There are my values.  What do I believe in?  What are my core values as a professional user experience expert?  These things do not (should not) change.  They aren’t in a specific order, but I will try to keep the more bigger things first.

Value #1: Integrity
This includes professional, personal and creative integrity.  This doesn’t mean that everything has to be perfect.  However, it means that you have to be able to sleep at night.  Don’t create a piece of software that you know will make user’s miserable.  Don’t throw a collegue under the bus or talk smack about them behind their back.  Don’t be one of those people on the news who gives themselves bonuses while the company goes bankrupt.  Maintain integrity.  Treat people right, including the people who end up using your products.

Value #2: Aspire for Greatness
If you are going to do something, do it great.  Aspire for more.  Reach for the stars.  You may end up settling for the moon, but at least you set your sights high. This can also be stated as No Guts, No Glory.  Get inspired.  Believe in yourself.  Together, we can do anything we want to.

The way I visualize this is called Flow.  I don’t want to just be adequate and comfortable.  I want to explore A4 things (see the chart).

Value #3: Loveable Systems
The kind of system I value is one that people love.  I don’t mean that they LIKE the system, like a friend.  I mean that they are head-over-heels IN-LOVE with the system. When people describe the system, they should use the word Love.  This is hard to do, but it’s worth the world.  It’s important to love the system internally too.  Love the architecture, Love the middle-ware, love the database schema.  Love everything you can.  You will enjoy your day more if you do.  Remember the phrase: Labour of Love.

Value #4: A sense of humor
I can’t imagine life without the funny, the irreverent, the ironical, the puns, the sub-references, the wry, the witty, the slapstick, the ridiculous and the silly.  What would life be without laughing?  Laugh when times are good and bad with equal aplomb.  Cultivate a good story.  Design your applications to have a sense of humor.  Don’t take things so seriously.  Have error messages that provoke a smile.  Do your part.  Laugh at the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.

Value #5: Transparency
I hate secrets.  I love transparency.  Sometimes this can be embarrassing or make you vulnerable to attack, but transparency is a good thing.  I value being public and open.  Let’s have a discussion about the real, and not spread rumors about secrets.  Whether government, pricing or product flaws, I believe that being public is a good policy and we should all do it.  Even if your competition is closed, I think it takes guts and vision to do the right thing.

Value #6: Coming soon
Values should evolve…and these will.