A talk I gave at the first UX Crunch for Junior UX practitioners. How you can grow your career through meetups, mapping, meetings, mentors and mastering modes. It was put together in a few hours as I was a last minute replacement. Hopefully i'll revisit at some point.

1. MMMMMGrowing your career in UX
Jason Mesut
Resonant Design and Innovation Limited
@jasonmesut
slideshare.net/jasonmesut

2. Jason Mesut
Design & Innovation
consulting
– UX, Service Design, Design Strategy
– Design and Innovation consulting
– Team leadership and management
– Product-service experience leadership
– Community and thought leadership
– Health and mobility focus
– Individual mentoring
@jasonmesut

3. L O N D O N Design and Innovation
Resonant
Since 2011 Since 2015
@jasonmesut

4. Healthcare
Brain scanning
Transportation
Urban mobility service
Oil and gas
Cloud CX strategy
Retail
On-demand
groceries
Transportation
Future premium
driving experience
Healthcare
Distributed expert
knowledge
Healthcare
A+E triage and
management
Finance
Leading investment
banking platform
Projects like
@jasonmesut

5. Clients
A mix of sectors,
sizes and age
– Healthcare*
– Automotive / Mobility*
– Financial services
– Consumer electronics
– Telco
– Technology
– Retail
– Entertainment
– Public sector
– Utilities
*Special interest areas
@jasonmesut

6. Service design
1996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013
Brunel
Industrial Design
Industrial
Designer
Interaction
Designer
User Experience
Consultant
Director of
User Experience
Founder,
experience
director, consultant
Head of User Experience / Experience Director
Interaction Design
User Research
Consulting
Strategy
Service design
Brand
Leadership / mgt
Head of dept.
Yell PA Consulting Flow Oyster /
Framfab / LBi
The Team RMA Plan Resonant
2015

7. 1996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013
Brunel
Industrial Design
Industrial
Designer
Interaction
Designer
User Experience
Consultant
Director of
User Experience
Founder,
experience
director, consultant
Head of User Experience / Experience Director
Interaction Design
User Research
Consulting
Strategy
Service design
Brand
Leadership / mgt
Head of dept.
Yell PA Consulting Flow Oyster /
Framfab / LBi
The Team RMA Plan Resonant
2015
£ Money

8. 1996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013
Brunel
Industrial Design
Industrial
Designer
Interaction
Designer
User Experience
Consultant
Director of
User Experience
Founder,
experience
director, consultant
Head of User Experience / Experience Director
Interaction Design
User Research
Consulting
Strategy
Service design
Brand
Leadership / mgt
Head of dept.
Yell PA Consulting Flow Oyster /
Framfab / LBi
The Team RMA Plan Resonant
2015
£
People leading /
managing
45+

9. 1996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013
Brunel
Industrial Design
Industrial
Designer
Interaction
Designer
User Experience
Consultant
Director of
User Experience
Founder,
experience
director, consultant
Head of User Experience / Experience Director
Interaction Design
User Research
Consulting
Strategy
Service design
Brand
Leadership / mgt
Head of dept.
Yell PA Consulting Flow Oyster /
Framfab / LBi
The Team RMA Plan Resonant
20151996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013 2015
£
Community
engagement

10. 1996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013
Brunel
Industrial Design
Industrial
Designer
Interaction
Designer
User Experience
Consultant
Director of
User Experience
Founder,
experience
director, consultant
Head of User Experience / Experience Director
Interaction Design
User Research
Consulting
Strategy
Service design
Brand
Leadership / mgt
Head of dept.
Yell PA Consulting Flow Oyster /
Framfab / LBi
The Team RMA Plan Resonant
20151996 1999 2001 2004 2005 2008 2010 2013 2015
£
Love for work

11. Hired
InterviewedReviewed
1000+ 400+
150+
CVs and folios Of practitioners and leaders
Employees
Led
60+Practitioners
Managed + mentored
40+Practitioners

