under the human influence

Worst. Job Title. Ever.

December 22, 2010

I recently bought a new car. A few weeks after driving off the lot I received an email thanking me for my business and a thoughtful note asking for my feedback. Of course! I love surveys, not only because I occasionally design them and want to get any and all examples of dos & don’ts, but I am thrilled that they want my feedback. As I am about to click the link, I look down and see the sender’s job title.

Vice President – Customer Retention. Really? Retention?

Yes I am a customer, but no I don’t want to be “retained.” Retaining is for adolescent teeth. While it may be your business goal, you shouldn’t let it bleed through to your title. I am a human being, not a molar.

The sentiment behind the note was sincere, and I appreciated the opportunity to share my comments, opinions, praise and criticism. I completed the survey, and in the open comment field made my case that he has the most obtuse job title ever and that he should consider changing it to Vice President – Customer Experience or something of the like.

Shame, I never heard back.

What’s the worst job title you’ve ever seen?

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I don’t have to, I get to

September 23, 2010

There are some things in life that you just dread. When you think about what you have to do, the anxiety kicks in that voice inside your head whines a continuous loop of “but I don’t wanna…”

I’ve noticed a change in how I look at those things lately and am acknowledging a fundamental shift in how I approach my world and my have tos.

Exercise

In my last post I put into words my new found enthusiasm for my recent fitness adventures. It’s still there! New perspective makes all the difference. Now that it’s become something I do for myself, instead of something I avoid at all costs, I appreciate the practice itself and enjoy the afterglow even more.

When I am out there running into the sunrise, I smile as the sweat pours down my temples and neck and realize that I am running because I want to, and quite simply because I am able to. When I come up for air between strokes in the pool, I treasure the sound of nothing but splashing and my own breath. I’m not thinking about distance or speed, I’m just glad I’m there in the first place.

When I exercise, it’s not because I have to, it’s because I get to.

Spirituality

I cannot even count the number of years where I viewed going to church as a chore, something I put just below biology homework or walking a neighbor’s dog in the pouring rain. My mom would drag me, and I’d protest heatedly. I didn’t get anything out of it and going just to go seemed a waste of time. Eventually, even on Christmas, I just refused to go, and she stopped persevering. I did not want to go, it felt like something I had to do.

In the last year I have sought to find my heart a spiritual home, in a completely different type of community. Here, everyone is welcome. The songs we sing together bring me back to a more pure appreciation of humanity. The focus is not around guilt or sin or rituals that feel irrelevant to me, but rather on peace, tolerance and service.

These days I don’t have to go, I get to.

Career

I often hear about the “Sunday Night Blues” phenomenon …well I have been there and lived to tell about it. It’s the dark hours at the end of a weekend, when you feel an overwhelming full-body dread when you realize you have to go back to the office on Monday morning and soldier through a bunch of work you don’t even like doing.

I breathe a huge, grateful sigh when I realize I haven’t experienced those feelings in over 3 years. It took some soul-searching, some scrappy initiative and some luck but I am thankful that I have created a space for myself with meaningful work in a field that is persistently evolving. I love what I do, that’s no secret. But I also love watching other people embrace their expertise and personify their passion; my hair stylist, our daughter’s teachers, the manager of the bagel store, even our insurance agent. These people love their jobs with complete abandon.

I have arrived at a place where I don’t have to do this work, I get to.

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Motivation + Technology = Behavioral Change

July 28, 2010

For me, exercising has always been work. I’ve forced myself to do it. Sometimes I’ve even managed to enjoy it. But mostly, it was a chore. Something I dreaded. Something I made excuses for not doing. And, up until yesterday, it was something I would always eventually quit.

And every time, the voices in my head would clamor. The sympathetic, understanding ones said, “Hey, you’re a busy, working mom. You were a great athlete when you were younger.” The mean ones whispered behind my back, “Maybe you’re just too lazy. And anyway, even if you did exercise, it wouldn’t make any difference.”

I’m not sure why I kept on trying. I guess in my heart I believed that one of these days, I’d find something that would stick, that would work for me. A few months ago, I downloaded the Couch-to-5K (C25K) iPhone App. The C25k program is exactly what its name says. It’s a program that gives you a day-by-day plan that will take you from sitting on your couch with a bowl of chips in your lap to crossing the finish line of your first 5k. Even better, new technologies make the whole process fun, interactive, and social.

Um, yeah, but does it work?

When I started, I literally could not run around the block. Yesterday, I ran 30 minutes without stopping.

What made it different this time?

I attribute this shift in my behavior to new motivation factors and technology.

Motivation:

I wanted some relief from self-deprecating thoughts and an overly negative body image.
I wanted time that was just for me, not as a designer, a wife, a mother, a friend … time solely dedicated to *me.*

Technology:

I love my iPhone, sometimes more than I love most humans.

