David Travis
UX Consultant
SPONSORED BY BCS: To certificate or not to certificate? That is the question
Certification within UX is a hotly debated topic. Does certification set a standard and encourage continual development for UX professionals? Does it give the UX rock stars of the future a “way in”? Or is UX an ever-shifting landscape that is impossible to test? Is experience and portfolio more important than tested learning could ever be?
This atypical session will give you the opportunity to engage in the debate and help shape what’s next for UX. In an introductory debate, we’ll open the floor for a facilitated discussion with BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. If you’re sold, you’ll have the chance to recap the Foundation Certificate in UX and sit the exam for free- taking away an accredited certification. And if you’re still not sold, why not take the test and speak from experience?
By the end of this session you will:
- Have heard both sides of the certification debate
- Be thinking about if and how certification can help you in your UX career
- Have sat the Foundation Certificate in UX and have a recognised qualification to prove your skills (subject to passing the exam, of course!)
We will be running the workshop as 3x 1hr sessions and welcome both sides to join the debate, even if you choose not to stay to sit the exam. Timings:
2.00-3.00: To certificate or not to certificate? That is the question.
3.00-4.15: Quick review of Foundation Certification syllabus
4.30-5.30: On-site exam: Foundation Certificate in User Experience
About David Travis
At 18, David appeared as an extra in the film “Quadrophenia" alongside Sting and Ray Winstone. Despite a critically-acclaimed performance lasting 5 seconds, follow-up offers from Hollywood failed to arrive so he turned to psychology where he gained a BSc and a PhD. Since 1989 David has worked in the fields of human factors, usability and user experience and has published two books on usability. He is the Managing Director of Userfocus, a consultancy specialising in user research. David has provided consulting and training support to top brands like HP, Microsoft, Whirlpool, Orange, Skype, eBay and Yahoo! and he has worked with public sector organisations like The Greater London Authority, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, Government Digital Services and the World Health Organization. He is no longer in contact with Sting or Ray Winstone, whose career trajectories have been somewhat different.