12. Helped design
Hired
Graduates
Training courses

13. 2001
Optimistic
Innovative
Naive

14. It’s not just about the solutions.
How you are and how you work
with others matters much more.
What I would tell the younger me

15. It’s not just about the solutions.
How you are and how you work
with others matters much more.
And it’s a lifelong learning exercise
UX is a people business

16. 1. Encourage critical curiosity
2. Grow your network
3. Reflect on your now to focus your future
4. Seek mentors and mentor others
5. Master your modes
6. Develop your human skills
6 key strategies for continuous learning

17. MMMMMMeetups Mapping MentoringMeetings Modes

18. MEETUPS
ENGAGE IN

19. Engaging with
meetups,
events and
conference
Helps
1. Grow your knowledge
2. Relate to others + their work
3. See good and bad practice
4. Meet people
5. Helps hone critical curiosity

20. Listen
Watch
Ask
questions
Volunteer Present
Curate /
Organise
Levels of engagement
Talk to
speakers
Write-up +
share
Talk to
attendees

21. UX Crunch
UXPA
IxDA London UX London
UX Live
International
conferences
Regular
meet ups
London
conferences
Mobile UX
London
IA Summit
Euro IA
Interaction

22. Jason’s
Top tips
Try to
1. Engage in the content
2. Speak to speakers
3. Interact with others
4. Don't be a smart arse

23. MEET
OTHERS REGULARLY

24. Make time to
meet up with
people
Helps
1. Create connections
2. Find mentors and buddies
3. Learn from others
4. Get external critique
5. Reflect on your practice

25. Ask nicely Be organised Listen, more than talk Follow-up
Mastering meetings
Be specific about
why you want to
meet that person.
Be responsive.
Follow-up.
Schedule.
Be flexible.
Ask good
questions.
Respond to their’s.
Thank them and
summarise what
you discussed.

26. Jason’s
Top tips
Try to
1. Connect over a shared
interest area
2. Be as as you as possible
3. Respect others’ diaries
4. Demonstrate positivity

27. MAP
YOURSELF REGULARLY

28. DTDT
DEFINING THE DAMN THING

30. Mapping your
skills and
capabilities
Helps
1. You reflect where you are
2. Positions you within a team
3. Represents you uniquely
4. Focus where you may want to
grow

31. BLOB MAPPING

36. UR
User
Research
ExS
Experience
Strategy
IA
Information
Architecture
IxD
Interaction
Design
ID
Information
Design
CW
Copy
Writing
VL
Visual
Language
MG
Motion
Graphics
Old skool UX Visual Designer / Creative territory
Record data here
http://bit.ly/2zaMQKB

37. BEYOND DISCIPLINES

40. Record data here
http://bit.ly/2yaeKWS

41. UX SPECTRUM

42. UX Spectrum
Strategy
Research
Interface
Information
PS
Product
Strategy
CX
Customer
Experience
VD
Visual
Design
IxD
Interaction
Design
QlR
Qualitative
Research
qNR
Quantitative
Research
IA
Information
Architecture
CS
Content
Strategy
Analytical
Left brain
Creative
Right brain
https://vitamintalent.com/ux-spectrum/

43. Strategy
Research
InterfaceInformation
https://vitamintalent.com/ux-spectrum/

44. UX Spectrum
Strategy
Research
Interface
Information
PS
Product
Strategy
CX
Customer
Experience
VD
Visual
Design
IxD
Interaction
Design
QlR
Qualitative
Research
qNR
Quantitative
Research
IA
Information
Architecture
CS
Content
Strategy
https://vitamintalent.com/ux-spectrum/

45. Strategy
Research
Interface
Information
Product Strategy Customer Experience
VisualDesign
InteractionDesign
Q
ualitativeResearchQuantitativeResearch§
Inform
ationArchitectureContentStrategy
https://vitamintalent.com/ux-spectrum/

47. https://vitamintalent.com/ux-spectrum/
Search for UX Spectrum
What’s your shape?

