Usability Certification and the job market

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Regis L. Magyar, Ph.D. on March 4, 2010 at 2:27pm

Matt, I highly recommend that you first read Don Norman's Book "The Design of Everyday Things". The original version was titled "The Psychology of Everyday Things". Next read Jacob Nielson's book ttitled "Usabiity Engineering". There should be enough of current day engineering psychology principles in both books to make it relevant to today's HF & UX work. You don't need to go all the way back to the historical HF works of Chapanis and Fitts since that work primarily addressed aviation work, & post-WWII era interests. Back then, engineering psychology and Human Factors were oriented toward "elimination or reducing human errors and enhancing safety". Nielson's archive of "AlertBox"essays on his website can bring you up to speed on all the current interests surrounding current website and e-commerce usability and design aspects. Also consult the reference lists on HU/UX design that are being compiled by one of the HFI Connect groups. The most important aspect of psychology to apply to today's UI work is that every issue and topic must adress 3 things: namely, 1. The Behavioral aspect (What people do..), 2. The Cognitive aspect {What people think/know...), and 3. The Emotional aspect (What people feel...). Historically, most HF practioner's efforts concentrated primarily on the user's behavioral aspects and not the other two areas. When people re-discovered the three psychological orientations, all sorts of new areas were opened, such that the older label of Human Factors and Usability was replaced by the new twerm "User Experience". HFI's Susan Weinstein's blog is a good source of information on the application of classic pasychology to usability enginerring.

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Permalink Reply by Matt on March 4, 2010 at 4:02pm

Regis,

Thank you for the thoughful reply. Norman's book was one of the ones that turned me onto usability in the first place (along with Cooper). I have spent quite time on Nielson's site and am familiar with his work. His book is already on my reading list but I think I will bump it up a few notches at your suggestion.

It is interesting that you mentioned the Behavioral piece. My instinct as I have been reading has been that the behavioral is only important in light of the cognitive. In other words since thought precedes action (in the case we are interested in anyway) understanding the user's cognition is crucial to the usability process.

I would be interested to know what books you might recommend in the Behavioral and Emotional areas. Having read a number of books dealing with cognition, I recently dove into Antonio Damasio's book "Searching for Spinoza" which deals specifically with the role of emotion in decision making. The book was fascinating (if not a bit over my head at times!) and generated a definite interest in pursuing that line of thought.

Thank you for offering the clarity of thinking in terms of that triad of fields. I will look around for the reference list you mentioned, haven't come across it quite yet.

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Permalink Reply by Regis L. Magyar, Ph.D. on March 25, 2010 at 2:31pm

Hi Matt. Sorry for my delay in responding to your request for information on the emotional
Component of UX. I suggest you start by getting some background in Basic Psychology on the subject. Go to this website (Psych 101-- http://allpsych.com/psychology101/contents.html) and read the chapter on Emotion to see how it is defined. Next, see how current day marketing and sales groups re-define and apply these concepts to UX. For example, listen to the seductive pitch used by it proponents (see Marc Gobe –Emotional Branding; http://www.emotionalbranding.com/ and Brands of Emotion- http://www.brighternaming.com/brands_of_emotion.html). Finally read the online book entitled “Emotion in advertising” (http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=71157530. The individual chapters are accessed via the Table of contents on the left margin). After reading this book you might say that this sounds really good, right? Well, be careful about this. Corporate CEOs and Marketing groups untrained in Psychology, the Scientific Method and Research Methods eat this stuff up with a spoon, which makes it easy to sell in our profession. But some of us refer to this as a modern “Cargo-Cult” science, which looks and sounds valid but is really only a pseudo-science that looks like rand seems like eal science but is not.. If you read only one article I am suggesting, please be sure to read the classic reference on Cargo Cult Science by Richard Feynman, one of America’s most prominent nobel laureates (Cargo cult science -- http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.pdf). I hope this helps. Good luck on your certification goals.

