And pass it did. At a pace I previously have not encountered. For me 2010 was a year of highs and very few if any lows. We did not win every pitch (nor should we have except for one annoying case) and when we lost we did so for the right reasons. All in all I had a well balanced workload and enjoyed working on several projects where touchscreens created new challenges both from a interaction design standpoint and in our user studies. I had the opportunity to read loads of great books (slight low-point there as I discovered I need glasses). Spring was spent in Japan under the blooming Sakura followed by a trip to Sienna with my co-workers. In August I attended UX week in San Francisco where I picked up a lot of ideas and new energy.

This was also the year I found solid ground for my role as a User Experience Designer, I can see that what I do makes a difference for the end results and this makes it all worth while at the end of the day. If there is one thing I should promise myself to change it would be to stop more often and ask myself if I am doing the right thing. The right thing for me personally to develop my skills and the right thing for our clients, making sure there is tangible value in the deliverable or result of the task at hand.

See you in 2011!

-”Of course, have a seat. I will be ready in about fifteen minutes”.

Delighted I take a seat on one the modern square stools. None of the magazines available are of any interest so I listen in to the ongoing conversations.

The hairdresser I now have an appointment with is a young woman in her early twenties. She is very talkative and from the relentless stream of polite questions I gather she takes a natural interest in her clients. It strikes me that once it is my turn she will inevitably ask me what I do for a living.

*

Finally a great opportunity to practice explaining what I do in a clear and concise manner to someone who is unlikley to have any preconceptions and who seems to share a genuine interest in her fellow human beings. I do some mental juggeling and come up with a variation of my usual presentation simplifying it slightly and adding a few points about why I enjoy my work.

It is my turn now, after agreeing on length, style and sitting through the obligatory hair wash the question comes. I am prepared and fire away on all cylinders. When I finish I feel like I just hit a home run. This could be how I should always present myself.

Oh, so you’re like an office worker?

My heart sinks. I feel slightly frustrated over my failure to convey how meaningful my work is. I want to say no, no, I do important work that makes the web a better place for everyone, instead I hear myself say:

Yes, I guess I work in an office most of the time but my point is…

I can see she has lost interest and on second thought my simplified description probably does sound a lot like ordinary office work. Maybe because a lot if it is?

Realizing that any further attempts will sound like a line out of Office Space I retreat with what little dignity I have left and change the subject.

While this is now a slightly amusing story I can chuckle over with my co-workers it does feel like I left a piece of my ego next to some of my hair on that salon floor. Probably for the better.

As of this fall my new job title at Söderhavet will be User Experience Designer. To many around me User Experience (abbreviated UX) is either an unknown or at best a vague term. Why? Well it actually is a vague term in that it has such a large scope (more on definitions at a later date). For this reason it became apparent early on in the process that a clear and specific work description would be absolutely necessary. Given that many of my coworkers already are varied levels of experts in some of the fields included in User Experience Design we decided to focus on areas where we need added expertise or where we lacked focus. I have also prepared myself by doing a hefty amount of reading and attending seminars/courses on the subject and its related fields (I will be adding my read list to the blog). Furthermore working out good activities and deliverables for internal and client use (still a work in progress) will hopefully make this venture a success.

This blog is meant to follow me on my explorations into the field of User Experience Design. If you feel like joining me I will also be updating more frequently on Twitter. Feel free to comment and participate with thoughts and advice as I learn and share my gathered knowledge and mistakes. A lot of what I will write about might seem somewhat redundant to many but given the state of most of the Internet more resources preaching a pragmatic approach to web usability, interaction design, enjoyability, accessibility and… (the list goes on) wont hurt but rather be a good thing. Thanks for reading, now go ahead and wish me luck in the comments below. I do think I´ll need it.