Non-business books for Entrepreneurs
Posted on August 28, 2009 in Non-work "work", freelancing by LisView Comments

I saw this list come across the New York Tech message board and thought it would be great to share: http://entrepreneurialreads.pbworks.com/. It’s awesome to see a list of non-business books for entrepreneurs/independents as I love to read and to learn. I also love when I read something that is not a direct response to the business world, but does support us in our human condition to create a more balanced outlook on life and work. Unfortunately I doubt I’ll ever have the time to read them all (or even most of them). However when I am looking for some inspiration I’ll be looking here. The key for me is to not feel overwhelmed by lists like these, and to realize that every step I take, is a step forward in my career and my business even if it’s not a full fledged run. Enjoy the info!

NYC Independent UX pros are you there?
Posted on August 27, 2009 in Information Architecture, User Experience, freelancing by LisView Comments

Today I had the wonderful honor of meeting and chatting with fellow UX independent Whitney Hess down at one of the coolest co-working spots in NY, New Work City.
Of course we had several topics that we talked about, but probably the most important was the future we saw lying ahead for ourselves and other UX independents in New York. We noted that there are very few independents that we know of working here in the city, especially compared to the high demand there is for our skills. There are many startups and other technical ventures crying out for someone to help them make their product and/or service easy to use but very few of us are returning the cry. Imagine what would happen if we UX independents all came together and developed a strategy for how we wanted to serve this market! Imagine if there were other UX professionals such as graphic designers, copy writers, content strategiests to fill the gaping hole! These were fulfilling thoughts for me considering the amount of requests that both Whitney and I see from our clients for talents that we do not possess. As Interaction/User Experience Designers we cannot fill every need that a company may have. There is a HUGE opportunity out there for those of us looking to snatch up a challenge and an independent lifestyle.
We decided that we would go forward and try to see our ideas become a reality. First we’re hoping to start introducing more UX pros to the Tech pros and get the two communities to begin to merge. In order to do so, it’s imperative that we know who these people are and where they are hiding. So come on indies… where are you hiding?! Let me know if you’d like to be apart of something new, great and different or as I like to call it, the future of our profession!

The Importance of Re-Learning
Posted on August 19, 2009 in Information Architecture, User Experience by LisView Comments

     We all know the mantra that helping others learn what we do as user experience designers allows us to learn more about our profession. Last night I had the privilege of meeting with an individual who wanted to get a clearer view of what information architecture/interaction design was really all about. I was honored to try and help portray as much as I could about the profession, while at the same time wondering if I could really help. After all, I'm just your average Jane.

     We began with some general conversation around the UX community here in NYC. Person A, as I'll call them, had already done a great deal of research about the available resources. I was impressed! AND I actually was able to learn about some resources that I didn't know. We then talked about tactics to trying to network within the profession. Again there was a great deal of pre-research and experience. Person A amazed me in that they took a great deal of initiative to gain the information they thought they needed to be a successful professional! With no pay, no job, no incentive except knowledge. Our last activity was to review together a task flow analysis that Person A put together. Again, something that they did on their own. Person A went out, spotted a design problem, researched it, then came up with recommendations on how to improve it. This was incredible! Someone who can't get their foot in the door professionally but instead of giving up, finds their own problems to solve! The learning on my end that came from this last activity was how quickly my mind thinks from the user point of view, as well as how much knowledge I've acquired over the years regarding IA, IxD and UX. It came to me so quickly when explaining it. I was able to look back and say wow, that was a lot of work on my end. But of course there is still much more work to go. One of my most immediate goals is to focus on how to explain the process of my work more clearly.

     From this I wanted to highlight the importance of what I'm calling "re-learning'. I suppose it's really a first learning as well (if you already know it you can't re-learn per say). Last night's experience gave me an entirely different perspective which is allowing me and forcing me to think differently on how I can improve myself, my work and those around me. This will only make me a better user experience design and person overall, and it is a lesson that I wouldn't have seen if I didn't take the opportunity to "re-learn". Thanks Person A!

What I Learned from Vacation in Italy
Posted on August 12, 2009 in Non-work "work" by LisView Comments

This time last week I was just arriving home from a 12 day trip around Italy. I had a wonderful vacation and got to spend 12 days with my cousin and brother whom I like to deem my travel buddies. We saw all the great sites and kept busy doing many different things (esp eating!) but I thought I would write about the thoughts and reflections that I had while I was there.
I always enjoy my trips to other countries because the pace of life is so different. I especially enjoyed and appreciated the Italian pace of life for its emphasis on quality over quantity as well as enjoyment of life. I spent a great deal of time reflecting on these and asking myself how I would begin to incorporate these reflections into my life. I made some pretty great decisions in my opinion :-) .
How then does this relate to User Experience Design and my day to day work life? As I mentioned most of what I learned from the Italian way of life was:
1. Take pride and care in the work that you do. I rarely saw people rush through a job just to see it complete. They wanted to be sure that their product/service was the very best it could be. I decided that I wanted to be sure that I pay closer attention to the quality of my efforts as opposed to the deadlines bestowed upon me (although these are of course extremely important just not the sheer focus).
2. Don’t do something if there is no purpose. My goal is to find purpose in everything that I try to do and if there is new purpose then there is cause to reevaluate the action.
3. Take time to ENJOY life! This was probably the most important lesson that I learned. I decided that I would take the time to eat enjoyable and healthy meals (mostly healthy) most days of the week. I enjoy food and cooking and I don’t take enough time “enjoying” doing either. I’m always rushing to the next thing. I also decided that I would take the time to enjoy my work and my profession. To go out there and really get more out of the local and regional events instead of just showing up for networking and showing myself.
Perhaps you’ve already taken these steps in your life and this post is irrelevant. But in my observations I find that many people don’t take enough time to do the above, myself included, and this is a trend I want to stop in my life. Life is for living, including the work times, and I’m gonna start living it better.