UXer Flavors (or What Makes You…. You?)
by Darren Hood
Do you love smoothies? So do I. Whether they’re made at home or are from the Smoothie Kings, Tropical Smoothie Cafes, or Jamba Juices of the world, I love them immensely. I’m going to use smoothies as a metaphor to help make somewhat of a fun and interesting point in this post.
My favorite smoothie is the Berry Blast from Smoothie King. It’s made from strawberries, wild blueberries, raspberries, an apple blueberry juice bland, and an electrolyte blend. I find it to be extremely refreshing, tasty, and provides several health benefits as well (e.g., lots of fiber, Vitamin C, potassium, reduction of oxidative stress, reduction of cancer risk, and reduction of heart disease). What a combination, right?!?!? One day, while enjoying a smoothie, I began to think about how each smoothie (no matter which one) consists of a mix of multiple elements and provides a set of benefits.
As UX professionals, we each represent a “mixture of ingredients” and each “mix” yields certain benefits. Have you ever thought about the fact that your “mix” actually makes you what you are? Because we never really lose certain active elements from our past, our “mix” helps us to see things from a particular perspective — and those perspectives are quite valuable and, in some cases, very unique.
To help illustrate this point further, I’ll present my professional history. This is the source of the “mix” that makes me…. me. Consider this list of functions and responsibilities that I’ve had over the years:
- Delivery person
- Word processing supervisor/manager
- Counselor
- Ladies’ softball coach
- Receptionist
- Legal transcriptionist
- Secretary
- Salesperson
- Customer service representative
- Benefits administrator
- Graphic designer
- Logo designer
- Desktop support specialist
- Human resources generalist
- Instructional designer
- Curriculum developer and manager
- Trainer (instructor-led, computer-based, web-based)
- Videographer
- Managing editor (publication)
- Website designer
- Application designer
- Web developer
- Software advisory board member
- Application developer
- Webmaster
- Beta team member
- Radio show producer
- Newspaper columnist
- Blogger
- Intranet manager
- Information architect
- Interaction designer
- Creative director
- UX designer
- Mobile app designer (UX)
- UX architect
- UX researcher
- Member of Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)
- Educator
- Certified Usability Manager (CEU)
- Award-winning photographer
- Adjunct professor
- Podcaster
Long list, I know, but my point is this. Each of the stops along my professional journey required (and developed) specific skills and traits. Each position required and provided that I look at business via a different lens. Most importantly, various elements associated with each role stay with me, no matter what type of work I’m doing.
As a delivery person and receptionist, I focused on attending to the needs of a specific customer and always had to be alert and accommodating. As a customer service representative, benefits administrator, and desktop support specialist, timely responsiveness, attention to detail, and problem solving served as key modes of action. As a graphic designer, logo designer, photographer, and creative director I was afforded the opportunity to be creative, develop holistic brand sensitivity, and gain a tremendous respect for aesthetic and emotional design impact. I also developed a strong eye for what works and sharpened my discernment regarding experiences.
As a newspaper columnist, bloggers, desktop publisher, and managing editor of a publication, I learned about and demonstrated respect for the written word, the importance of linguistic integrity, how to optimize readability, and an increased sensitivity to deadlines. As a software advisory board member, Beta team member, application developer, and mobile app designer, I was able to build my software development lifecycle (SDLC) acumen. As an instructional designer, trainer, educator, and adjunct professor, I learned the science behind the educational experience, gained tremendous insight about what is required for someone to build knowledge and skill, and fostered constant expansion of an empath’s heart. I also learned a great deal about cognition.
Addendum: Lastly, my years as a counselor (the thing I’ve been doing the longest) has afforded me the ability to develop an EXTREMELY HIGH acumen when it comes to understanding, evaluating, and optimizing the development of relationships. Being a counselor also helped me to develop pinnacle level of compassion and empathy, along with a commitment to helping others be their absolute best. In addition, my qualifying to become a member of the Professional Bowlers Association and being an award-winning photographer served as opportunities to align myself with someone else’s standards of excellence.
Then, along came UX. On top of two decades of practice in the discipline, I am able to apply the aforementioned factors to my usability, information architecture, research, interaction design, and interface design efforts. These traits combine to make me who I am — my “flavor,” if you will—and a bit different than many others, as finding the same “mix” would be quite difficult if one attempted to do so. What’s important to understand, however, is that EVERYONE brings a “mix” to the table helps to make every individual special.
Conclusion
I encourage you to take a look at your professional journey, highlighting your stops and traits you developed at each stop. As it is with smoothies, the combination of “ingredients” determines your “flavor” and provides a set of benefits to the partakers. Add those things on top of your UX acumen and you’ll be able to see what’s special and unique.
You’ll also be equipped to answer the question…. What makes you you?
About Darren
Darren Hood is a 28+ year UX practitioner with a broad professional footprint that spans several types of B2B and B2C operations. In addition to having served as a UX manager, individual contributor, and freelancer in the business world, Darren serves or has served as an adjunct professor for such institutions as Michigan State University, UCLA, Brandeis University, Lawrence Tech University, Kent State University, and Harrisburg University. He is also one of the authors featured in “97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know.” He also regularly speaks at conferences and mentors people around the world.
You can hear more from the Darren by checking out the KaizenUX Medium page, the KaizenUX YouTube channel, or listening to The World of UX with Darren Hood wherever podcasts are available.
Visit KaizenTees to check out my UX ≠ UI merch.