C25K integrated my music with an app that told me when to warm-up, walk, run and cool down
Sharing my progress on Twitter made me feel accountable and allowed others to encourage me to reach my goal

What’s next?

Now that I have completed the C25K I will continue to run 3-4 times a week, and have recently added swimming laps on my lunch hour to my “me time” routine. In September, as a challenge and birthday gift to myself, I will complete a Sprint Triathlon. Honestly, I don’t care if I come in last, I just want to finish it.

Just. For. Me.

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Learning The Elements of Experience Design at a Young Age

May 25, 2010

“So, Mommy … what did you do at work today?” my four-year old thoughtfully asked one evening. In an attempt to put it into terms she would understand I paused, smiled and said this “I did a little drawing, I did a Show & Tell, I brainstormed with some of my friends, I made a chart, I talked on the phone, I did a little math… thank you for asking.” To which she replied “Hey – that’s what I did today, but don’t forget snack.”

Although the facets of my job are more complex than I described to my daughter, I was delighted to be able to explain it so simply in terms she could understand.

Sketching is a crucial skill for an Experience Designer. I am by no means an artiste, but I have reached back to that place in time where drawing was fun and despite initial resistance to “drawing” I thoroughly enjoy the paper/pencil part of the UX design process. Wait, colored pencils are involved? Even better!

Presenting research findings or an initial conceptual design is akin to a child’s Show & Tell. You think about what you’re going to say, you bring artifacts (even if they are digital) and speak (sometimes around a table) about a topic on which you have some level of expertise. Usually you field questions from your audience and hopefully, everyone leaves the circle knowing a little bit more about their customers or are closer to a new design direction.

I realized that while she does most of her out-of-the-home learning, socializing and communicating in her adorably campy Montessori classroom, that some of what she learns is from children’s television programming.

For example, on Sid, The Science Kid on PBS, they sing a song called I Love Charts, teaching children about Infographics: I Love Charts – Sid the Science Kid

“I like checking out charts, cause charts rule, A chart is a handy dandy scientific tool, It gives you information you can see with your eyes. A chart lets you visualize. You get the picture – So do I!

May I please draw your attention to this weather chart, I tell you this chart is a work of art. I see clouds on Friday and rain on Monday, And look there’s gonna be sun on Sunday!

I like checking out charts, cause charts rule, A chart is a handy dandy scientific tool, It gives you information you can see with your eyes. A chart lets you visualize. You get the picture – So do I!

How many kids like a dog or a cat? Who wears a hoody and who wears a hat? Making a chart of what people eat Some charts look like a pie and you know that’s sweet!

On Disney’s Imagination Movers, on every show they have a problem to solve, AKA an “Idea Emergency.” They sing a song about the basics of Brainstorming: Brainstorming – Imagination Movers

“We need good ideas, and we need them now. So put your heads together and we’ll write them down. There’s no bad ideas when you’re brainstorming. I can count on you and you can count on me, to make our ideas a reality. There’s no bad ideas when you’re brainstorming. Brainstorming here and brainstorming there. Brainstorming upside down or sitting in your easy chair…. So reach high. Think big. Work hard. Have fun!”

Of course there are other aspects of being an experience designer that I shielded her from. No preschooler should have to know what a spreadsheet is. But I am profoundly proud of the work that I do and after I explained it to my daughter, I know she is too.

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Being Human, Facing Ugliness

February 28, 2010

It was lunchtime on another wild and hectic workday. In a dizzying flurry of my own self-centered thoughts I rushed back to the office, my gourmet take-out salad piled high with bacon, blue cheese, red onions and the sweetest little grape tomatoes. A few hundred feet in front of me, I saw an old homeless man and felt my tough safeguard go up. I thought about the expensive pants I happened to be wearing and a numbing mist of guilt instantly coated me. I prepared to pass him, making no eye contact, and as our paths crossed I heard the most gentle and helpless voice say “excuse me?” From beneath the grime, came an almost angelic desperate whisper of hope. I felt my heart sink, wishing I could do something, but I kept my head down and kept walking… across the street, up the stairs, across the room to my desk. I sat down and I wept.

I thought to myself “when did you become so heartless?”, “why didn’t you give that poor man your lunch?”, “would it have killed you to give him a few dollars?” “he must be so hungry, and cold” … the berating inner monologue goes on. When did I stop believing that every human being deserves the respect of a smile and a “hello?”

I work all day (and sometimes all night) trying to make “things” better, more usable, more pleasurable, more entertaining, more engaging, so that “poor” white-collar folks like myself don’t have to “suffer” through a mediocre or even appalling user experience … with a website that they’re probably interacting with at their cushy job, or on their couch or in their well-lit home office.

