The defining characteristic of UX design is its focus on user research and on an iterative, user-centered, approach to creating solutions. But what if we applied the user-centered design process to ourselves, our lives, and our careers? In this article, JD Jordan is going to introduce you to four tools and techniques you can use to get started: Your Life In Weeks, Eisenhower Charts, Affinity Mapping and Prototyping Life.
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Design’s role in companies is becoming less about visual appeal and more about hitting business goals and creating value for users. Therefore, the need to build teams with diverse perspectives is becoming imperative. This article is for people who are part of a design team (or any team) that makes crucial business decisions with stakeholders and how they might go about building a diverse team through the use of the Competing Values Framework evaluation.
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Creating a team who can work well together across different disciplines can be hard. Given the wide range of skills held by the line-up at the upcoming SmashingConf Toronto, Rachel Andrew solicits some suggestions from the speakers. She’s wrapped those up with her own experience of 20 years working alongside designers and other developers.
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What does it take to be a great UX leader? Well, not only do you need to provide clear guidance, but also empower different individuals in your team. A UX leader needs to encompass a wide range of skills. In his final article in this series on user experience design, Christopher Murphy will explore the different characteristics of an effective UX leader, and provide some practical advice about growing into a leadership role.
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As the spotlight has focused on the potential of design to transform businesses, we’ve seen a growing need for designers across a wider range of specializations. The number and types of roles have increased and, as UX continues to become a sought-after business differentiator, these roles will continue to diversify. What do you look out for when hiring team members? In this article, Christopher Murphy outlines how to go about building a UX team, which attributes to look out for when hiring, and he will suggest some avenues you can explore to find team members.
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The nomadic lifestyle is not right for everyone, but the only way to know for sure is to try. If you can afford to take the risk, go for it. ? It might sound like a dream, but all that glitters is not gold, and it might not be the right choice for you. In this article, Javier Cuello will share some insights from his four years of travel and work that hopefully will be useful for anyone willing to try a nomadic lifestyle, too. Please note, however, that this is not going to be a “how to” guide. Instead, Javier will share some insights from his personal experience.
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Web professionals should not only think about insurance, but also understand it. Insurance is something we don’t necessarily want to budget for or consider, yet as professionals, we have to. In this article, Ashley Baxter will explore what this insurance is and how it’s designed to keep web professionals in business. She’ll also be sharing real stories of businesses who were glad they had insurance.
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Planning is essential for most businesses and organizations. Unfortunately, when it comes to websites there is often a failure to plan properly or at all. This guide aims to change that. Always remember that a good website isn’t a one-time event, but rather an extensible communications tool. Once you’ve built a great website, keep the momentum going. Devote resources to regular maintenance, and check in with your site visitors regularly to identify areas for improvement.
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Today is the 200th issue of our precious li’l Smashing Newsletter, and in this issue we’d love to highlight the people behind this little project — the entire team, writing and editing and proofreading and pushing that damn “Send” button. 200 newsletter issues, thoroughly researched, written and edited by the SmashingMag team. We’re celebrating today’s issue by highlighting a part of the team behind this magazine.
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When it comes to websites there is often a failure to plan properly or at all. In Part 1 of this series, Ben Seigel emphasized on the importance of recognizing the purpose of your website, and why planning for the web is just as important as planning for anything else associated with your business. In this article, he’d like to go into more detail of evaluating a plan, choosing web professionals, and determining your site structure.
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