What are the company values at UX Connections?

Rebecca Scott, UX Consultant, UX Connections
@uxconnections

In this article we highlight what we stand for as an organisation

At UX Connections we have a strong set of company values that we all stand for. As an agency we have a shared outlook on these values and we aim to actively champion them internally and when working in client organisations. These values help us to foster a sense of community and mean that we all are working towards a shared vision.

“At UX Connections value has never been determined by an individual’s background or numbers of years experience; being part of a group of like-minded people, where everyone is treated as an equal, has created a positive and welcoming culture that encourages collaboration.” Lauren Nicholson, UX Consultant

They are ingrained in our company culture and determine our approach to various activities such as: hiring, project discussions, company trips to conferences, birthday initiatives, the projects we pitch for, our organisation structure, our bonus scheme and much more. 

Our goal is to be a fair, inclusive, creative community of individuals who want to do the best UX/UI work we possibly can. We also want to contribute to positive societal shifts and make a difference through our research and design work.

Please find our 6 core values below:

• Inclusivity – we are an inclusive, diverse team and actively advocate the importance of racial and gender equality. We go to lengths to support and strengthen under-represented groups such as women in tech. 
• Potential Building – we usually hire digital natives and believe in their ability to do really great, creative work for our clients. We champion the voices of young people in the workplace and hope to challenge ageist assumptions. 
• Equality – we have a horizontal company structure and value the different attributes of all individuals equally. 
• People First – people exist at the heart of the UX Connections Enterprise, employee wellbeing is incredibly important at our company.   
• Openness – we have a culture of openness. This applies to different ideas, opportunities and people. We believe in respecting others and being flexible when it comes to the varying nature of project work.
• Positive Impact – we are building our expertise to work on projects which have a positive impact on society and are working to grow our healthcare and environmental technology sector experience.

We actively make an effort to strengthen these values.  One example of these efforts is the way our company biannually attends tech conferences abroad – in order to learn about the latest societal trends and technology; last year we went to SXSW festival as a team. Through attending conferences we learn about tech for change, improve our sense of wellbeing, develop our individual knowledge bases and become more open to new ideas.

In the past we have encountered situations where our values have been challenged, for example gender related inequality in male dominated work environments (without going into too much detail).  However, we always aim to respond to these situations in a way that aligns with our values e.g. we won’t take a project if we sense any kind of gender discrimination in initial meetings. 

“There is a great sense of gender equality within the company at UX Connections and when I have encountered attitudes which differ to this, the company has always been incredibly supportive.” Hayley Charlton, UX Consultant

When we engage with clients, we see ourselves as forming a partnership so we aim to work with organisations that share our values too. We believe young people, from diverse walks of life, have real value to bring to the workplace. 

For more information please go to our about us page.