WRITING ON UX
Writing on UX
As a way of connecting and giving back to the design community, I write and publish on topics relating to UX and similar functions; in addition to providing tips on how professionals can grow their careers and navigate the complexities of large enterprise environments, particularly those with low UX maturity. I write monthly to bi-monthly for UXmatters, and have contributed to UX Collective and The Startup.
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TOP ARTICLES
2024
Ensuring the Staying Power of User Experience in Your Organization
As a UX professional, your skills don’t begin and end with creating wireframes and mockups or gathering research findings. You can bolster the longevity of User Experience within your organization—and your career—by demonstrating a willingness to take on responsibilities that seem to be adjacent to the UX function, but are important to your company’s success. If it’s important to the business, it should be important to you.
FOSTERING INCLUSIVE DESIGN IN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION, PART 3
In Part 1 of this series, Amber Westlund and I defined inclusive design and acknowledged its ever-growing impact, including in industrial automation. We then described inclusive-design challenges in industrial automation and previewed how we solve them. In Part 2, we delved more deeply into a few of these design solutions, focusing on human factors in designing hardware, how we’ve evolved our terminology to be more inclusive, and some best practices for incorporating accessibility into our common design system.
FOSTERING INCLUSIVE DESIGN IN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION, PART 2
In Part 1 of this series, Amber Westlund and I defined inclusive design and acknowledged its ever-growing impact, including on industrial automation. We then described inclusive design challenges in industrial automation and previewed how we solve them. In Part 2, we delve more deeply into a few of these design solutions, focusing on the following efforts:
considering diverse human factors in designing hardware
evolving our terminology to be more inclusive
weaving accessibility into our common design system
2023
FOSTERING INCLUSIVE DESIGN IN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION, PART 1
Breaking down barriers and empowering humans of all capabilities becomes more fraught and challenging within the context of industrial automation, where a modernization lag and inertia regarding digital transformation to maximize the latest technologies and innovations still exist—which has negative impacts on fostering inclusivity.
EMBRACING INTROVERTED STRENGTHS, PART 2
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I contended that many UX designers are naturally introverted, described the differences between these introverts and their more extroverted peers, and broke down some common misperceptions, then shared some ways in which introverted UX designers can leverage their inherent strengths. However, we must all transcend our natural…
EMBRACING INTROVERTED STRENGTHS, PART 1
You’ve probably never heard someone say, “You know, [insert person’s name] should really start being more introverted if she wants to grow in her career.” But people who naturally show introverted behaviors constantly get pushed to exhibit more extroverted behaviors. Why is this so? What makes society and our professional environments…
BALANCING AI WITH HUMAN AUTHORITY AND EMPOWERMENT
If it were physically possible to throw a ball at the Internet, your throw wouldn’t have to be very accurate to strike some article, blog post, or social-media blurb about artificial intelligence (AI). It seems that AI is on every leader’s mind at every technology company—taking the business world by storm—and the general public has been all too happy to follow suit. There’s a new gold rush at hand, with the spoils going to the companies, startups, and enterprising individuals who find ways to best leverage the capabilities of this new technology.
SETTING YOURSELF APART AS A JOB CANDIDATE
There are countless articles on the Web whose purpose is to help UX designers write stellar resumes or craft compelling portfolios. But through my decades-long career as a UX professional and leader, I’ve discovered other ways of helping candidates stand out. Although some of them get less fanfare, they are no less important. The observations that I’ll share in this column come from experience—not only from my own failures, successes, and learnings as a job applicant, but also as a manager who has reviewed hundreds of resumes and…
2022
EXPRESSING IDEAS THROUGH MIND MAPS
Productive teams are typically teams that communicate well and have a shared understanding of what they’re trying to accomplish. Their shared understanding often stems from expressing their ideas and concepts in unique ways that gain stronger footholds in the minds of others, which fuels the team’s greater productivity. While there are many methods of expressing ideas and concepts that could aid our productivity, we’ve found that creating mind maps is one of the most effective techniques because of its versatility and scalability.
FORGING SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
We continually hear about the challenges of establishing effective designer–developer collaborations. The Internet is full of such articles, indicating a persistent gap. However, UX designers have written most of those articles rather than developers. Why is this? What do developers think about this? What insights could they provide that we, as UX designers, could take back to our teams?
