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The Work I Love

March 5, 2011 by 5 Comments

The work I love is about helping companies who love their customers discover how to be better to them…not convincing them to care.

The work I love is about empowering customers to get the service they deserve…not trying to get them to buy into what they don’t really need.

The work I love is about understanding customers by listening to them…not implementing generic best practices based on my experiences with other companies.

The work I love is about identifying a company’s target audiences and optimizing the experience for them…not attempting to design a product meant for everyone that actually serves no one.

The work I love is about helping a company’s employees to thrive just as much as their customers…not improving the customer experience while ignoring organizational breakdowns.

The work I love is about conducting primary research and analyzing it to form a product strategy…not developing designs based on assumptions and predetermined business requirements.

The work I love is about equipping companies to do design thinking about produce great solutions over the long-term…not producing the work on my own for only short-term gain.

The work I love is about collaboration and iteration and shared learning…not documentation and deliverables for the appearance of formality.

The work I love is about having a process to give structure to a project when it’s needed and room for experimentation when it it’s needed…not just process for process sake.

The work I love is about the people I work with and the people we help…not the money I make for the company or the money I make for myself.

The work I love is about changing the world for the better…not trying to fit in, or appear glamorous, or taking down the competition just to win.

If this sounds like you or like the kind of person you want to work with, then I want to work with you. I’m always on the lookout for the right kind of projects. I only want to do the work I love.

Think you have something that would excite me? Please get in touch at whitney@whitneyhess.com.

“My heart is in the work.” — Andrew Carnegie

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About

Whitney Hess is a coach and writer helping product teams and senior leaders make better decisions through the principles of user experience. She believes empathy builds empires.

Follow @whitneyhess

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  • @lynneux

    Love this, all of it. I had a conversation last night about the type of work I want to do and why and so many of the points you make here came up. The least glamorous projects we take on often tend to be the most rewarding. I’d rather improve someone’s day-to-day at their job and have them go home happier than design a sexy ad for shoes. It’s hard to explain that to people sometimes. Great post, Whitney. Spot on.

  • poolley

    I love you dude!

  • @superdifficult

    This sums up everything I want to be doing in my job. What an excellent description of what UX work really should be about.

  • http://upallnightcreative.com Stephanie Kapera

    Hey Whitney,

    I know I’m a little late to the conversation here, but I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this post and have already shared it with a bunch of people. I am so glad I discovered your blog and can’t wait to learn more from you. I was telling my boyfriend about Vicarious Partners this morning on the way to work (I described it as a consultancy that helps businesses become more empathetic) and his reaction was, “Wow. That must be a really hard sell.” I have to say, I agree – how do you do it?

    Best,

    Steph Kapera

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