Event news
City University & Human Factors International co-host "Mobile Persuasion"
This will take place at City University on Monday 19th January, with speakers Bryan Rieger - Co-Founder & Creative Director of Yiibu - and Kath Straub - Chief Scientist of Human Factors International.
January Event: User Experience and the Credit Crunch – What You Need To Know
Recession? Depression? Or: How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love The Crunch.
In the week that official figures are expected to show (for the first time) that the UK economy is actually in decline, Be Kaler Blake (Aquent) and Gerred Blyth (Lighthouse Experience) will present on and facilitate a discussion with guests on this timely topic.
We aim for attendees to gain practical insights whether you are:
a) From a user experience agency and looking to help improve your agency's bottom line
b) In-house and seeking to ensure user experience practices hold their own in your company during the downturn
c) Simply keen as a temporary or permanent employee to make sure your gas bills are covered in 2009!
The session will be split into three parts:
- A short presentation on how the economy and UX professionals market is looking going into 2009, with particular reference to key verticals such as Media, Travel, Finance, Gaming and Consumer Goods. The session will reflect our recent conversations with a variety of stakeholders in these industries to outline what their expectations are looking forward - in particular for the user experience community.
- A short guest presentation from those who were at the coal face in the last two UK recessions (1991 and 2000) and what their experiences and thoughts in hindsight are. Expect some war stories and reality checks on how companies behave when times are tight.
- Chaired breakout groups (Freelancers, Agency, and In-house departments) will discuss and briefly present back their expectations and potential strategies for weathering (or profiting!) from this change in the economic landscape. We aim to answer the key question "What practical measures can I take in the next six to twelve months?"
After the session, all attendees will be welcome to put their January detox plans on ice in the name of networking and professional development!
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Be Kaler Blake, Manager of User Experience | Digital
I have worked in digital recruitment for over 13 years. In the last 5 years we have really strengthened our capability recruiting across user centered design, usability and experience/information architecture. I sit within the digital team where we hire across all front end disciplines – design, web development, and account & project management. Our clients are the top 100 digital agencies and also people across broadcast, finance, government, publishing and telecoms - and work very much in partnership with us. I am a guest lecturer at City Literature and UCL on the HCI courses talking to new graduates on how to prepare for the working world. I am an active member of the Information Architecture Institute and the UKUPA.
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Gerred Blythe, Lighthouse Experience
Gerred has been consulting on a wide variety of user experience matters in the UK and internationally since 2000 – firstly as director of Amberlight Partners, and since 2006 as an independent consultant through Lighthouse Experience Ltd. Having worked in all interactive domains – from consumer web to worksystem software via mobile and video games – Gerred focuses on enthusing in-house teams to truly engage with their audience and to create brilliant interactive experiences.
UX London 15-17 June 2009
UX London registration is now open with a discount for UPA members. Taking place from 15-17 June 2009, the event aims to bring bring the UX community in Europe together. Speakers will include Don Norman, Jared Spool, Jeff Veen, Dan Saffer and Peter Merholtz.
Latest job postings
Senior Usability Expert (Jan 14th)
eye square is an international company specialized in usability research and branding studies, based in Berlin, Germany.
Mid-weight User Experience Consultant (13th Jan)
My client is a leading financial services product company and they are looking for a Lead Information Architect to drive forward the user centred design as part of the development process.
User Experience Designer
A 12 month contract (possible to go permanent) has arisen; you will be based in London for a well known broadcaster. You will be working on multi platform projects on 10’s of round the clock sites.