Quite a few of you might have asked about what attributes are essential to showcase on the User Experience (UX) resume and therefore are curious about what classes are available to prepare for this compelling career route. Interestingly enough, a great number of schools are adding these programs if they didn't already exist in their curriculum, so there seems to be a surge of interest in the field. There are lots of ‘user’-focused degrees and certifications attainable out there, so we'll write about those in a future post. But for now, Frank and I (with the help of newly-hired Researcher, Tazin Shadid) have attempted to put together a TOP 10 LIST of what a UX Hiring Manager looks for in a UX Designer and UX Researcher. Okay, okay - we were short several on each list BUT we'd love to hear comments from those of you who know more so we can fill in the list further. For a Designer: 1. Portfolio of varied work in Interaction Design and/or Information Architecture
2. Prior design experience and/or an internship in a Win32 or web-based environment
3. Degree (or equivalent work encounter) in Design or Computer Science
4. Mastery of design tools and applications
5. Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation and leadership skills
6. Encounter with design & research methodologies
7. Working knowledge of Winforms, WPF, C#, XAML are also big pluses For Researchers: 1. Advanced degree in Human Factors, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) or Cognitive Psychology (or equivalent work experience)
2. Prior encounter in a research capacity
3. Deep knowledge of several research and lab assessment methodologies (specifically RITE)
4. Working knowledge of design principles and methodologies
5. Expertise working with Interaction Designers
6. Technology background
7. Excellent interpersonal,
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, communication, negotiation and leadership skills In our opinion, these are things that would definitely jump out in a resume and may form the core of someone's qualifications for a job in this area. Of course they're not the only things that are important though - so what would you add? - Angela