Kauser Jahan’s Journey from UX Vision to Vanguard
Currently leading UX and CX initiatives at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Kauser Jahan’s journey in the world of user experience (UX) is a remarkable tale of resilience and passion. From a young age, her hands crafted more than just art. They shaped dreams of a fulfilling future, where not only she reached great heights but also empowered others to achieve.
Hailing from Karachi, with a natural flair in painting, stitching and craft making, Kauser was a creative soul yearning to break boundaries. However, her path wasn’t laid out in bright colors. Shaped by challenges, but also a deep, unshakable desire to pursue her calling, she defied all odds that encouraged her to pursue a career in medicine. She instead followed her heart towards Engineering, specializing in Computer Science, as a topper. Driven by a desire to embrace a more creative, human-centered field, she ventured into web design and programming, a gateway to endless possibilities that kept her creative spark alive.
Before the dotcom boom, when UX was not yet a recognized field, she embarked on an uncharted territory of design and experience, navigating net cafes, browsing library racks, and relying on tools like Macromedia Flash CDs and Lynda.com to fuel her learning. Fortunately, her dedication didn’t go unnoticed. A teacher recognized her potential and encouraged her to pursue design as a career. That support, combined with her determination, led to freelance projects, internships, and eventually full-time roles in the US and Australia.
Breakthroughs and Beginnings
Kauser fondly recalls dreaming of working in organizations that valued redefining design and user interactions. On a trip to Dubai, she admired the towering Emirates Airlines Headquarters, wondering,“Who are these lucky people who work here?”. A few days later, she became a part of the same Airline giant in Dubai with her distinctive body of work in the field of design. This juncture in her career trajectory led to her metamorphosis, from a designer of interfaces to a user experience specialist when she came to know of HFI Training through her mentor.
Kauser states, “We always thought Design was just about Graphic design”, until a learning opportunity came in the form of HFI Training’s session led by Dr.Eric Schaffer, for Emirates Airlines. The session changed her overall perspective of design, as she mentions, “We realized that everything is design, not just web interfaces, and in fact, it is about the Experience”. Inspirations from sessions and important works of Don Norman and Eric Schaffer, paved the way for her understanding of user experience as both an art and science, that dynamically refined her professional approach.
Kauser has been an ardent follower of HFI’s programs ever since the times when they were offered only through the physical class mode. She recounts anticipatingly waiting for the sessions to be launched in Dubai and expressed her excitement when HFI’s CUA™ course was offered in her region in 2017. With such zeal to invest in formal training, she successfully completed HFI’s top industry recognised Certified Usability Analyst (CUA™ ) and proceeded to accomplish the advanced Certified Digital Persuasion Analyst (CDPA™), Certified User Experience Analyst (CXA™ ) programs. She also holds the Service Design Thinking course certification.
In a competitive business landscape, moving up the career ladder requires much more than credentials, it needs a voice–of knowledge, practical skills and experience nurtured through an inner confidence. “The way I am talking to you now, I was not the same before”, Kauser states on recalling the positive impact of the certifications. While Kauser’s competency is known, she attributes the conviction over her work, from upskilling to her active advocacy for UX awareness, to her learning experience with HFI Training.
Legacy and Leadership
Kauser now leads UX/CX and product design at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, driving her team’s UX initiatives with a passion for holistic user experiences. As a strong spokesperson for UX literacy, she encourages colleagues to pursue certifications like those from HFI, essential for delivering user-focused solutions to stakeholders.
With years of certification training and professional expertise, Kauser and her team established the ‘Total Experience Lab’ at RTA, Dubai, dedicating themselves to advancing UX practices. They also spearheaded the development of an in-house testing facility, further enhancing user-centered design capabilities. Talking about the lab installation, she mentions, “Many organisations, even today, are not focusing enough on UX, which is crucial. And those who do, outsource their experts. We aimed to create a testing centre and a lab ourselves, facilitating efficiency in our solutions and saving a lot on time and expenses”. In today’s experience economy, Kauser is a trailblazer, driven by self-motivation and passion. Not just building a thriving UX career, she is inspiring countless others through mentorship and championing user experience. As she says, “If you truly give your heart to something, you will achieve it.” With HFI Training as a cornerstone of her journey, Kauser’s journey is proof of what persistence and the right learning can achieve.