USING PREVIEW RELEASES TO GAIN INSIGHTS ON TECHNICAL PRODUCTS
At Rockwell Automation, we have a very technical group of users—engineering types—from whom we need to gather feedback. These users typically know a great deal about our systems and have very specific feedback for us about our products and the new concepts we’re developing. As one of our customers put it, “I know the product inside and out—most of time better than you do at Rockwell.”
FILLING UX SKILLS GAPS IN AN INCREASINGLY CLOUD-BASED WORLD, PART 3
in Part 3, the final part of this series, I turn my attention to UX writing, which is another UX skillset that is becoming increasingly important in the ever-evolving, cloud-based world of SaaS companies. Unifying all the various elements of the modern customer experience requires creating consistent, clear user-interface content and messaging…
FILLING UX SKILLS GAPS IN AN INCREASINGLY CLOUD-BASED WORLD, PART 2
In Part 1 of this series, I defined UX strategy, described some of the typical skills of the UX professionals who fill UX strategy roles, and posited some reasons why it will be increasingly important for large companies to bolster those skills as they evolve their business to orient more toward SaaS (Software as a Service) and the cloud, while acknowledging that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
FILLING UX SKILLS GAPS IN AN INCREASINGLY CLOUD-BASED WORLD, PART 1
Someone recently asked me what UX roles and positions companies such as Rockwell Automation should invest in, as they evolve their business strategy to focus on SaaS (Software as a Service) and cloud-based services. My immediate thought: we first need to consider what skills will be necessary to support this change, because focusing too much on roles and positions tends to skew…
2021
DESIGNING FOR INCLUSION: LESSONS FROM THE PLANT FLOOR
In this article, I explain what inclusive design is, why it matters, and then describe a few approaches we’re taking at Rockwell to weave inclusion into our industrial product and solution experiences—and how you can do the same—acknowledging that there could be some nuances relating to inclusive design in the industrial-automation domain that could be new to you.
FOSTERING POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR REMOTE WORK, PART 2
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I shared my own experiences with managing remote UX professionals and teams, covering the following approaches to fostering positive environments for remote work:
offering flexibility in camera readiness
creating safe spaces for employees to vent and connect
demonstrating trust
FOSTERING POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR REMOTE WORK, PART 1
In this column, which is Part 1 of a two-part series, I share my experiences with managing remote UX professionals and teams. I provide some tips for avoiding pitfalls that could arise if managers and leaders are not mindful of how remote work affects their employees. Although I wrote this column from a manager’s point of view, anyone can work with their manager or other leaders in their company…
RESPONDING TO MISALIGNED RECRUITING MESSAGES
In this column, I provide some tips on how to respond tactfully to the incongruous recruiting messages and job descriptions that you might receive, focusing on the following scenarios…
ADVANCING TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN YOUR CAREER
Many companies still lack clear criteria that would enable any employee—much less a UX designer—to have productive, evidence-based conversations with their manager about receiving a promotion or earning greater levels of responsibility.
WRITING FOR ACTION
There’s no getting around it: as UX designers, we must write effectively if we’re to persuade others to act and achieve the results we seek. The intent for any written communication is to spur an action of some kind—whether it’s to get feedback on a mockup from your…
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK
The exchange of high-quality feedback isn’t solely the responsibility of the person providing the feedback. It is equally important for the person receiving feedback to endeavor to ensure that the feedback is actionable, constructive, and conducive to his or her growth. In this column, I provide some tips on what UX designers can do before, during, and after receiving performance feedback to maximize its impact and ensure that it ultimately contributes to their growth.
2020
INSPIRATIONS FROM A LEGO INSTRUCTIONAL BOOKLET
With COVID-19 shaking up everyone’s lives in 2020, I thought I’d shake up my final column of the year a bit by injecting some fun into it. (We could all use a little more of that, right?)
This past fall, as I sought opportunities to facilitate constructive play with my two sons and reduce their screen time and mine, I discovered inspiration in a box of LEGO® toys—specifically, the building instructions that came with it.
