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Usability Engineer

What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Information Technology cluster Programming and Software Development pathway.

Insider Info

Additional Information

This is a relatively new job, so people come to be usability engineers from a variety of backgrounds. Usability engineers' degrees vary and include computer science, marketing, psychology (cognitive, experimental or organizational), technical communication, human factors and ergonomics.

A lot of training in usability takes place on the job. However, there are programs throughout North America that offer studies specific to usability engineering. Programs are often at the graduate level. They concentrate in areas such as human-computer interaction, software ergonomics, technology and social behavior, and human factors.

In 2014, the Usability Professionals' Association did a survey of 1,355 usability professionals. Most had a master's degree (53 percent). Thirty-three percent held a bachelor's degree, seven percent had a PhD.

"You don't necessarily have to plonk down the big bucks to get into this field," says Susan Reale. She is a qualitative and usability research consultant with her own company REALeResearch. For example, she says someone with a background in sociology or psychology and strong interviewing skills could get a job with a company's usability department and gain experience on the job.

Reale found her way to usability through experience, not education. She has a bachelor of arts in broadcast and electronic communication arts. However, she has noticed more and more job listings seeking candidates with human factors and related studies.

John Hossack agrees that at the end of the day, nothing is better than experience. He is a vice-president of usability and business development.

Experience aside, he has noticed that master's degrees are becoming the norm in the business world. He predicts that in 15 years, PhDs will become the norm.

For those interested in careers in usability, Hossack recommends getting two majors during one's undergraduate degree, such as psychology and geology.

"That will allow you to be a usability person in the mining industry. Split it up and it allows you to be general or specific and go in a bunch of different directions."

Contact

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  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

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