A designer, writer and speaker based in Belfast, Christopher has founded a number of successful digital startups. As a User Experience (UX) consultant he has worked with companies, large and small, to help drive strategy, drawing on his 25+ years of experience working with clients including: The Royal Mail, Booking.com and the BBC.
Christopher writes about the design of business and the business of design at Tiny Books and leads Interaction Design provision at Belfast School of Art.
What does it take to be a great UX leader? Well, not only do you need to provide clear guidance, but also empower different individuals in your team. A UX leader needs to encompass a wide range of skills. In his final article in this series on user experience design, Christopher Murphy will explore the different characteristics of an effective UX leader, and provide some practical advice about growing into a leadership role.
Read more…
As the spotlight has focused on the potential of design to transform businesses, we’ve seen a growing need for designers across a wider range of specializations. The number and types of roles have increased and, as UX continues to become a sought-after business differentiator, these roles will continue to diversify. What do you look out for when hiring team members? In this article, Christopher Murphy outlines how to go about building a UX team, which attributes to look out for when hiring, and he will suggest some avenues you can explore to find team members.
Read more…
Whether you’re building a website or an application, at heart you are designing for users and, as such, it’s important to consider these users at the center of a customer-focused ecosystem. It’s important to consider UX strategy in a holistic manner. Over the last few years, we have seen designers move up the chain of command and, thankfully, we are starting to see designers occupy senior roles within organizations. In this article, Christopher Murphy explains how design impacts beyond the world of screens as part of a wider strategy.
Read more…
So you think you’ve designed something that’s perfect, but your test tells you otherwise. In this article, Christopher Murphy will be focusing on usability testing, where he evaluates the design decisions made against a representative set of users to test if his assumptions are correct. User testing should be happening at every point in the process as an integral part of an iterative design process. With that thought in mind, it’s important to establish a structured framework for user testing throughout the design process. let’s explore the importance of user testing.
Read more…
The best design follows an iterative process. The earlier in the process you can identify and fix problems, the easier and the less expensive it is. This is where prototyping comes in. Techniques such as wireframing and prototyping have transformed how user experience designers work nowadays. In this article, Christopher Murphy will take a closer look at the benefits and the process.
Read more…
(This article is kindly sponsored by Adobe.) When designing your user interface, it helps to have a system in place. Spend some time to establish a considered design system. Not only does this ensure that your design is consistent, but it also helps keep your team on the same page and provides any freelancers working on the project with all the guidance they need in one central location. With this guide, Christopher Murphy will help you find a solid UI approach that will stand the test of time by exploring how we design interfaces that are consistent and scalable.
Read more…
Designers tend to get lost in the details until they have everything mapped out. This is not recommended, as the design process is an iterative one. By establishing a high-level process to kick off the design phase of your projects you can work more efficiently to get a clear framework in place. Focus on establishing a clear design direction, and some clear user goals, before getting into the details. In this guide, Christopher Murphy will help you stay on track.
Read more…
User research should be a core part of every designer’s activity. There are a number of research methods that can help designers to both design new products and, as will often be the case, redesign existing products. In this article, Christopher Murphy will take a closer look at the importance of undertaking user research.
Read more…
In an ever-changing discipline, it can be hard to keep abreast of everything as a user experience designer. It’s a challenge! An understanding of core design principles, however, will stand the test of time and serve you well throughout your career. In this article, the second in a series of ten sponsored by Adobe XD, Christopher Murphy provides an overview of universal principles of UX design, ensuring your skillset is built on firm foundations.
Read more…
(This series of articles is kindly supported by Adobe.) User Experience (UX) is evolving rapidly, and as designers, we need to ensure our knowledge keeps pace with the changes. This article, the first in a series of ten sponsored by Adobe XD, gets the ball rolling, exploring how UX is evolving.
Read more…
Mental health is just an illness, like any other. When we talk about mental health, we do so in hushed terms. it shouldn’t be a stigma. If more of us address it, openly, we’ll be able to address some of the problems we face collectively. Mental health is an issue. It affects our industry, in particular and confronting it head on is important. We need to talk about mental health more openly, and Christopher Murphy is happy to be one of a growing number of people in the industry who are helping to bring this subject out into the open, where it should be.
Read more…