GROWING YOUR CAREER AS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY UX DESIGNER, PART 2
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I presented a strategy for multidisciplinary UX designers who want to grow their career in enterprise environments—where User Experience is often immature. This immaturity frequently results in designers’ having to take on activities and responsibilities that do not support their long-term growth. After describing the importance of understanding why you want to grow your career in User Experience…
GROWING YOUR CAREER AS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY UX DESIGNER, PART 1
It’s often up to UX designers to forge their own career path within organizations that lack UX maturity. Most enterprise environments don’t have a formalized career ladder in place for UX designers and teams. Nevertheless, after nearly 20 years of working in such environments, I can reflect on how I’ve grown my career despite these challenges—and I’ve seen others do the same. In this column, which is Part 1 in a two-part series, I present a strategy for growing your career as a multidisciplinary UX designer working within such an environment, as follows…
BUILDING NARRATIVE INTO YOUR USER INTERFACE, PART 2
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I described how building narrative into a user interface (UI) helps users to better comprehend its workflows, navigational cues, and calls to action (CTAs) because humans are hardwired to respond to stories—not to complex systems. I described the following techniques for intentionally creating narrative in a user interface:
imposing sequence
using parallel structure
BUILDING NARRATIVE INTO YOUR USER INTERFACE, PART 1
Human beings are hardwired to respond to stories—not complex systems. As I described in my column “Telling a Story Through Your UX Portfolio,” by building narrative into your portfolio, you can make a more resounding impact on interview teams than simply by reciting facts. Similarly, the people who use the user interfaces we design can better comprehend the workflows, interactive cues…
OVERCOMING DESIGNER’S BLOCK
Designer’s block is real, and it can make completing the simplest of design deliverables feel akin to boring through rock. However, UX designers can overcome this problem. I’ve personally done so without even being aware that I’d actually unblocked myself. However, I’d never actually paused to capture what I’d done to rekindle my productivity. So, for this column, I’ve done just that: putting into words some techniques that have helped me get back on track…
WINNING TEAMS OVER THROUGH YOUR DESIGN DELIVERABLES
In this column, I describe some tactics for winning the confidence of developers and stakeholders through the design deliverables that UX designers produce, as follows:
knowing your audience
giving proper context and lead time
lowering barriers to comprehension
avoiding filler design options
BREAKING INTO THE FIELD OF USER EXPERIENCE
As many people working in UX related roles can attest, it is not easy to get a job in User Experience. There are many barriers to entry. You must take the time to craft a compelling portfolio, which is no trivial matter. You need to demonstrate your ability to think critically about users’ needs, which can be difficult to quantify and measure. If you do not have a formal education relating to User Experience…
AVOIDING USER RESEARCH NO-SHOWS
Ghosting is on the rise and, as any UX professional can attest, the domain of User Experience is hardly immune to receiving a cold shoulder from research participants. What can you do to not only mitigate the risk of being ghosted but to react to such scenarios when they occur?
To help answer these questions and more, I enlisted the help of some of my user-research colleagues…
EDUCATING COLLEAGUES ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UX AND UI
In this column, I describe some ways in which UX designers can progressively educate their colleagues on the differences between User Experience and UI design, as follows:
tactfully responding to misinformed comments
advocating for user-centered…
MOLDING YOURSELF INTO A LEADER, PART 3
In Part 3, I wrap up this leadership series by presenting the following behaviors individual contributors who are perceived as leaders consistently demonstrate:
mastering self-discipline
demonstrating self-awareness
projecting confidence
being humble
exuding passion
2019
MOLDING YOURSELF INTO A LEADER, PART 2
In Part 2 of this series, I present additional behaviors that individual contributors who others perceive as leaders consistently exhibit, as follows:
projecting vision
championing craft
exuding positivity
MOLDING YOURSELF INTO A LEADER, PART 1
In this column, which is Part 1 in a multipart series, I discuss the following ways in which UX designers who are individual contributors demonstrate leadership:
communicating with intention
reacting appropriately
adapting to change…
NAVIGATING AMBIGUITY
Encountering ambiguous situations results in uncertainty, which can be crippling for many people—especially UX designers who are new to their career. There is no business equivalent of a Google Maps application that can give us turn-by-turn directions for navigating new or unclear situations.
JUGGLING MULTIPLE PRODUCT TEAMS
In this column, I share some tips I’ve learned over several years of balancing the demands of multiple product teams, spanning multiple locations and time zones, as follows:
manufacturing time for yourself
establishing boundaries
exposing your workload to everyone
PRIORITIZING DESIGN CRITIQUE, PART 2
In this column, part 2 of a two-part series, I present some design-critique methods that my teammates and I have found effective and explain how to conduct them effectively. Capturing what does and doesn’t work is part of the journey of instituting practices whose intent is to improve our craft and the quality of our deliverables.