I realized that I spend my life trying to surround myself with beauty because the ugly is just too hard to see.

When I was pregnant with our first child, I couldn’t bear to watch the news or even hear about the tragic headlines in casual conversation. Everywhere it seemed, someone was being killed, someone was sick or dying, some innocent percent had been shot or robbed or injured. Although it’s been years since that pregnancy and the first signs of my maternal instincts to protect her from the uncomfortable and sickening events around us, I still try to shelter myself from the terror of the world in which so many people live.

Lately, I have been unable to escape the headlines. There has become such a long list of people to hold in my heart and to remember. Earthquakes, hurricane force winds, power outages, illnesses, fires, orphans… it is staggering. When I really stop to think about it, I find that I can’t, I shut down. I notice that I carefully expose myself to this unbelievable heartbreak in tiny doses. Little quarter-teaspoons of breaking news is all I can handle.

Perhaps I am weak, emotionally fragile, or perhaps I am just less numb and more susceptible to the elements that make me human?

What I wrestle with is how can *I* affect change. I feel like trying to help all those who need helping would be akin to taking a thimbleful of water out of the ocean. But I am trying to approach the world and all its troubles in more morsel-sized style. Perhaps if I can be a part of one person’s solution, even in a small way, that will sustain me, then I can build momentum and be encouraged to do more.

As I forge ahead in my work and my personal and spiritual lives, I am ever-conscious that emotions, meaning and human connections are the essence, and using them for good is my reason for being.

Baby steps, indeed.

Tags: emotion, human, meaning, spiritual
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The solitude of online social interactions, an extrovert’s perspective

January 28, 2010

I have always loved meeting people. As far back as my memory goes, I can recall crossing rooms to introduce myself to someone I didn’t know yet, asking their name, smiling, trying to make them feel welcome, learning more about them. Occasionally I would feel a pang of nervousness but for the most part meeting new people has always been effortless.

When in the midst of a group, I can quite literally feel myself feeding off the energy of others. After I’ve had a conversation with a friend or colleague I feel like I’ve just been plugged in and am more powerful and geared up than before, and the longer I go without human interaction, the more vacant I feel.

Hands-down the best part of being on twitter is getting to actually meet the people behind the avatars, in person, for a real conversation, and a truly human exchange. I enjoy the anticipation of getting to meet someone new, which is why I beg, borrow and steal to get to conferences!

Then why am I much more apprehensive about my social interactions online?

Social interactions online often create a much higher level of anxiety. Despite it being called social media or social networking, participating can be fairly lonely for my fellow extroverts. My interactions with others online occur from the isolation of my computer. And blogging, feels even less comfortable for me. Not because I am apprehensive about my writing abilities, but because it feels like such an isolating activity, done from the solitude of my computer. When I am engaged in a “real” conversation with someone, I feel much more myself than when I am alone with my thoughts, staring at a blank screen and trying to generate something, (anything!) with a keyboard as my only tool.

I will never be able to truly know how terrifying in-person social interactions can be to a “shy” person or convey to them the energy I get from meeting new people in social situations. However I have been thinking a lot about my own social experiences and why some of them seem so difficult for me, but come easily to those who I would consider shy. In my (unscientific) observation, these people seem to gain the same energy or strength from being alone with their thoughts (and then sharing them afterward) as I do when I am discussing, connecting and bouncing ideas off of others. My natural tendency when I have a problem to solve is to find someone to talk about it with, toss around possible solutions, and feel connected with others, rather than to experience the seclusion of my own thoughts.

In the spirit of authenticity and vulnerability, I also care way too much about what people think. What if I write a blog post and no one reads it? What if 300 people post flaming comments saying I am an idiot? I may be a gifted networker, social butterfly, whatever… but I am scared shitless to write (and gasp! promote) a blog. I frequently advise my friends, co-workers and family to take risks, go for it! I have been known to say things like “what do you have to lose?” and “what are you waiting for?” when in truth I too am paralyzed in fear. WTF, Meg?

I am hoping that years from now I will look back at this post and chuckle. I hope that I keep trying to swim out there, out beyond the scary white breakers of the online social scene and come into my own. I hope that I can start writing more about my thoughts for the purpose of my personal and professional growth and fulfillment, and care just a little less about what someone else might think.

Tags: Extrovert, Fear, Introvert, Social
Posted in Social Experience | 1 Comment »

Twitter: Why it’s a part of my life

August 26, 2009

As an Experience Designer and active participant in this century, I feel compelled to verbalize how Twitter has weaved its way into my life and how it shapes many of my personal and professional interactions.

