me all over the world to teach the course, so no complaints here 🙂
Jewelry Site Redesign
When I was asked to redesign Jewelry.com, I jumped at the chance. It was such a basic URL, the ecommerce site couldn’t help but see a lot of traffic. But they needed to appeal to a market that was increasingly relying on sites like etsy.com to find affordable and interesting accessories. I knew Jewelry.com could get there with a bit more sophistication, and a seamless purchase experience.
OMG on errrthang
At Artifact Design, I created some of my first native apps for iPhone and iPad. My favorite was for The OMG Girlz, a young hiphop group just getting their start. I had to set aside my old soul and channel my inner 13 year old. It was so fun to immerse myself in pop culture and create something for their loyal fan base.
I made the wireframes and directed designers who drew the graphics and created a full closet of clothes, hair, and makeup that users could customize. It was adorable, and the app store reviews must have held a record for number of emojis used in a row.
“Because it’s 2010 and we still don’t have a mobile site.”
That was my answer when WebMD’s C-level management asked me why they should spend money and resources on a mobile version of the site. If you will recall, the first iPhone was released in 2007. By 2010 users were beginning to expect mobile-shaped experiences from major brands.
An art director focused on product innovation, I teamed with a developer and a designer during down time to assemble a proof of concept. We believed that our audience would come to us through their smart devices more and more. Who doesn’t want to immediately look up that thing their doctor just diagnosed them with?
We knew we had to figure out a way to retrofit WebMD’s ancient CMS filled with thousands of articles and videos for a customized mobile view. We also knew we had to preserve page views and honor the complex sponsorship and ad revenue system we had. We soon enlisted the help of a sales director and a product strategist to solidify our business case.
We presented our evidence, designs, and strategy, and had a fully functioning, revenue-supporting mobile site within a few months. 25% of our audience was there, and that number only increased as the experience improved and the audience evolved. We had to prove that we were on to something, and that the lumbering machine could pivot. I’m really proud of what we accomplished.
Brandy Porter 
