Comments on: What is an expert in User Centred Design? http://www.thinkflowinteractive.com/2010/05/04/what-is-an-expert-in-user-centred-design/ News and ideas on user experience. Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:36:34 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Matt http://www.thinkflowinteractive.com/2010/05/04/what-is-an-expert-in-user-centred-design/comment-page-1/#comment-831 Matt Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:26:44 +0000 http://www.thinkflowinteractive.com/?p=572#comment-831 I'd have to agree with Nick on this...comparing a consultant to an expert is a bit apples and oranges. Consultancy and expertise are complimentary yet differing disciplines, rather than differing markers on the same continuum. One can be an expert in something without doing a days consultancy, yet there aren't many who can sustain a career as a consultant without genuine expertise. If anything I think your terminology is back to front: expertise can exist in a vacuum, but consultancy requires experience and the context of the client to translate that expertise into real value, which is really what you are talking about. It is the consultant, active in the field who has to take into account the constraints, environment and political landscape of the client, not the expert tucked up in the library with their head in a book. Matt I'd have to agree with Nick on this...comparing a consultant to an expert is a bit apples and oranges. Consultancy and expertise are complimentary yet differing disciplines, rather than differing markers on the same continuum. One can be an expert in something without doing a days consultancy, yet there aren't many who can sustain a career as a consultant without genuine expertise. If anything I think your terminology is back to front: expertise can exist in a vacuum, but consultancy requires experience and the context of the client to translate that expertise into real value, which is really what you are talking about. It is the consultant, active in the field who has to take into account the constraints, environment and political landscape of the client, not the expert tucked up in the library with their head in a book.

Matt

]]> By: Nick de Voil http://www.thinkflowinteractive.com/2010/05/04/what-is-an-expert-in-user-centred-design/comment-page-1/#comment-752 Nick de Voil Mon, 10 May 2010 12:06:38 +0000 http://www.thinkflowinteractive.com/?p=572#comment-752 Elisa, this is a great post but also an interesting illustration of how different people can use terminology in different - even diametrically opposed - ways. For me, a consultant is more than an expert, not the other way round. An expert is someone with a high level of subject matter knowledge, whereas a consultant is an expert who is able to create value for their customers by applying that knowledge, taking into account the whole business context. For example, the Certified Management Consultant award is only given to individuals who can demonstrate a track record of doing exactly that. Nick Elisa, this is a great post but also an interesting illustration of how different people can use terminology in different - even diametrically opposed - ways.

For me, a consultant is more than an expert, not the other way round. An expert is someone with a high level of subject matter knowledge, whereas a consultant is an expert who is able to create value for their customers by applying that knowledge, taking into account the whole business context. For example, the Certified Management Consultant award is only given to individuals who can demonstrate a track record of doing exactly that.

Nick

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