Sure, I use other Social Networking sites… I use Facebook to keep up with friends from college, high school and even elementary school. I also post more personal updates and pictures on Facebook. LinkedIn is my Rolodex (my what?!) I use it to connect and reconnect with colleagues, past, present and in some cases future. Flickr is fun for sharing photos. I was forced to create a MySpace account to connect with a few musician friends from years past, and admittedly I have no idea what to do with Plaxo. But the little Social Media darling in my life has become Twitter.

When I first created an account in May 2008, I had already been on Facebook for a while. Facebook was comfortable, familiar, fun and extremely addictive. I was amazed who came out of the woodwork to connect with me and who I initiated contact with. Why would I need any other Social Networking tool?

Enter Twitter

I had heard about it and wanted to understand the buzz around Twitter. Twitter allows you to post and broadcast updates (tweets) to those who choose to see them (your followers.) You can also see updates from other twitterers (whom you have chosen to follow.) It made me very nervous. Everyone could see everything. I couldn’t possibly be authentic if the entire world could see my rants and inane observations of 140 characters or less.

Wrong.

Truthfully, because of the character limitation of 140 characters it immediately helped me pare down my idea, and say only what I needed to say. Conveying thoughts in few words is an art, one that I am just starting to master. It takes practice to convey exactly what you want to say with such acute brevity, but it’s a fun test and I believe it is ultimately making me a better writer.

Balancing Personal with Professional

Twitter has added to both my personal and professional lives, providing a quick and easy outlet to share thoughts, bond with friends, learn from colleagues and interact with many fascinating people I never would have “met” had we not connected on Twitter. In many cases I have engaged with other Experience Designers from all over the world on Twitter, but have met or have plans to meet many of them in real life. How else would I have known about them? Perhaps the occasional professional conference and business card exchange, but I find our interactions on Twitter much more consistent and meaningful, not to mention that those relationships can grow and strengthen with increased interaction over time.

Whether you’re a scientist, foodie, wine enthusiast, artist, parent or all of the above, I’ll bet you can find other people in your field who are on twitter and interested in engaging with you. I have embraced the challenge of being myself, and letting people in to my personal world while maintaining a certain level of professionalism. I also tend to tweet about topics or sentiments in my work-world that overlap with my personal life. This is how I use twitter, but I am a firm believer that Twitter is what you make of it.

Different Types of Tweets

Your Original Thoughts

This may be you literally answering the question “what are you doing?” or it may be a random, amusing observation or out of the ordinary thought that ran through your head.

The Re-Tweet

This is akin to forwarding an email, but instead you’re Re-Tweeting someone else’s tweet because you found it remarkable, comical etc… I use this sparingly, as I am not apt to RT something unless it really strikes me as hilarious.

@ reply

This is used to respond directly to someone else in the Twitterverse. You can use this to reach out to anyone, whether or not they are following you or you are following them. If you wanted to wish Andy Roddick good luck at his next tennis match you would tweet “@andyroddick – kick Roger’s ass this time!” … or something along those lines. It can also be a window for someone else into your conversation with someone else and they may chime in or just lurk and observe.

Direct Message or DM

This is a tweet that is sent privately to the specified Twitter user. But, you can only send DMs to people who are following you. #hashtag A hashtag is a way to easily identify tweets that contain a particular topic. Basically, they are tags that that help those who seek similar content discover your Tweets. For example, if you want to see all the tweets being posted while watching a Red Sox game, you could search for #redsox and view all tweets tagged with #redsox.

Twitpic

There are other tools out there that do the same thing, but Twitpic allows you to share photos in your tweets. When you create your twitter account your Twitpic account is already created (same login details.) The most valuable part of using Twitpic is that you can take a picture on your phone and post it directly to Twitter.

One Down Side

There are no right ways to use Twitter, however there are a few “invalid” ways to use it. As with anywhere in the online landscape there are people who try to sell you something you don’t need, wannabe porn stars, dream catcher life coaches and other useless types of spammers. Some will follow you, just block them or ignore them. It’s annoying, but it’s just one of the very few flaws in an otherwise life-changing experience.

Guilty Pleasure: Celebrity Stalking

Let’s face it – Twitter is everywhere. Chances are if you’re not using Twitter you’ve had the urge to check it out, even if you’re not ready to “commit.” Yes, Twitter has become so fashionable that even Paparazzi-averse celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon. As with all of us “normal folk” they are in control of how much they share with their followers. While I don’t follow many celebrities, sometimes I just go to their Twitter profile pages to check in on what they’re up to. Some of the most popular Celebrity Twitterers are: Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, Shaquille O’Neal, Jimmy Fallon, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and yes even President Obama!

In Summary

Twitter is perhaps just another Social Media site, but I have found it to be THE superior online communications tool, and is much more useful than I could ever have imagined. The sun will still rise tomorrow, whether you’re on Twitter or not. But just humor me – give it a try!

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/megUX

Tags: Experience Design, Personal, Twitter
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