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Permalink Reply by Kris Gensler on August 3, 2009 at 10:58am

Hi Julie -

I can see where you are coming from. I started a UX team about a year ago and was a designer prior to that. I have also been looking at the certification but my company will not pay for it due to the cost. I was hoping the certification would give me that extra boost of confidence when making usability decisions while learning a few things along the way. I took an HCI course at Capella University and keep reading any material I can get my hands on. I feel the certification could give me that extra something when applying for jobs but I'm not sure if it will be beneficial in my current position. Considering the cost, I hope the benefit is worth it. I agree with the other and see the demand for this position is very high, but the key skill sets for usability in software are creativity and problem solving skills. I hope the certification touches on both of these for my sake. :)

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Permalink Reply by Girish Dhulekar on August 15, 2009 at 6:27am

Hi Roma,
Yeah I know the fee is much more in the US, actually one of my friends flew in from US to attend the course & give exam back-to-back since the entire tour expense and fee was much cheaper than the course out there.
Although you can give the exam directly, but to tell you frankly the knowledge you share during the course, the discussions, simulations and the whole network you make there is really great. Oh and the research papers keep changing every now and then, so they may/may not be too relevant since the trend may have changed by then.
Regards,
Girish

Roma said:

I am also in the same situation and m interested in some certification to add value to my resume. I live in San Jose, CA -- Bay area. HFI offers certication courses and exams that can cost upto $6k. One can give an exam directly and would cost $750. I was wondering if there is any course material available outside so I could give the exam without taking the course. Besides they do not even have an courses in San Jose. However, I think they have some coming up in denver, colorada..Check out http://www.humanfactors.com/training/certification.asp

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Permalink Reply by tsmessi on August 17, 2009 at 2:45am

Hello everyone. Nice to meet you all.


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Permalink Reply by Roma on August 17, 2009 at 1:33pm

Thanks Girish. I am going to India-Mumbai in Nov and m thinking i should take the 10 days course there.

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Permalink Reply by Girish Dhulekar on August 25, 2009 at 2:27pm

That's great.. so coming to the "City of Dreams" as they call it.
Nice place actually - if you are coming for the first time, try visit the Marine drive in the evening alongside the Gateway of India monument and the local chat shops (local spicy junk food).

Forgot to tell u something - the exam in India is for 3hrs instead of 2.5hrs elsewhere :)

Best of luck.
Girish


Roma said:

Thanks Girish. I am going to India-Mumbai in Nov and m thinking i should take the 10 days course there.

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Permalink Reply by varsha apte on August 31, 2009 at 10:33pm

Hello, Could somebody tell me how much 10 days HFI course cost in INDIA? Also is there any online training available?

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Permalink Reply by Roma on September 1, 2009 at 12:16am

Its not my first time. I am born & brought up in Amchi Mumbai...:). Just in the US since last 10 years. I may not be able to give the example though in India so need to figure out if that would work.



Girish Dhulekar said:

That's great.. so coming to the "City of Dreams" as they call it.
Nice place actually - if you are coming for the first time, try visit the Marine drive in the evening alongside the Gateway of India monument and the local chat shops (local spicy junk food).

Forgot to tell u something - the exam in India is for 3hrs instead of 2.5hrs elsewhere :)

Best of luck.
Girish


Roma said:

Thanks Girish. I am going to India-Mumbai in Nov and m thinking i should take the 10 days course there.

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Permalink Reply by Roma on September 1, 2009 at 12:17am

Varsha,
They have the prices on their website. Go to Asia section though

-Roma

varsha apte said:

Hello, Could somebody tell me how much 10 days HFI course cost in INDIA? Also is there any online training available?

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Permalink Reply by Julie A Ehlert on September 8, 2009 at 4:55pm

Hi Kris,

So are you going through the certification crash course? Or did you already go throught it? If so, how was it?

Julie

Kris Gensler said:

Hi Julie -

I can see where you are coming from. I started a UX team about a year ago and was a designer prior to that. I have also been looking at the certification but my company will not pay for it due to the cost. I was hoping the certification would give me that extra boost of confidence when making usability decisions while learning a few things along the way. I took an HCI course at Capella University and keep reading any material I can get my hands on. I feel the certification could give me that extra something when applying for jobs but I'm not sure if it will be beneficial in my current position. Considering the cost, I hope the benefit is worth it. I agree with the other and see the demand for this position is very high, but the key skill sets for usability in software are creativity and problem solving skills. I hope the certification touches on both of these for my sake. :)

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