What is this thing we call UX?

Posted Dec 17 2008 9:51 AM by the JobsBloggers

By Angela McLaughlin

Now that I have arrived on JobsBlog, I’m going to dig right in and start showcasing some of the interesting positions that I’ve come across at the company.  It’s fun for me to get and share the inside scoop about jobs you may have never known about or thought about, so I’m going to introduce you to some of our new employees who have cool jobs and who can help with some questions you might have regarding the interview process, etc… What better way to find out than first-hand from someone who has recently been THROUGH the process?

So, let’s get this started…meet Frank Bisono.  

Frank is a seasoned blogger (check out his blog, www.bisonium.com) and a new User Experience (UX) Designer in the Management and Administration eXperience (MAX) team.  He finally joined the Microsoft ranks in November 2006, but he and I go WAY back.  OK – at least back to Spring 2006!  And if anyone could give you great perspective of the candidate experience, it would be Frank.  He indeed has seen it from all angles.

I originally contacted Frank in Spring 06 when I came up against my first ‘UX’ position.  I had heard terms thrown around previous to this such as ‘Usability’, “UE”, etc… but hadn’t had the opportunity to really focus on positions that were totally driven by the user’s experience with products/applications. 

User Experience is something I was able to get passionate about very quickly.  I remember my first call to Frank, introducing myself on the phone and letting him know that I was representing Microsoft and that we were interested in speaking with him.  He thought my call to him was a joke that one of his friends put me up to it because he considered himself an ‘Apple’ guy.  Getting to know Frank has been quite the ‘experience’ and I'm happy to say that I played a part in changing an “Apple Guy’s” impression of Microsoft. 

So, heeeeeeeeeeere’s Frank!

[Frank]
"Wow, so is this for real?  Am I really here?" < me looks at my blue badge to confirm…yep, I drank the Kool-Aid. />

FrankAngela wasn’t kidding when she said I thought it was a joke.  I actually had to ask her if she really READ my resume.  I just couldn’t imagine why on earth the Borg was calling when I had Apple stuff plastered all over my resume.  It was real…VERY real…and that began a journey which has turned into the most exciting year of my career. 

The first thing I will say is that Microsoft is NOT what some people think it is.  I had some very strong opinions about this place and to be honest, just never imagined that I would work here.  As I went through the process with Angela, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I gave her a chance and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Seattle, WA.  It wasn’t until I went through a “loop” (an official interview cycle) here that I realized just how wrong I was about Microsoft.

My first impression was literally a “WOW” moment.  I just couldn’t believe how BIG this place is.  We have over 40,000 people just in the Puget Sound area alone. 

When I finally started my interview process, I was really amazed at not only how smart everyone was around these parts, but how nice everyone was.  I figured it was all smoke and mirrors until you got “in”, but five months later, I still hold the same opinion. 

The Seattle area is absolutely incredible; I don’t think I’d want to live anywhere else.  This is truly an AWESOME place to work.  Make no mistake, things are not peachy perfect everywhere, but show me one company that is. 

The problems here are the same that any company of this size would have, and I would argue we have fewer issues than most of those companies.  And for me, that’s something I can live with given the multitude of other reasons for working here. 

This is the only place I know where you have unlimited resources to just about any kind of technology that runs on a computer…and for you Mac folks out there, yes – that means Mac’s too!  We have plenty of them and we make more software for the Mac than anyone other than Apple itself.  It’s not uncommon to see Mac desktops and notebooks around campus.  You can be a Mac geek and work here, it’s perfectly cool.

So Angela mentioned this ‘UX thing’.  Some of you are asking what exactly IS UX?  As Angela pointed out, around these parts UX means User Experience.  Some other companies call it UE.  It’s all the same.  I am specifically a UX Designer, which is also known as an Interaction Designer. 

UX jobs fall under Software Engineering and as such, I work closely with a combination of User Researchers, Program Managers, Product Managers and Developers to drive the interaction design process for new and existing applications from initial concept through engineering implementation.  Fancy talk for “I figure out how you get from A to Z when using an application so that it makes sense and you don’t pull your hair out trying to use our program.”

That also involves doing some design work and making it look good.  We take the feedback and research we gather from our users to make sure we give the users what they want and what they need to accomplish their job and enjoy using our products while doing that job.  All-in-all, I’d say it’s one of the best jobs at Microsoft. 

You can learn more about what people like me do at MS by checking out http://www.microsoft.com/design which let’s me show you instead of tell you.  You could also take a peek at our Expression suite of products which are designed for…designers!  *smile*  

If you’re thinking about applying, or are just curious about MS, I highly encourage you to explore the opportunities available here…there are tons of great things to be done.

