Today (September 24, 2021) is the first-ever Ohio Tech Day. When I heard about the plans earlier this year, I was hoping we as a community could contribute something about user experience. With the help of colleagues at IxDA Cincinnati, UXPA Cleveland, we got a session started. UX Akron and IxDA Columbus quickly jumped on board. (Ohio Tech Day is led by OhioX.)
Careers in UX will be at noon, via Zoom.
I get to present the last part of the introduction, where we start to talk about careers and transition into the Q&A.
One part will be my advice on “How to get started in UX”. Here is what I will cover, with a few links, just in case you want to check out my favorite resources.
- Join IxDA Cincinnati / Columbus, UX Akron, UXPA Cleveland
- Next big Ohio event: Cleveland World Usability Day conference, November 11
- National/international counterparts, plus AIGA (graphic design), IDSA (industrial design), HFES (human factors), STC (technical communication) depending on your interests
- Read Books: Rosenfeld Media, O’Reilly (tech focus), Morgan Kaufmann (textbooks); try Libby!
- Peruse Magazines: ACM Interactions, UXPA Magazine, UX Matters
- Too many to keep track, “it depends”: Podcasts, videos, websites, meetups, Slacks/Discords
- Listen to but question the thought leaders: Nielsen/Norman Group, UIE, DeltaCX
- Be wary of: Medium articles (some good, some terrible), Bootcamps (that over-promise)
- Consider Ohio Higher Ed: Kent State MS in UX Design, Design programs, mix & match (e.g., BGSU)
- Career changers: Start “doing UX” within your current job responsibilities (e.g., journey map of one of your “customers”)
- Net: a combination of learning on your own (books, videos), continuing education (conferences), networking/mentoring, and formal education (degrees or certificates)
September 27, 2021 updates:
- A PDF copy of the slides for the UX Careers session for Ohio Tech Day.
- Recording of the session, posted to the IxDA Cincinnati YouTube channel.