48. UX London | UX Crunch? | and more ??
Upcoming profiling workshops

49. MENTORS
SEEK

50. Mentors
help you
navigate your
career
They help
1. You self-reflect
2. Provide tailored advice to you
3. Create more connections
4. Identify how to develop

51. Ask nicely Be organised Focus your energy Follow-up
Engaging a mentor
Be specific about
why you want to
meet that person.
Flattery goes along
way
Be responsive.
Follow-up.
Schedule.
Demonstrate
commitment
Be grateful
Thank and
summarise what
you discussed.
Work through
things.
Share progress.
Create a connection
Be as you as
possible.
Don’t take offence
if there is no
connection.

52. CoachBuddy Mentor Manager
Less about content
More process
Costs
You own the problem
and the solution
Conflicted role
Should care for you
Knows context
Free (as part of job)
Possibly impartial
Provides advice
Can cost
Has some special
skills / experience
Peers
Sharing
Mutual respect
More whining
Levels of mentorship

53. Jason’s
Top tips
Try to
1. Seek mentors for different
areas of development
2. Make a personal connection
3. Start within organisation first
4. Respect mentor’s time
5. Be prepared to pay

54. MENTOR
OTHERS

55. MODES
MASTER YOUR

56. Mastering your
modes aid
success
They help
1. You self-reflect
2. Provide tailored advice to you
3. Create more connections
4. Identify how to develop

57. 57
There are a lot of models of design processes and methods

58. 58
Approach
They often manifest themselves around different modes
Inquiry Mapping Framing Ideation Distillation Modelling
Prototyping Iteration Detailing Communicating Reviewing
Understanding behaviours,
attitudes, needs, constraints,
expectations.
Observing. Asking. Exploring.
Finding different perspectives.
Focusing where it matters.
Categorising. Focusing.
Structuring thinking,
Matching. Categorising. Sorting.
Prioritising.
Generating ideas, concepts, and
solutions.
Sketching. Writing.
Synthesising summaries and
concepts to communicate salient
themes and perspectives.
Synthesising scenarios and
models that describe the solution
and future context.
Exploring working versions of
solutions at different fidelities
with users and the team
throughout the process.
Refining ideas and solutions
based on feedback and changes
in context.
Crafting the detail of a solution to
ensure it is as good as it can be.
Drawing. Writing.
Preparing materials to
communicate thinking and
solutions to others.
Reviewing with stakeholders and
peers to critique and advance
thinking.
Whatever the approach,
or methods, these
modes are usually key to
the way that I work with
teams to research,
design and implement
the best possible
solutions for my clients.

59. 59
Approach
They usually need some form of collaboration
Based on a framework as part of
my Crafting Collaboration
presentation
There’s a lot of effort
required for
collaboration
Human skills help
support specific tools
and methods
Create
Calibrate
Connect
Be
human
Hold up
a mirror
Establish
frames
Foster
friendly
friction
Practice,
practice,
practice
Flex
yourself
Craft of
Collaboration
Talking
Capturing
Listening
Learning other
perspectives
Planning and
preparing
Sharing at
right time

60. And harder skills that support those — beyond UX literature
Writing Sketching Drawing
TalkingQuestioningObserving Organising
Listening
Idea
generation

61. Reflect
Adjust
Blend theory
with practice
Theory can inform your
practice and vice versa
Theory Practice
Read
Listen
Observe

62. Jason’s
Top tips
Try to
1. Read, and analyse
2. Try, and learn
3. Invent new approaches
4. Get into ritual practice

63. MMMMMMeetups Mapping MentoringMeetings Modes

64. 1. Encourage critical curiosity
2. Grow your network
3. Reflect on your now to focus your future
4. Seek mentors and mentor others
5. Master your modes
6. Develop your human skills
6 key strategies for continuous learning

65. MAKE
OPPORTUNITIES

66. Don't look for the
next opportunity. The
one you have in hand
is the opportunity.
“
”

67. Thank you
Jason Mesut
Resonant Design and Innovation Limited
@jasonmesut
slideshare.net/jasonmesut