What does User Experience Design have to do with Architecture?

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The fierce might of Chichen Itza’s Mayan pyramid, iconic arches of the Golden Gate Bridge, and enduring grandeur of Notre Dame are all testaments to the lasting power of humanity’s best architecture. They were created with superior materials, an eye to the future, and attention to detail (also, depending on who you ask, a little help from E.T.). For these reasons, they’ve stood the test of time and continue to inspire us with their presence.

User experience design (UX Design) is essentially what it sounds like—the art of creating a particular experience for the user of your service or product. Although it can technically encompass any part of a user experience from start to finish (delivery methods, packaging, aftercare), we most often associate the discipline with the development of interfaces for websites and applications.

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Learn From the Best: Most Inspiring CEOs To Follow on LinkedIn

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Richard Branson

Image via Wikimedia Commons

It’s Official: LinkedIn has emerged to claim its place as the better-dressed, networking-savvy big brother of all social media platforms. Although you may already appreciate the site for its infinite utility during a job search, there’s even more to be gleaned by following the influential and thought-provoking CEOs who come there to share their wisdom.

Although fewer than 1/3 of Top 500 CEOs use social media, according to Forbes, those that do are overwhelmingly active on LinkedIn. Even more telling, the site is actually more popular with CEOs than it is with the general public.

Here are a few picks to enlighten, inform, and entertain.  Continue reading

7 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn To Boost Your Personal Brand

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With more than 275 million users, including executives of nearly every Fortune 500 Company, LinkedIn has become a powerful tool for defining your personal brand, establishing credibility, and networking with business connections. Are you making the most out of your presence within this network?

Getting setup on the platform is just step one—below are seven ways to ensure you are putting your best foot forward on this essential platform. To dive deeper into this subject, watch “Use LinkedIn to Land a Job in Digital Marketing” by our Outcomes & Alumni manager, Katie Hudson.

1. Headshot

Think of your headshot as your first impression for your future employer. You may love that beach pic from your vacation in Maui, or that one shot of you and your squad at the bar—but (most) employers aren’t looking for a buddy to go out with, they are looking for a sharp and reliable worker. Make sure to use a clean, professional image of yourself (and just yourself) that comes off as friendly and polished, focusing on just your head and shoulders.

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Market Hack: How much do Web Developers earn in Sydney?

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When starting your career as a Web Developer, it’s difficult to know your value in the marketplace. One of the biggest questions we get is ‘How much do Web Developers earn in Sydney?’

Three Great Tools

The following tools allow you to hack the market for yourself and get a good idea of where you can be situated in a role:

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Market Hack: How much do Australian UX Designers earn?

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The interest in User Experience Design has sparked, and is growing so rapidly that now industries such as Travel and Hospitality are jumping on board. It’s a very exciting time for the UX Community, and it’s also an industry with fairly lucrative earning potential. We’re often asked how much do Australian UX Designers earn? So thought we’d give you the low down.

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7 Essential Skills for the Full Stack Product Person

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Meet Alex Cowan, entrepreneur (5x), intrapreneur (1x), author, and instructor at General Assembly. He’s also the author of ‘Starting a Tech Business’. When he’s not teaching at GA, he’s often found advising companies and posting instructional materials for innovators and instructions on alexandercowan.com.

I’m always pushing myself to be the best possible product person I can be, and these days I tend to earn a lot through my work as an instructor. My classes are on the interdisciplinary topics of product design and venture creation, so I get to work with business people wanting to understand the technical side and engineers wanting to learn the business side.

Often times, students from the business side are thinking of learning to code and students from the engineering side are thinking of going to get an MBA. While both might be advisable in certain situations, I’ve found that there are a few simple foundation skills that drive the interdisciplinary cooperation at the heart of so many successful projects:

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