Shannon Leahy

As I refine my hiring process I have question. What would you guys prefer? 1) In person/remote 30min white board session 2) Challenging design assignment done over a week 3) Mock podcast recording where we have a conversation about design.

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28 Comments

Let's be honest. The UX job market is a mess right now. It seems every posting gets hundreds of applications immediately. Getting an invitation to a first interview is almost impossible. Hearing "I'm sorry, we're moving forward with another candidate" is downright depressing. You'll need the right tactics to get that next job. You'll need to take advantage of the network you've built. You'll need to get the attention of the hiring manager. Plus, you'll need your ability to do the job to catch that manager's attention. That's why our video series, the Essentials of Finding Your Next UX Job, is for people actively seeking their next UX job. It explores how the job market has changed in the last few years and the new tactics you'll need to land that ideal opportunity. Uncover how you'll… … Get on the radar of hiring managers who have positions you could be highly qualified for, prioritizing your consideration above other applicants. … Prepare your portfolio to tell the story of your comparable experience, even when starting your UX career. … Build up your networking practice to get promising interviews without applying to hundreds of positions. https://lnkd.in/e4Abvssu

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5 Comments

Let's be honest. The UX job market is a mess right now. It seems every posting gets hundreds of applications immediately. Getting an invitation to a first interview is almost impossible. Hearing "I'm sorry, we're moving forward with another candidate" is downright depressing. You'll need the right tactics to get that next job. You'll need to take advantage of the network you've built. You'll need to get the attention of the hiring manager. Plus, you'll need your ability to do the job to catch that manager's attention. That's why our video series, the Essentials of Finding Your Next UX Job, is for people actively seeking their next UX job. It explores how the job market has changed in the last few years and the new tactics you'll need to land that ideal opportunity. Uncover how you'll… … Get on the radar of hiring managers who have positions you could be highly qualified for, prioritizing your consideration above other applicants. … Prepare your portfolio to tell the story of your comparable experience, even when starting your UX career. … Build up your networking practice to get promising interviews without applying to hundreds of positions. https://cstu.io/87a304

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Check out this insightful piece by Kate Lawton about the importance of collaboration between Product orgs and writers: https://lnkd.in/gXVjXxc9 Note: All opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer. #UXwriting #contentdesign #contentstrategy

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1 Comment

I will never cease to be amazed at today's trends in UX leadership hiring practices. Far too often, I'm seeing people with 3-8 years of actual IC experience (at the most) being thrust into leadership roles they don't qualify for. When someone who's truly qualified applies, far too often we are told that they "decided to go with someone else who aligns better with the position." Eventually, you find out it's one of the aforementioned types of folks (again) OR someone who was inadvertently hired previously into such a role. Someone might think this is sour grapes, but I don't do sour grapes. No time for that. This is just....plain....wrong and the results are the additional proof in the pudding. What are the results of the hiring misdirects? • Poor UX maturity levels (not being managed). • Mid- and entry-level UXers go OUTSIDE the organization to get mentoring. • No growth for team members. • No genuine cohesion with team members. • No proper team representation in the org. Again, not only is it wrong, but it's counterproductive.

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6 Comments

In my 20+ year design career, I've never heard a design client say... I'm looking for someone more: • Creative • Strategic • Data-driven • Collaborative • User-centred And yet, if you open 100 design agency websites, you'll see some variation of these 5 descriptors. I noticed this discrepancy a few years ago. So, I started taking notes every time a design client complained about design and design services. The truth is, none of the above ever showed up in my notes. Instead, here are the top 5 concerns: 1. Communication Issues 2. Slow Design Cycles 3. Scope Creep 4. Disagreement on Design Decisions 5. Difficulty Measuring ROI Here's my full summary note: Communication Issues: Founders may feel that designers don't understand the technical limitations of the product or the business needs of the company. This can lead to frustration on both sides, as founders may feel like designers are designing products that can't be built, and designers may feel like founders aren't giving them the freedom they need to be creative. Slow Design Cycles: The design process can be slow, especially for founders who are used to moving quickly. This can be frustrating for founders who need to get products to market quickly. Scope Creep: SaaS products are constantly evolving, and founders may feel like designers are constantly adding new features to the product, rather than focusing on the core features that will drive user adoption. This can lead to products that are bloated and difficult to use. Disagreement on Design Decisions: Founders and designers may not always agree on the best way to design the product. This can lead to disagreements that can slow down the development process. Difficulty Measuring ROI: It can be difficult to measure the return on investment (ROI) of design decisions. This can make it hard for founders to justify the cost of hiring designers. I hope this helps you the next time you pitch your service. #design #ux #productdesign #designservice #copywriting

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3 Comments

Great reminder on looking out for more valuable folks when it comes to UX. There are so many great UX folks that are not just talking but also walking the walk and created more meaningful methods and frameworks. Which UX pros are you following or get inspiration from? https://lnkd.in/ggwcSgrJ

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2 Comments

Craft is work done with intuitive expertise - learned deeply by conscious practice through mentorship. Craft is expensive. The mimicry and pattern replication of AI will upend digital craft much like the Industrial Revolution did for physical craftspeople (only faster). It will likely be CFOs who crush craft like origami as they optimize balance sheets. If you love your craft, find a complex niche whose business model is based on value creation not eyeball acquisition. Government especially needs you.