PRIORITIZING DESIGN CRITIQUE, PART 1
In this column, which is Part 1 in a series of two parts, I first describe what design critique actually is—to avoid any confusion with design reviews. Then I explain some ground rules and processes that, in my experience, help UX designers get the most out of design critique. Finally, I present some ideas for building…
TELLING A STORY THROUGH YOUR PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION
Telling a story can help influence the opinions of others in ways that few other modes of communication can. The value of storytelling extends to how we present ourselves and our abilities professionally. Having participated in dozens of on-site portfolio reviews over the years—sitting on both sides of the review table—I’ve found that the most effective UX-portfolio presentations have one thing in common: the candidate told a story.
LESSONS ON VISUALIZATION FROM THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT
In this column, I present some lessons from the industrial-design environment on the design of data visualizations and dashboards for humans’ cognitive and physical limitations.
While automation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) have, in many ways, eased the burdens of humans who monitor complex operations, offloading much of the work to artificial…
CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES, PART 2
In Part 2 of this series of two parts, I consider scenarios that necessitate UX designers’ taking a firmer stance. Then, I suggest some ways of deciding whether a particular situation befits your taking one course of action over another—acknowledging that the best approach can sometimes be ambiguous.
UX designers often have limited influence in enterprise environments with relatively immature User Experience cultures.
CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES, PART 1
In this column, which is Part 1 in a series of two parts, I’ll present some scenarios in which it makes sense to demonstrate flexibility with your product teammates and stakeholders:
making aesthetic choices
employing custom patterns and controls…
SUPPORTING LOCALIZATION
How can you, as a UX professional, support localization, help reduce the odds that your product might alienate customers, and avoid contributing to your team’s UX debt? In this column, I’ll provide a localization expert’s perspective on this topic, then describe some practical ways in which you can design user interfaces to better support localization.
2018
DEMONSTRATING THE VALUE OF USER EXPERIENCE TO ENTERPRISE PRODUCT TEAMS, PART 2
Enterprise product teams assume that you have hard skills—especially teams comprising engineering-minded people. In Part 2, I cover six Rs that enable UX professionals to further demonstrate the value of User Experience to enterprise product teams:
Reveal
Review
Respond, calmly
DEMONSTRATING THE VALUE OF USER EXPERIENCE TO ENTERPRISE PRODUCT TEAMS, PART 1
In this column—the first in a series of two parts—we cover five Rs for UX professionals that facilitate their onboarding and enable them to demonstrate the value of User Experience to enterprise product teams:
research
request
receive
redirect
DEFINING ENTERPRISE UX
This column on Enterprise UX—the first in a series—focuses on:
providing a working definition of enterprise UX
describing a few of the many environments in which enterprise UX makes a difference
identifying obstacles to designing and developing great enterprise software
SATISFYING FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEEDS
In this article, I discuss four important human needs that product companies tend overlook and how UX professionals can help to nurture them rather than contribute to their suppression:
mastery
caution
discovery
resonance
2017
UX FOR THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT, PART 3
The profession of User Experience also provides value in unexpected places that exist at the periphery of modern consumerism. In this three-part series, I’ve discussed one such unexpected place—the industrial environment. Humans—who help manufacture the goods we enjoy—must be productive and are no less deserving of experiences that make them more efficient, effective, and satisfied in their jobs.
UX FOR THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT, PART 2
Industrial-automation UX designers must take the island scenario into account, in which workers may use an application at a remote site—for example, in Alaska. Sometimes the island is literal—for example, a stationary oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Internet connectivity is not a given in most industrial environments. There are security risks, so industrial manufacturers almost always hedge their bets by creating self-contained, secure networks.
UX FOR THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT, PART 1
Despite the advent of artificial intelligence that the term automation suggests, human factors still matter in the industrial environment. A high-quality user experience is critical because it enables human users who work with control systems and machines to produce consumer-facing products in a more effective and efficient way. However, the domain of industrial automation is fraught with its own host of challenges…
HOW SNACKABLE IS YOUR CONTENT?
According to Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, multitasking and skimming content on the Web are actually depriving people of their capacity for deep concentration. Nevertheless, I still have to design for this behavior—and so do you.
2016
ARE YOU LEAKING USABILITY? 2 FORMULAS TO AVOID
A peer-reviewed article that illuminates two common (yet innocuous) causes of user friction in software products. A reader will find real world examples, as well as practical tips, for how to avoid these points of friction…