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Given that I believe RIA technologies should only be used to improve usability and user experience in web software, I'm ecstatic that the role of the usability specialist is getting wide spread attention. It gained a spot in the U.S News list of Best Careers for 2008.
Usability specialists make sure that products, especially technical ones, are easy and pleasurable to use. How? First, they observe and interview potential users to identify their needs and preferences. After a prototype is developed, they watch and interview potential users again and suggest revisions. Not surprisingly, the job outlook for usability specialists is strong. The number of new, complex products is proliferating, and many of them demand a usability specialist.
How many RIAs could be defined as "new, complex products"? Probably most. If you're considering getting into this gig you might find these points interesting their research indicates a median salary of almost $100k in the U.S and the best way to get hired is through experience as opposed to schooling. Early days and big bucks...sounds like an exciting place to be. There's also a short story about a day in the life of usability/user experience designer. I like how both the description and this story include interview users, so get out there and talk to your users! So make sure you have someone on your RIA team focused on usability and check out this comic on your first day on the job as a usability specialist:)
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Andre, I have to admit that I'm vaguely uncomfortable by this post, and here's why -
You receive your specialist "wings" only after you've spent literally hundreds of hours truly studying users (not just talking to them), making plenty of design mistakes that are uncovered in the usability lab or contextual inquiry setting prior to launch, and planning and designing a bunch of stuff that will never see the light of day. I firmly believe that anybody can become a specialist given time and practice. If you're in for the long haul and are a conscientious student of the art and science of user experience, you will become a specialist. If you are looking for a quick fix, there is plenty of room in this world for evangelists because working together, we can strengthen the RIA value proposition, saying that it's better for users because we know - not think - it to be true- and being able to list they reasons why it is the superior choice, not just because we think it's cool. Of course, I think that everyone should be an evangelist of a good user experience, but I caution that not everyone who is an evangelist = a specialist.
Don't get me wrong. I love the promise that RIA's bring to the table. I absolutely feel that it's the way that interfaces are moving, and I think the future is exciting because of their existence. However, when you have a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail. When we perpetuate how "easy" it is to become a UX specialist and earn the 6-figure salary like US News promises we will, it's tempting for anyone to hang that shingle and declare themselves a UX specialist. We end up degrading all we have worked for in the process, and devaluing our profession.
All I'm trying to say is that maybe the first step is to get everyone thinking of themselves as evangelists - and then from there, support and allow those with the passion to transition themselves into specialists. Speaking from the "old-timer" perspective, we need good specialists to enter the field because they're very hard to find, but we recognize that someone does not become a specialist after 6 months' or a year's practice.
Well put Laurie! I couldn't agree with you more. I wasn't trying to say that you'd be a "specialist" overnight. I'm the first one to admit that I'm an evangelist at best. I just think it's good to see recognition for specialists and that's what I was trying to bring to light.
I've seen a overwhelming number of graphic designers change their titles (rightly or wrongly) to UX specialist or information architect and that gives me shivers up my spine:S
However, if people begin to appreciate and understand who these specialists are and what they do then I think we'll all win.
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Yes, as an 'Evangelist', I'd be more interested in advice on how to become a 'Specialist' - it's a discipline skill to learn, drawing on a variety of fields, not to mention requiring strong communication skills.
All the same, nice to know the prospects are promising!