UX Nuggets Thoughts and advice on usability and user experience

15 Signs You Work in UX

November 1, 2012 |  GfK User Centric & GfK SirValUse

Have you ever found yourself scrutinizing the wording and diagrams in instruction manuals? Do friends ask you for help figuring out how to work a device and your first impulse is to ask, “how do you think it should work?” Prognosis: you’re probably a UX researcher with a keen eye for detail.

The consultants at GfK User Centric and GfK SirValUse decided to combine forces and came up with some tell-tale signs that you work in UX:

  1. You’re totally comfortable around one-way mirrors
  2. Redesigning a call center application sounds like fun to you
  3. Your spice rack is organized by frequency of use and is within arms-reach of the stovetop
  4. You enjoy responding to questions with questions
  5. You wear a point-of-view camera when you go to the supermarket
  6. You take time to explain signage and labeling shortcomings to store clerks and airport attendants
  7. You rage at ambiguously designed traffic signals
  8. You actually read the manuals of things you buy, but only to look for errors and mistakes
  9. You can’t use any interactive device without analyzing its interface
  10. You still cannot explain your job in one sentence to your grandma
  11. To you, card sorting is not a poker trick
  12. You are immediately tempted to write an expert review whenever confronted with a weird check-out process
  13. Your mom is a persona
  14. A horrible user experience causes you physical pain
  15. You encounter online surveys while browsing the web and automatically start making screenshots

Researchers, what other “signs” would you add to this list? And no, you may not answer that question with another question…

Contact Us for Answers

Send Message | +1.630.320.3900 | Contact Info

November 1, 2012 - 09:48 David Molina said:

When you organize a party, you categorize everything in terms of Participants, Stimuli, Method and Results.

November 5, 2012 - 11:52 t said:

HAH!

March 29, 2013 - 12:46 evasi0n download said:

Awesome post.

November 6, 2012 - 09:24 Sbin said:

You believe in organic food but you visit MacDonalds to check out the new pre-order interface

November 6, 2012 - 11:01 Apurv said:

youre entranced while watching someone struggle with a bad/ok/good UI , but never offer to solve their problem

November 6, 2012 - 11:12 Melinda said:

I laughed out loud. Hilarious.

November 6, 2012 - 11:25 VJ said:

When your spouse wants a new kitchen tool, you start asking questions about their task flow, and "help" them realize that they don't really need that tool, but just a bit of re-organization in the kitchen :)

November 6, 2012 - 12:00 Shree said:

You HAVE to tell your significant other a plan on how things should be redesigned every time you encounter problems in any sort of system.

November 6, 2012 - 13:48 Laura Faulkner, PhD said:

When your family and friends have a bad interaction experience they know that the next words coming are, "It's a usability problem!"

November 6, 2012 - 14:16 Michael Gaigg said:

You are telling your child: "We are not testing you! Your responses will help us evaluating the new school system"

November 6, 2012 - 14:30 Beth Meyer said:

Your kids, while working on the computer in the other room, call out - "Hey, <Mom/Dad>! Come get a load of this error message!"

November 6, 2012 - 14:37 oodle said:

After buying a new Mac or PC, you spend 4 hours re-configuring the system to your liking.

November 6, 2012 - 15:07 Andrea Kendall said:

You constantly point out the good or bad affordance of everything.

Heck for you Affordance is a mantra.

November 6, 2012 - 16:24 Kyle Anderson said:

They sound funny, even though I don't work in UX, it's a quality list.

November 6, 2012 - 20:39 Traci Terterian said:

How about....When you present this list to other User Experience colleagues and ask them if and how this list resonates with them within the context of their experience in the industry--then, ask them to re-priotize the numbering system based on what makes sense to them before deciding if this list is actually relevant!

November 6, 2012 - 20:40 Traci Terterian said:

How about....When you present this list to other User Experience colleagues and ask them if and how this list resonates with them within the context of their experience in the industry--then, ask them to re-priotize the numbering system based on what makes sense to them before deciding if this list is actually relevant!

November 7, 2012 - 03:39 Vicente said:

You laugh at this post without realizing that the rest of the world doesn't get a clue even to its title (actually, nobody has ever been able to explain them what ux is in one sentence)

November 8, 2012 - 11:30 Art Zippel said:

You risk starting a disagreement with your significant other because you feel the need to make their last comment more intuitive

November 9, 2012 - 10:24 Petra Quilitz said:

At 2. I laughed, at 3. I swallowed dry, at 4. I suddenly had a chill run down my spine.

Awesome. Its not just me. We're all crazy, yay.

What an awesome list. I didn't know Consultants were such good observers of the human nature. Sorry, that just slipped out.

But seriously, I'm both touched in an embarrassing sort of way, as well as delighted to be sorted in a box with a new label: "UX". Much nicer than the old ones ( "odd", or "weirdo").

November 9, 2012 - 12:17 Cindy Amato said:

You provide usability feedback to your kids' teachers on tests, hand-outs, project descriptions.

November 14, 2012 - 21:40 Ed Campodonico said:

You have been late for a meeting because you were in the elevator for 20 minutes sketching a redesign of the interface.

November 15, 2012 - 00:32 Vladimir said:

You are answering your wife: " Thank you, that was realy interesting" during "what to buy for dinner" conversation :-)

November 20, 2012 - 13:51 Petr Štědrý said:

you know what tools to use to boost their intrinsic motivation.

A really good list to start with :-D

May 16, 2013 - 02:00 italianfoodsco said:

http://www.italianfoodsco.com I'm glad you find the good way of writing. Now you make me very easy to understand and implement the concept of. Thank you for your post.

Drupal site hosting and development by SiteBasin and Alpha Cube, Inc.