Nielsen Norman Group studies

Study time

2019 I started to rehearse the old and learn new. I started the Nielsen Norman Group reserch-based UX certification (UXMC). 

The the field of tech and tech design is ever changing. It’s speed is mind-buggling and at times many professionals wonder how to keep in track of everyting. This is why keeping one’s skills up-to-date is crucial for the job.

The aim is to finish all studies related to N/Ng master certificate by the year 2022. The curriculum consists of design, research and management related courses.

Read the full story below

Shelf life of skills?

Some say that an averge shelf life of a skill in modern day work life is approximately 5 years. That sounds harsh and it is. Luckily not all skills fall due this fast, but the truth is, it’s vital to keep in track what happens in he field. 

One reason to take part in NNg training was the fast expring shelf life of many skills. Despite that fact I have a product design degree in the back pocket, I wanted to know what I knot know. Also 

Do I know what I don’t know?

Despite that fact I have a product design degree in the back pocket, I wanted to know what I knot know. When one goes through academic training for 3, 5 or more years and gathers work experience on top, there’s a great danger of falling to a trap of ‘knowing it all’. That trap can be self damaging and detrimental for team work. I’ve learned that usually the more you study, the more you know what you don’t know. This lessens the black and whit thinking, and having assumptions that you can’t back up with anything.  

The vocabulary matters

One reason for updating skills was the realization that in the business we might have team members and professionals who talk bout pretty much about the same thing, but different vocabularies. The different vocabularies can lead to misunderstaing and poor communication.

There are two different axes of vocabularies. First, there might be someone in a discussion that arrives from different diciplinary than you to the discission. People from tech, marketing, design or sales might might have slighly different ways of discussing things.

Then there’s another axis of verbalizing the same thing differently. The year you came out from school might effect how you have learned to discuss on professional matters. The thirdly, there’s language, in case one works in multinational working environment.

What used to be design management is now called design thinking. 

Why NNg

NNg certificate is an Extensive practitioner training in UX Master Certification, with specialty Credits in Interaction design and UX management. I managed to pass the UX master exams 2019 and I’m planning tho pass the needed exams on master level in the end of 2021. 

What’s good in NNg practitioner certificate is that it has three speciality lines (Interaction design, Research and UX management) and one can pick and mix the cources one feels are advantegous for one’s career.