Hi, I’m Helen and I’m a UX consultant and user researcher at BJSS. I work within cross-functional teams in both private and government organisations to research and build digital products and services.
I came to UX many years ago, having come from a visual design background. To me, good design is infinitely more than what it looks like. Working as a user researcher enables me to focus on user needs to help create effective designs that directly impact our users’ lives.
I’m a big advocate of inclusion; both through inclusive design practices and inclusivity in the tech industry by organising [Tech Nottingham] (https://www.technottingham.com/#your-tech-community) and Women in Tech Nottingham.
As creators of products and services, we’re pretty good at thinking we’ve got it all sussed. We map user journeys, we create roadmaps, we write user stories. We know what we want people to do; what actions we want them to take. But do we really know who these people are? Do we really know what they need? Do we take the time to find out, or are we building products and services based on our own assumptions and biases?
As technologists, we have the power to massively hinder or improve lives; not those of ‘users’ but of people. This talk looks at what it means to be digitally excluded and showcases how user research and empathy sessions can lead to a greater understanding of digital inclusion for digital teams.
| Whose Design is it Anyway? | New Adventures 2019 | January 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| The Dangers Of Digital Exclusion | Tech Nottingham | September 2018 |
| User research your team will actually give a sh!t about | Tech on Toast | March 2018 |
| Everyone's a user | NUX Manchester | February 2018 |
for free. You
can too.
