TibetanTailor

So it looks like the tide has definitely turned in the UX employment space and a number of people are moving to new UX groups. So what should you do in your first 10 days with your new group. Here is a list of 14 things to do in your first 10 days. Come in early or stay late for 1 hour each day of your first two weeks and do the following:

1. Set up a meeting with your boss and ask him what was the most successful project/program they had over the last year and why. Discuss this in depth and take notes. Try to figure out how you can duplicate that success.
2. After your first day sit down and write up 3 things YOU can do to improve the on boarding process. Then execute on them.
3. If your company is publicity traded read the last letter to shareholders. Understand how executive leadership talks about and views UX.
4. Have lunch with 3 other people in your group. Interview them as to their definition of UX. Write up the responses and send it to them and your boss.
5. For whatever your website is. Do a “man/woman on the street video.” Ask 6 people on the street “Have you ever been to the (name of your website you are working on)’s website? What did you do there?” If they haven’t been there ask them “What do you think you could do there?” Edit this down into 3 minutes and show it to your group.
6. Write a blog post for your corporate UX blog.
7. If there isn’t a corporate UX blog, start one.
8. Compile a list of all the usability tests/personas/customer research you can find that your department or company has done in the last 6 months. Start referring to items on that list when you are presenting reviewing your designs. Start building your corporate “evidence based design” practice.
9. Write a whitepaper on how facebook is going to impact your company and how you can change your group’s practice to better position the company to thrive in this trend
10. Write a whitepaper on how mobile is going to impact your company and how you can change your group’s practice to better position the company to thrive in this trend
11. Write a whitepaper on how gaming is going to impact your company and how you can change your group’s practice to better position the company to thrive in this trend.
12. Find out what are the most important KPIs for your UX group.
13. If KPIs can’t be found, then collect 6 recent product roadmaps and put them side by side and try to figure out from them what are the important metrics for success.
14. Learn everyone’s name and what their strengths are, what they are really good at. Use this to ask for help and to get second opinions on your work.

Well, there you go.  Your first two weeks done and you are on your way to making an impact in your new UX job!

Other resources

Are you a User Experience Intern? 25 things you must do in the next 60 days!
Three Questions To Ask Your UX Consultants

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 9:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.