​As a consultant, it’s my job to give the advice that people don’t want to hear. When I am advising a company, they’ve brought me in for my outside perspective. Consultants spend a lot of time making sure that they are giving the advice that businesses need to do the right thing.  When it comes to businesses having to make tough decisions, a consultant needs to be there to remind them that you have to manage the business for the business. You are not managing the business for the people.

The Apple event has now come and gone and we are still reeling from all the great products. From the reveal of the iPhone X to the new iPhone 8 to the updated Apple Watch Series 3 all the way to Apple TV 4K, I can say without a doubt that I will be buying. This event has the masses talking about Apple. The updates and product reveals were met with some very high praise this time around.

As a consultant, I observe a lot of corporate culture. Coming into an organization as a third party gives a unique perspective. Many times, I am brought in to assess the needs of an organization. In this position, I’m looking at staff, I’m looking at processes and I’m looking for opportunities to incorporate change and improvement. What I see, a lot of the time, is ample opportunity for advancement. When a company is actively searching for solutions while seeking to be more efficient and productive, a door is opened up for existing employees to step in and step up. The key is to seize opportunities to create advancement.

​In a time of convenience, people are searching for more and more ways to work towards the glamorous idea of working from home or working for themselves. It sounds like an ideal plan for everyone.  Work when you want. Take on clients that you want. The idea of making your own schedule and setting your own pace is a generally appealing one to people. Add to this the sheer number of people who think of themselves as an expert in their field.  With people thinking about branching out on their own it begs the question –what does it take to be a consultant?

​User experience is always about a balance. When creating a positive user experience for clients and customers, you have to consider the overall usage.  While a design might have a great cohesive look that you want to go with, you don’t want to sacrifice functionality for your users. No matter how good a program or website looks –it’s useless if it’s not something that people can actually use.  Bottom line? Don’t let your OCD get in the way of user experience.  It doesn’t have to be asymmetrical, it has to be functional.