What’s the best way to recruit great UI/UX designers to an enterprise software startup?


Enterprise is quite simply where great Interaction Design happens. Most junior level ux professionals, with the help of a couple decent pattern libraries, can crank out your average web 2.0 application in short order, look good, and never burn more than a few brain cells - it just isn't that hard, and most are me-too applications anyway.

Enterprise is different. Enterprise apps, especially large scale, important, collaborative and conversational apps require a unique and deep understanding of user-centered design, design research, business domain expertise, contextual inquiry expertise, political prowess, business strategy expertise - all on top of basic design skills like problem space definition, exploration, abductive reasoning, prototyping and usability testing.

Some might say that consumer application ux design is where *it's at* because the median iq/domain expertise for your average (is there such a thing?) user is considerably lower and therefore requires a stricter discipline to make things elegant, understandable, engaging, and persuasive (in the BJ Fogg sense of the word). I would say the assumption is false, and further it's just as important in enterprise application design.

I don't know if I accept your premise that enterprise is where designers tend to shy away - if this is true - it might simply be because it's harder. Most of the problems involve really complex business rules, large amounts of corporate value resting on the success (as opposed to venture vending that cares a lot less, since they are simply looking for a 10x - 100x from 1 of the 15 companies they invested in within the exact same problem space.)

Am I biased? Not really - I spent years inside 2 large enterprises doing knowledge management (groupware) design and risk modeling software design. I also spent plenty of time designing consumer applications and experiences. Both worlds carry their own challenges and opportunities - but because most enterprise software is accomplishing complex business objectives instead of the "It's twitter for ER Nurses" or "It's Tungle.me for gangstas," - and because many consumer apps are frankly easier - they will always attract the low-hanging ux designers looking for an easy job and the promise of fame, glory, drug addiction and hookers.

Okay - so back to the initial question. "How do you recruit great ux/ixd into an enterprise"

1. Focus on the design challenges and the opportunities to engage  in a number of different ux related activities, methods, and processes to hone their skills.
2. Differentiate Start-up life from Enterprise life: sometimes, start-ups are so lean, they have little to no budget to do the following:
  • User research
  • Mental Models
  • Mood Maps
  • Stakeholder Interviews
  • Design Studios
  • Sketching and Critique
  • Iterative Prototyping
  • Usability testing - both formal lab testing as well as remote.
  • Analytics (also because, if they are launching a completely new thing, there are no analytics from which to glean insights to feed back into the design process).

Theoretically, enterprises should have the cash flow from operations to support all the various elements of human centered design as well as other important aspects like:
3. High probability that your check will clear;
4. Formal review process; well-designed career path with goal setting and "visioning your future" as well as moneys for education and training including attendance to relevant conferences. (This may have been curtailed during the recent economic downturn, but it actually provides an opportunity to treat career paths and learning as a unique problem requiring innovative solutions - so for instance internal book clubs across team functions. I recently joined one where people from a couple of different teams are coming together to collaboratively read and discuss behavioral economics, persuasive technology, and influence.
5. Start-ups are often stressful - they can be fun, energizing, amazing experiences, but they are also fraught with stress, anxiety, and long, long hours. Having worked on a number of start-ups, this is more the rule than exception. Clearly articulate the work-life balance to them to potential designers interested in an opportunity in your enterprise.
6. Opportunity to learn from top-notch talent that has been around the block a few times. Many start-ups barely have moneys for more than a single UX designer, and they are looking for that unicorn that can do solid ux, visual design, and front end coding because their budgets are tight. Enterprise organizations are more likely to have at least a few, if not an entire team of ux talent across some of the many sub-disciplines like user research, content strategy, seo, ia, ixd, and usability testing - these people will be on the team providing many learning opportunities to expand skill sets.

If your enterprise doesn't have those things - you can always simply pay more. It's a relatively free marketplace in the US meaning - sell all those great aspects of your company, and if you don't have those things, pay 30% more than the going market rate for similarly skilled ux professional. Start-ups are cash lean, and intentionally offer lower than market salaries combined with options granted that are, for the most part, paper - and should be treated as such. The probability that your 100,000 shares at a $0.001/per or 0.05% of the company shares will ever be worth more than it's equivalent weight in toilet paper is less than 1%.

Just my opinion. YMMV

See Questions On Quora