If I have one bit of advice for you potential recruits, it’s this: be passionate, be persistent, and be patient.  You might have the chance to interview and find that you don’t get the job.  DO NOT get discouraged.  Things are changing here constantly and sometimes you miss an opportunity due to reasons beyond your or anyone else’s control.  There’s these things called “Re-Orgs” which can really throw a wrench into your plans, but if it’s meant to happen, you WILL get here. 

Trust me on this one…I speak from experience. *smile*  If you truly are a fit for the company, your recruiter will make sure they find a place for you where your talents will shine.  Feel free to ping away with any questions…good luck!

18 Comments

  • Mariano said:

    Hello Angela and Frank!

       Could you tell me what a good candidate for user experience designer would have on her or his resume? I know what is expected from a SDE, SDET or PM position candidate (I am a recent international hire SDE), but I know people that would be interested to applying for an entry-level graphic design position...

  • aperson said:

    Hi,

    I am an indian citizen and a second year student at singapre management university.

    I would love to intern at Microsoft (IDC or Singapore).

    Is it too late for this summer?

    to whom should i send me resume?

    thanks!

  • Angela said:

    aperson!

    Thanks for taking time to send a great question.  I am not sure if there is a cut off date on interns but if you want to send your resume to msdjobs@microsoft.com I will make sure it gets to the right person for consideration and clarification :-)

  • Barry Crouch said:

    I can tell you from personal experience that Frank is all this and more. Frank is a long time friend and when he told me that the 'Borg' as we jokingly called Microsoft back then had called him I thought he was pulling my leg.

    I remember the excitement and frustration that he experienced as he went through the interviewing process. However, as Frank stated, be patient, be passionate, and you too can be assimilated.

    Frank absolutely loves working for Microsoft and has said on many occasions that he has found a home.

    My resume is on the way...

  • Angela said:

    Mariano,

    Each group is going to be looking for different things depending on what kind of User Experience they are working on and what products or services their group is involved with.  When I am looking for people in this area I look for things like studies in Human Factors, Psych with some kind of technology focus.  (More and more Universities and Colleges are offering courses and degrees specicially focused on these areas).

    Graphic Designers and Industrial Designers can sometimes translate their work into the types of design we need.  There is no one set formula.  I think being creative, thoughtful, critical and passionate about your users is the basis for success!  

    Understanding how important Usability and Research is in the process is also a big plus!  Many of the people I talk to that have had some exposure to User Experience but have not had the opportunity to work in a robust UX environment.  Some of these people are the only champions of the user experience in their company and are up against so many obstacles such as losing budget to perform these very important pieces of the development process.  

    This field is going to continue to grow and be critical to the success of any company that is building  technology used by a customer (everybody right?)!  I encourage anyone who is interested to start doing the research and find out how great this discipline can be!

    And Frank and I are always here for questions.  I think Frank could probably add to the 'what we look for' list.

  • elmo said:

    I know you can't talk about salary figures specificly, but maybe you can answer this for me. Are UX people in the same salary range as SDETS, SDE and PMs? Or since they are not doing as much technical work, is the payscale lower?

    elmo

  • Angela said:

    Elmo,

    Employees are leveled on the same scale.  An SDET, SDE, PM, UX - whether junior, intermediate or senior level - all on the same scale - just depends on your level of experience in your specific field of expertise.

  • Frank Bisono said:

    Mariano,

    As far as what would be good to have on your resume, it really just depends (how's that for clarity?). *smile*  Every group has their own unique challenges. When looking for a designer, just because you have loads of experience, it doesn't mean that your particular experience will translate well into the product.  I was fortunate enough to have both a design background as well as a heavy technical background in the IT Pro market.  My group designs products specifically for the IT Pro market, so it was a natural fit.

    One thing I would also like to point out is that graphic design does NOT equate to User Experience Design.  Graphic Design is really more the traditional print media type of design, where as the UX (or Interaction/Product) design is concentrated in more web-based and software design.  These are areas where the "User Experience" is a key part of the success of the product.  This is a huge difference and just having a degree in design will not necessarily open the door to a career in this field.  We do get into the visual design throughout the process, but the "fit and finish" isn't something we focus on until we get the rest of the product 'right'.  This is why Angela mentioned degrees in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology being common in this type of work.  You need to understand how the human mind thinks and why it is important to design certain features in a way that are natural and work with a users mental model.

    I would say that the single most important thing to landing a job in this field is actually not even your resume.  The resume is just a quick way to screen for keywords and see if you have the background.  One of the things that are unique to a design career at Microsoft is that in addition to the normal loop that everyone goes through, designers have an added level of going through a portfolio review and practical design excercise.  Your portfolio will speak louder than anything on your resume and it is the fundamental basis on which the team will make their initial observations during your interview day.  If your portfolio is not rock-solid and TIGHT, it can make the rest of the process much more difficult.  Make sure you present a variety of work and be able to speak intelligently and justify how and why you made the creative decisions for each particular project.  Showing that you thought about the usability issues, had a design process and used some a methodoligy to achieve your design goals are key critical areas to focus on.

