[Sigia-l] UI job requirements

[Michael Kay]

Common, yes. Smart, not always. Actually usability engineering first came 
from computer science programs, so having both those skills is not 
uncommon. However, now UI development is now seen more from the front end 
POV. The best programmer is not always the best usability engineer (or 
visual designer), and vice versa, but sometimes you can only afford just 
one person to do it.  It really depends on the project, what technologies 
they are locked into, and how big the team is. Hopefully, in cases like 
these, usability will be less of an afterthought, though it often is.

At 11:31 AM 2/2/2004, Jake Cressman wrote:
>Please read the following job requirements for a "Lead UI
>Developer/Interface Usability Designer" that I came across.
>
> > Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field (Masters
> > preferred)
> > 3-5 years hands-on Java (and related technology) programming
> > experience, developing user interfaces for enterprise software
> > Extensive familiarity with concepts and methodologies of User
> > Centered Design and Usability Science
> > General RDBMS (SQL, Oracle, other) knowledge with experience
> > designing database applications
> > Formal usability training or experience a plus
>
> > All candidates will be required to conduct a written Java skills
> > evaluation as part of the interviewing process.
>
>First of all, this is the first time I've heard of a UI Developer. That
>aside, do you think it's common to see heavy engineering/programming skills
>required in the UI job posts you've seen? I hope I'm not wrong, but in my
>experience, finding a programmer with expert UI skills would be like finding
>a unicorn.
>
>Am I alone here, or am I not the only one on this list without hands-on Java
>experience?


-----------------------------------------------
Michael Kay
Information Architecture - User Experience
Author, The Web Wizard's Guide to Flash - http://www.peep.org/wizard/