Thu, 18 Mar 2021
Say Gidday to Ian Dawkins - Our new Lead User Experience Specialist
The usability of a product or website is an intrinsic indicator as to the quality of the brand to which it belongs. While at a forensic level, it is very complex - at an holistic level UX might be broken broken down into three subsets:
LOOK. Credible. ‘I trust it’
FEEL. Interaction. ‘I get it’
FUNCTION. Intuitive. ‘I like to use it.’
I had a quick chat with Ian, our new UX guru and asked him to spill the tea on his background. Being British, he refused to spill the tea…
How long have you been working in your field?
“I’ve worked in the design industry for over 10 years.” I’ve never formally studied UX, I got in with design at a stage when digital was just getting warmed up and the industry has rapidly evolved since then.”
Whereabouts and for whom?
“Majority of my work has been at agencies in London. I’ve been working in New Zealand for about one and half years.” “I’ve been Creative Lead at small boutique agencies (10+ people) as well as larger organisations (150+ people).” “I’ve lead creative and digital strategy for clients including McDonalds, Chanel, Deutsche Bank, Tamaki Health and Te Puni Kokiri.”
What was the moment that you knew UX was your thing?
“I worked with a former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi on several projects, and that’s where I first gained a deeper appreciation of developing insight before attempting to design anything. Particularly around the audience that will be the end user of anything.”
What is it about yourself that connects you with UX?
“I’m very much a ’thinky’ type person and find the process of creating a foundation of insight that feeds design a satisfying one. I like to ask the question ‘why’…a lot. I believe things should be questioned, and that extends to my beliefs when it comes to design.”
In 100 words, why UX?
“I think User Experience Design (UX) is an important opportunity to explore, test and refine critical elements such as the website Information Architecture and how a user is actually interacting and navigating content. The result of a good UX process should be a validated blueprint to User Interface Design (UI). It should guide design and development and create a mutual vision among project stakeholders.” “It should also limit and weed out choices that are made on a whim or not based on rationale. This can help a project stay on course in terms of timelines and budget.”