    I hope this helps any of you thinking about a career in design at Microsoft.  It's definitely not an easy process to get here. But once you do, I guarantee you will love this job and it will be one of the most challenging yet rewarding careers you could ask for.

  • hiro said:

    I am interested in interning at Microsoft.. but looking at the recent H1B visa situation, I am not sure if it is worth it. I already have a friend (indian) who has been waiting for 8 months for his h1b.. and now is in the lottery.. so not sure if he will get it this time either..

    What is MS doing in cases like his? are you still even hiring internationally?

  • Eric Doty said:

    The UX department sounds like a very interesting job.  I would think that it probably is one of the most important parts of the overall product.  Programmers and the initial designers are great, but a lot of the times they fail to realize how the average user will react to the program.  The end-user doesn't know what's going on being that glorious GUI, so they either respond naturally to an interface or stare blankly at their screen.  That's where the UX designer/programmer steps in and tries to look at it from every possible angle and make it accessible to both "power users" and those who just unboxed their first PC.  Congrats to Frank on such an amazing job.  It sounds like he is very much enjoying it.

    I plan on moving to Seattle as soon as I graduate.  I have heard nothing but good things about the area and working for Microsoft.  Hopefully, I'll get that call from a recruiter as I love the wonderful attitude that seems to pour out of every MS employee.

  • Angela said:

    hiro,

    Microsoft is ALWAYS hiring somewhere.  I think you need to decide if working at Microsoft is something you really want to do.  If it is - NOTHING should stand in your way from trying

    :-)  

    The H1B cap / lottery is indeed frustrating for many people.  I truly believe there are many people trying to make changes - request changes to this process and the total numbers.  I am hopeful that somewhere down the line this process will be less painful for people eager to work in the US.

  • Angela said:

    Eric Doty.

    YOU sound like you were born to do UX work!  You totally get it!

    When do you graduate?  I would love to be the recruiter that helps you find your way to the right people in your quest to become MS Employee :-)

  • Eric Doty said:

    I am done with college on May 10th.  I have applied to a few positions on Microsoft Careers, but I haven't heard anything back.  I have the right attitude and mindset, but unfortunately I fear that I am missing a little bit of experience "here and there" because I am only just graduating.  My email is dotyer@gmail.com, but I am sending you an email through the jobsblog email address as a follow-up to this.  Thank you.

  • SaaaadPanda said:

    Aah! I just turned down a Microsoft SDET offer to go to grad school to continue doing HCI/User Interfaces/Data visualization research. The decision was easy since the team and work, although tangentially related to UX, didn't fit my passion for user-centric design.

    Please, please educate more recruiters about this area. My recruiter, as nice as she was, didn't know what HCI was, which is a bit discouraging. If I'd been offered for a position similar to Frank's, I'd at least have given it a lot more thought. I KNOW these positions are there at msft but they seem inaccessible when recruiters only seem to know about core tech jobs...

  • Angela said:

    SaaaadPanda,

    Last year at this time - I barely new what HCI was!  Frank and I will certainly work on helping educate as many people as possible.

    In all fairness - this is a relatively new field.  Very few companies seem to actually be focusing on User Experience.  Even fewer are willingly spending money on this very important piece of the development process.

    I sure hope you keep me in mind when you get that grad degree and are ready to hit the UX Career Path!  I have Research positions OPEN! :-)

    And keep on the lookout for Frank and Me doing the UX Top X (ten).  Yes!  The Top 10 important things to have on a UX Resume!

  • Eric Doty said:

    I sat down with about ten of my professors this week and just discussed what was going on with our lives.  It is nice knowing that I am graduating and can now have that very comfortable feeling that they are not grading me. :-)

    Anyways, I was discussing with one of my professors about my research and Senior Project about how the total PC experience, software AND hardware, must be very intuitive for people to use and maintain themselves.  I also mentioned UX and how I'd like to do work with that once I get my foot in the door in the industry.  She mentioned HCI and the research that some of these bigger universities are doing.  Honestly, I was blown away.  This is something I am very passionate about (okay, obsessed), but I did not know that there were degrees that focused solely on the whole experience/topic.

    What is the best entry level position out there for someone that is enthusiastic about such ideas?  I really want to get into something like this, but I assume there is a natural ladder you must work up through to be able to research this cutting edge technology.  My last day on campus is May 7th and I am still looking for an opportunity that will take advantage of my inquisitive and very geeky nature.  Could someone please let me know of what entry or mid-level positions would be suitable for starting a career in UX (creating or testing).  My email is dotyer@gmail.com.

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