Experience Required

Robert Hoekman Jr is a prolific writer and veteran UX strategy consultant. He has written hundreds of articles and several books on design topics, including Designing the Obvious, Designing the Moment, and Web Anatomy (with Jared Spool). Robert has spoken to packed rooms at web conferences all over the world. He lives in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more about him at www.rhjr.net.

• Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Key Terms Design Designer User Experience (UX) Chapter 2: The Shape of a Great Designer Some Designer History The Problem with Names And Then More Showed Up The Birth of the User Experience Designer Design Is a Four-Letter Word The Rebirth of the Nebulous Job Title Unicorns: What They Are and Why You Should Be One Unicorn = Generalist Be Replaceable The Upside of Overlap Be Respectful T-Shaped People: The Case for Specialties Becoming a T-Shaped Person Masquerading as a Generalist The Depth of UX Chapter 3: Adapting Tools, Not Processes Improvising Working Quickly Strategy Document The Driver of the Bus Design Time Faster Wireframes Faster Prototypes Faster Usability Tests Chapter 4: Understanding Knowing the Psychology They’re Smarter than You Think They Have Other Things to Do They Have a “Doing Mode” They “Satisfice” They Don’t Use Your Software the Way You Intend Them To They Rely on Patterns A Million Things Are Competing for Their Attention They See What’s There They Lie They Don’t Know What’s Possible If You Improve Their Lives, They’ll Love You They Come With Questions They Blame Themselves for Mistakes When They Should Blame You Their “Experience” Is Based on Far More than Your Website Applying the Psychology Talking the Psychology Chapter 5: Questioning Questioning Everything Questioning Ideas Questioning Standards Questioning People Questioning Your Own Work Pushing the Profession Forward Tipping Sacred Cows Firing Away Always Ask the Question Chapter 6: Communicating On Clear Thinking Writing and Speaking Thinking in Frameworks On Writing Well Mapping Your Message to Their Concerns Learning to Predict the Future Reading for Comprehension Enabling Comprehension Not Just What, but How and When Do What You Can Chapter 7: Arguing Listening Asking Phases of Knowledge Restating Educating Presenting Explaining with Stories Leading the Room Backing It Up Chapter 8: Leading Staying Calm Ignoring Distractions Speaking Up Taking Criticism Being Collaborative Hiring Well Review the Portfolio Google Let Them Talk Contract Them Look for Unicorns Offering Solutions Instead of Complaints Giving Credit Away Teaching Them to Teach Managing Things Away from People Creating Opportunities for Others Choosing Teams Over Individuals Chapter 9: Learning How I Learned Why Learning Matters Leaving Your Ego Out of It Drown a Little Every Day Learning to Succeed, Not to Embrace Failure Prophecies Like to Be Self-Fulfilling Leaders Don’t Root for Failure Repeated Failure Gets You Nowhere What Exactly Is Success in Web Design Anyway? Aim for the Breakthrough   Chapter 10: Being Unreasonable The Advantage of High Standards High Standards Lead to Prowess High Standards Make You More Persuasive High Standards Lead to People Designing for Greatness