Q&A with UX
By Jo-Ann Hicks
Here at VERB Interactive, we bring our clients’ brands to life online. Making that happen is the product of a very well-oiled machine with many moving parts. And UX Designers are key players in that process, especially in the early days of a project. What is UX anyway and what do they do? Beats me, they talk about things like heat maps and wireframes and seem to drink a fair amount of coffee. But what do I know, why don’t we ask the expert, VERB’s own John Holloway, User Experience Designer? We like to say we do the impossible. John helps us do it.
UX sounds like something out of science fiction. How do you describe what you do to people who know nothing about it?
Hah, it’s a far cry from a Philip K. Dick story, but some days it feels like science fiction. Usually, the prologue before anything strange happens, but it still counts.
Describing my job depends on who I’m talking to! If I’m talking to someone with little computer skills, I keep it simple and tell them I help make websites easy to use. My goal is to make it so that users visit a site and not have to think about how they use the site.
If I’m talking to people with a broader understanding, I find this one-liner helps clear things up: “I collaborate to help with the strategy and the initial design direction for new web builds.” There’s more to it, but that’s the elevator job description.
What inspires you?
For work, it’s important to stay on top of new and emerging trends, they always bring new ideas into the mix. An exciting new relaunch or rebranding of a big site or company always brings new learnings. So do the small little tweaks I see on sites I visit often. You just know those were made because of testing.
And personally, nothing gets my heart going faster than a good come-from-behind underdog story. I have a soft spot for the long shots. They make me feel like anything is achievable.
You mention little tweaks to sites that you notice, do you visit any particular websites on a regular basis? Or better yet, have any favourite sites in general?
Airbnb is a big one. Because it’s big, a lot of our clients use it as a benchmark and reference point, so I find myself visiting fairly often. You can also tell it’s a site that employs a lot of user and A/B testing. Almost every time I visit, there seems to be something different than that last time.
OK, I have to ask, what’s the best underdog story?
There’s a few off the top of my head: Costa Rica’s incredible run in the 2014 World Cup. J.K. Rowling and the writing of the first Harry Potter. And then, of course, there’s Rocky. This was a movie about a nobody getting a shot at the top, written by and starring a struggling unknown actor, that went on to earn all of the money and win all of the awards while creating a legacy that continues over 40 years later.
What do you watch/listen to/read?
This is a big question, so I’ll limit it to the last things I’ve watched, listened to and read so we aren’t here all day:
Watched: The episodes of Jeopardy added to Netflix
Listened to — Album: Cadence Weapon’s latest
Listened to — Podcast: EPLpod
Read: It was either Saga from Fiona Staples & Brian K. Vaughan, or the book I keep at my desk called How Not to be a Dick.
What is the best part of your job?
There’s a few! It’s a toss-up between the free snacks or constantly being challenged and presented with the opportunity to find unique solutions to all kinds of fun little puzzles.
Honourable mention goes to the absolute slew of amazing humans I get to work with every day.
The worst?
When the coffee pot is empty and I need my fix. Luckily we are above the best espresso joint in the city. (That would be Weird Harbour on Barrington Street, fyi)
What traits make someone good at UX?
UX is a pretty broad umbrella term with a lot of disciplines falling underneath it. Researcher, strategist, writer, designer, tester…the list goes on. Each of these disciplines takes different traits to excel at it, but I find some of the most common ones within UX are empathy — being able to understand and anticipate people — and enjoying a good problem to solve.
With UX being such a large discipline, having a diverse team with different skills and different backgrounds helps immensely in being able to understand and anticipate your audience.
How many coffees do you have a day?
I lose count after 6, so let’s call it an even 6.
If you had a theme song that played every time you walked into a room what would it be?
“Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys. Though I’m sure you’d get some better answers if you asked around.
Naturally, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I DID, as any good writer would. And man, did we ever get a broad range. But that is the enigma that is John Holloway.
“Tumbling Tumbleweeds” by Marty Robbins
“All By Myself” by Celine Dion
Apparently this is what he sings to announce himself when he thinks no one else is in the room.
“Who Are You” by The Who (aka the CSI theme song)
Because no one understands what UX actually does.
“Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” by Herman Dune
Super hipster, like John.
Your greatest fear?
Heights. Or those tiny spiders that jump really high.
Do you have a motto?
No, but when I’m stressed I like to whisper to myself: “fire tiger” over and over again. I know nothing of what this means in terms of the Chinese Zodiac but knowing I’m a fire tiger makes me feel calm and focused.
What is your dream destination?
Right now? In this weather? Get me to Costa Rica.
What is your favourite thing about Halifax?
My morning walks with the pup along the oceanfront.
Jo-Ann is a Senior Copywriter at VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
