I love helping people and I love problem solving, which makes working in User Experience my perfect career. But before you can start to problem solve you need to really understand the problem, and that’s were user research comes in. Spending time with users is never time wasted, and can lead to incredible insight.
UX is very much a team sport and it is only when we all work together that we can see the impact of our work. While I might design and run the research, the best research is when the team is there too and can see the problems for themselves. Seeing really is believing.
"She has a talent for identifying solutions and for putting herself in the position of the user"
Matt Farrow,
Digital Platforms Development Manager,
University of Surrey
UX stands for User Experience and as a UX Researcher it is my job to make things as easy as possible for the user while helping the business achive its goals.
The problem with a term like UX is, because it touches on so many different parts of the process it can sometimes be hard to explain exactly what I do.
For instance I am not a visual designer but I might make suggestions on the visual design following testing with users.
UX is more than just creating wireframes or personas and is something which should be thought about throughout a project, from start to finish.
After all if your website or process is easy to use, it is more likely that users will keep coming back and bring their friends.
Hi I am Penny and I am a UX Researcher.
I did not always work in UX. I studied Landscaping at College and worked for four years in the Digital Team of the University of Surrey, amongst other things, but I truly believe that all these experiences make me a better researcher now.
I love learning new things and when I am not learning about technology and design I love to learn new creative skills like paper making, bookbinding, knitting, beaded kumihimo and at the moment lampwork bead making.
I am currently volunteering with Ladies That UX, London (LTUX), looking after their twitter feed and helping to organise events, while attending as many other UX events as possible.
After all that if I still have some energy left I go for a run with my dog Milo. It is a great way to clear my mind and I often find problems have resolved themselves by the time I am out of the shower and ready to work on them.
If you have any questions about my work please feel free to contact me.
Email me on peneloperance@gmail.com or find me on Twitter or Linkedin.
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