What has your UX Manager done for you, lately?

You may have entered the UX field indir­ectly, through mento­rship, or by studying peers who you admire. Addit­ionally, as you evolve as a UX pract­itioner, or look for new emplo­yment in the field, it is important that you seek an employer who meets your personal and profe­ssional needs. When you take an inter­view, remember that it isn’t a one-way inter­rogation, but the start of a profe­ssional relat­ionship. For it to work, you must feel that you are getting as much out of the relat­ionship as your future employer is getting from you. Further, if you are currently employed as a UX pract­itioner, it is reaso­nable to ask yourself if you are getting the most out of your manager. The following are profe­ssional and personal needs that you should expect your UX manager to fulfill, for you to evolve as a profe­ssional, and as a Creative human:  

Inspi­ration – Working in the Design field, day after day, requires a daily dose of inspi­ration. That inspi­ration may come from your work envir­onment, from your personal life, from books, your peers, etc. You should also expect to be inspired by your UX manager. How often do you seek inspi­ration from her? Does she impress you with her work, process, blogging, portf­olio, or leade­rship? Is she active in the profe­ssional commu­nity, or publi­shed? If you find yourself in a Creative rut, do you feel comfo­rtable walking into your manager’s office to brain­storm? And, do you feel like you can squeeze instant value out of that session? You should.  

Oppor­tunity – It should be evident to you, that your manager is gradually incre­asing the level of compl­exity of your work, or putting you into new, and poten­tially uncom­fortable, situa­tions. These situa­tions might involve putting you in front of clients, execu­tives, or giving prese­ntations. There is risk in doing so, but the goal is to give you oppor­tunities to grow, as well as scale the team’s leade­rship. If your manager isn’t exposing you to new situa­tions or oppor­tunities, it’s time to have a discu­ssion with her about “where this relat­ionship is heading.”  

Leadership – Ever find yourself in a difficult situa­tion, that you don’t know how to deal with? It may involve a team member, a client, a work issue, or a Creative problem? The ability to solve problems in the workplace is the mark of a good leader, and a good manager.

Skills – As an employee, your perfo­rmance and skills are always under evalu­ation. Your manager knows exactly where your strengths lie, within the User Centered Design process. Do you know what her strengths are? When was the last time she designed a study, analyzed UX research, conce­ptualized a strategy, or visua­lized one? Is she capable of producing innov­ative, intui­tive, or engaging inter­action design? Has she designed a mobile appli­cation or respo­nsive web exper­ience? It is vital that you believe in your UX manager as a pract­itioner as well as an admin­istrator. That’s the goal of mento­rship. Learn through obser­vation and inspi­ration.

The field of UX is extremely compe­titive. The pace of techn­ology is warp-­speed. You need to develop your skills. You should expect that your UX manager is one-step ahead of you, and willing to distr­ibute her knowl­edge. If you do not believe this to be true, then you are not getting the most out of her.