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Before you send an Outlook email message or share a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation, or OneNote notebook, run the Accessibility Checker to pick up on some accessibility issues such as insufficient contrast, missing alternative text, missing or duplicate slide titles and issues with tables. Go to the Review tab then select Check Accessibility. #Accessibility

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Worth revisiting this article on the importance of Labels in Forms, from an accessibility perspective and overall product experience. https://lnkd.in/eSyAwf48 #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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“The UX audit should cover some accessibility issues with color contrast, images and site structure, but this doesn’t replace an Accessibility Audit to help organizations meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).” - Lisa Dance via CMSWire https://zurl.co/wjjS #marketingprofs #b2bmarketing #growthmarketing #demandgen #leadgeneration #saasmarketing

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The UX job market in 2024 is a bit of a mixed bag. There are challenges due to recent economic trends, but also reasons for optimism. ✨ Job openings are down significantly from their peak in 2022, with UX being especially impacted. Competition for jobs is high, with many qualified candidates out of work. Here are some tips to help you carve your own career path in UX design given the current competitive job market: 🔹 Master foundational UX design principles 🔹 Specialize in a niche area of UX 🔹 Explore freelance and contract work 🔹 Contribute to open-source projects 🔹 Focus on transferable skills and consider roles in other industries ✨ Bonus tip: Use Lyssna to gather user feedback and validate your designs. Perfect for updating your portfolio! 🔍 #UXDesign #CareerTips #FreelanceDesign #DesignCommunity #Lyssna #usabilitytesting #userexperience #usertesting #userresearch #designthinking #ux

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A great episode of UX Potpourri by Darren Hood, MSUXD I recommend all hiring managers in UX or those that are responsible for interviewing for UX listen to this episode. https://lnkd.in/geGFP52v I'll only say my opinion on hiring practices in the industry from my experience. It can be incredibly burdensome to take on a role as a junior without the adequate support, especially when you know the company really needs someone more senior. I've seen entry level and junior UXers leave the field completely because of the poor experience. I agree with companies doing better in their hiring practices. I believe companies should hire juniors, bootcamp grads, and other entry level UXers, but they need the resources to help them. Also, hire a true senior before hiring any juniors who is capable of mentoring and leading. If that's not possible, have training available to them through different organizations or stipends. And finally, hire an experienced UX professional to do the recruiting. I had a GREAT experience at a company some years ago when I was a web designer. That was possible because they had senior and manager level web designers and developers fully involved in the vetting process from beginning to end. Anyway, just my two cents.

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2 Comments

UX is slow. I've heard this at some point at every place I've worked. Usually when UX is stretched too thin. In times of mass layoffs and leaner teams being asked to do more with less, how do you adapt? I'm working on some thoughts around adjusting the UX process to accommodate different production levels – from scrappy to robust. I'd love to hear more about how other UXers have adjusted their own processes to be more agile.

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5 Comments

If you've hired for a mid or senior-level UX position in the past 6 months, what are a few things that made candidates stand out to you? Let's consider this a little UX research exercise so we can understand what goes through the minds of people involved in hiring! Note: Please only reply if you've actually hired someone in the last 6 months ... not looking for hypothetical opinions here! #uxresearcher #uxjobs #uxdesigner #productdesigner #uxwriter #uxdesign #productmanagement

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4 Comments

If you want to be really, really good at UX... Focus on what really matters and avoid making dumb mistakes. What matters: -Stakeholder buy in and commitment -Good user research -Iterative design + testing with users -Detailed specifications and robust component libraries -Extensive QA testing to flush out the bugs before shipping Dumb mistakes: -Berating design suggestions from non-UX team members -Behaving like design prima donnas, thinking that designers can do no wrong -Whining about not having a seat at the table when you have neither earned it nor demonstrated the capacity to sit there -Criticizing engineers and PMs for behaving like engineers and PMs Note: both lists are incomplete, but hopefully they give the gist #ux  #userexperience  #userresearch #design

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10 Comments

The same holds true for these UX thought leaders with their conference presentations and books on how to 'conduct proper research' and 'run a successful project or develop a killer feature from start to finish'. Most of them haven't spent a single minute in a real corporate environment in decades, not to mention attending any stakeholder meetings. There are few things more harmful to young designers than listening to them and taking what they hear for granted. Often, their first thought after hearing these presentations—which usually are success stories about how they perfectly completed a project—is, 'Well, the problem might be with me. I work in a corporate environment, and this looks nothing like what's happening within my company whenever I try to conduct perfect research or manage a project.' None of these people discuss the trade-offs and tough decisions, the balancing acts that pave the road to a successful outcome.

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2 Comments

I've received countless terrible cold outreach messages from aspiring designers. I hope this is helpful for anyone who reads it: * Apply for the job before reaching out, then mention the role. * Ask a specific question your curious about instead of requesting time to "pick your brain" or "learn more about the team"—these are too vague. * Be concise, you get 2-4 sentences before you're tuned out. * Don't sound like a bot. Avoid formal language; write naturally and sincerely. * Provide value before you ask for it. Send a reference or idea that may be relevant to our product/brand. Keep it simple; i.e. don't go nuts re-designing our website, no one wants you to do free work. Brevity is a sign of intelligence, if you put in the work to edit your message down to the essentials, I'll put in the work to read it.

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15 Comments

We asked industry leaders their book recommendations for new and experienced UX professionals. Check out our article for 10 books every UX leader should add to their summer reading list! ☀ 📚 ➡ https://lnkd.in/gkb7t8FS #summerreading #readinglist #UXleaders #UXprofessionals #BlinkUX #UX #leaders

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1 Comment