Takeaways from Jan Chipchase’s Field Research Masterclass
Advice
When you have the opportunity to add new methods to your UX research toolkit, grasp that opportunity with both hands!
Ben is part of Clearleft’s design research team. He digs deep into the needs of users and customers through user interviews and user testing, gaining empathy and domain insight. He then shares this empathy and context with the wider team in order to empower their design decisions for the benefit of our clients and their customers.
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Ben was first introduced to HTML during his fine art degree around 2002 but it was around 2006 when he got into the web seriously. He and a friend were producing a self-published zine but had run out of money and were looking of ways to keep it alive. Publishing it on the web seemed the natural progression. He started learning Flash but soon switched to HTML and CSS. They never published another issue but Ben learned a lot about the web.
The road to research
Ben spent many years practicing overlapping job roles as a UI designer, visual designer, front end developer, and interaction designer. Over this time he gained an appreciation for progressive enhancement and web performance, as well as user-centred design. Then he caught the research bug.
With such a wide-ranging background, Ben adds a balanced technical knowledge to his user research.
Away from the studio
Outside of work, Ben spends most of his time with his family in Lewes, going on bike rides, making Lego, cooking and eating. He’s currently teaching himself to make sushi, with mixed results.
Like many at Clearleft, he’s a keen mountain biker, taking full advantage of the South Downs right on our doorstep.
Recent articles by Benjamin
All in the mind
Advice
Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, affects more people than you’d think, including me. To try and face some of these fears head on, I recently attended a day-long workshop ran by our stand-in project manager Matthew Matheson. Here’s what I learned.
