blog user-experience-qualifications-top-10-kind-o

A number of of you have asked about what attributes are important to showcase on a Person Expertise (UX) resume and therefore are curious about what courses are available to get ready for this compelling profession path. Interestingly enough, several 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 several ‘user’-focused degrees and certifications accessible 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 some 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 several 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 experience) 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 encounter)
2. Prior expertise in a research capacity
3. Deep knowledge of many different research and lab assessment methodologies (specifically RITE)
4. Working knowledge of design principles and methodologies
5. Encounter working with Interaction Designers
6. Technology background
7. Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation and leadership skills In our opinion, these are things that would definitely jump out in a resume and may perhaps form the core of someone's qualifications for a job in this area. Of course they're not the only things that are vital though - so what would you add? - Angela