Website updates 18/20/2020
Hey folks looking at the work here! I’m updating to a new WordPress theme because the current one is very, very old! This should be complete by 22/11/2020. -Eriol
articles
The State of Responsible IoT 2019 report
A simple illustrated image of a person running through an open door with the words ‘The State of Responsible IoT 2019 in the background. After speaking at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Spring 2019 they invited me to participate in a publication about the state of responsible technology looking at surveillance capitalism and specifically, the ...
2019 in conferences and workshops
Eriol at Birmingham Design festival speaking on ‘Design for Crisis’ I’ve been tremendously privileged to tour several talks across the UK, Europe, Canada, North America, Asia and Africa ( I’m looking at you next South America, Oceania & Australia!). My most widely known and requested talk is ‘Diverse representations in design and awkward conversations with ...
Conducting research in the emergency services and disaster response sector — Exercising empathy and understanding in context.
Part 1 of 2 articles covering design research in crisis/disaster response and emergency services. Nailsea Fire station community demo day. The fire and paramedic team attend to a simulated traffic incident. Guerilla Research There’s a term in UX research called ‘Guerilla Research’ or ‘Guerilla Usertesting’ which many may be familiar with. This is, essentially when ...
Can experiencing and understanding abuse and trauma make me a good user experience designer?
Close up photo of blue butterflies in a museum exhibition case. The pins either side of their small bodies barely visible. Trigger warnings: This article will reference some personal stories of emotional and physical abuse. Are the abused, to whom it is second nature to subdue or even deny their own existence, the ones who ...
Revisiting: ‘In-house design is not a dirty word’
I’ve spoken about in-house design publicly three times, at three events at quite different time in my life/career. The first was at Reasons to be Creative conference in Brighton as one of the elevator pitchers. The second was the same talk, extended into 20 minutes and given at Design Stuff Cardiff (This talk uses my old birth name not my chosen name) ...
Things I am strongly opinionated on: How to interview Designers
I’ve had approximately 16 interviews in my chosen field. I’ve interviewed around 20 or so graduates and juniors for various roles I’ve managed or been connected with. These experiences have left me with strong feelings on what a design related interview should entail whether I’m giving them, or going to them. The best interview I’ll ...
SheNomads book club and book review: The Confidence Code
So last year in a bid to find like-minded online communities of people to talk to and connect with i found the SheNomads community. I Joined their slack channel and it’s been a consistent source of support and encouragement for me in so many ways. One of those ways was the amazing book club! I ...
What makes a good In-house design team – Tips #6 to #10
Hi all, this is the second part of my 10 key points from my years in the in-house design field that can apply to teams and those that manage or work with them. #6 – To not feel threatened when stakeholders engage with external agencies There are times when going to external agencies just makes ...
What makes a good In-house design team – Tips #1 to #5
Most of my design career has been spent in-house, and by in-house I mean working as the sole designer or with a team of designers and digital professionals, in an environment where the key product is not primarily a creative one. My experiences have varied from: Custom Printed Merchandise, Electronic Smart-Meters, Insurance, Financial liability/Diligence Software ...
Relocating for a new job: An exercise in your ability to predict the future.
I recently left my job at Confused.com of which I had been there for 3 years and 8 months. I was looking for a new job for around 4 months prior to me leaving. There are many reasons I wanted to leave Confused.com and equally many reasons I really didn’t want to leave, but this ...
3 (more) things UX designers don’t want to hear
“This will only ever be used on desktop, our users will never use mobile/tablet/unknown future device.” Things change. Technology advances. Society adapts and adopts complimentary behaviour. All of this is short spaces of time. Over the last 10 years laptops have become lighter, tablets and smart phones have become common place and ever more powerful. ...
3 things a UX designer does not want to hear
I’ve been working in design for around 8 years now and that’s by no means as long a service record as most but i like to think i’ll have nice little tid-bits of info here and there. Here are 3 things that break my heart when i hear clients say. “Our users already know that ...
