If you’re at a loss for what to get that special user experience designer in your life whether it’s because we’ve already bought it (“I need it to keep up on trends for work”) or you still aren’t quite sure what we do exactly, I’ve compiled a few ideas from the UX consultants at Evantage and my own Christmas list to help you out.

iPhone Accessories

Let’s face it. We already own iPhones. Thankfully, there is an endless amount of related accessories.  You cannot go wrong if you give us opportunities to make our iPhones more fun.

1. A case can express our personal style and protect the phone from breaking when it slips from our fingers.
2. An iTunes gift certificate. Sure we can use it to add to our household’s music library, but did you know that we can use it to feed our App addictions too? That can only be a good thing (well, for most of us anyway).
3. A solar charger for the phone is the ultimate in cool geekery.   We can charge the phone from remote locations without electricity (nevermind the fact that we may not have cell reception in those areas).
4. If not a solar charger, then a backup battery will give you up to 3 ½ hours of additional time on the phone.

Fancy-Pants Tech Gadgets:

If you’re looking to drop some dough on your favorite user experience professional it’s amazing how many items are available:

1. First of all, we love products from Apple.  Not only are they user friendly, they look really cool:
   • If the Mac they have is a couple of years old, it might be nice to upgrade them to a new MacBook Pro in preparation for MAxure (Axure for the Mac).
   • The new Magic Mouse has no wheels or buttons, just a multi-touch surface that makes it work the same as your average mouse while looking much prettier.
2. Bamboo Pen & Touch can make a pc or Mac a multi-touch surface, but also includes a pen so you can write notes or draw.
3. The Kindle combines interesting navigation (this is one of those instances when we would say “I need it to keep up on trends for work”), our love of books and the ability to carry many books with us in a small portable device.  I am still a sucker for a physical book, but carrying multiple books with me at a time and letting me download new books from anywhere certainly has its benefits.
4. A few of us have been a bit too lazy to backup our computer even though we have lost two hard drives and only through sheer luck was able to save our files (I might be referring to myself) so an external hard drive or an offsite storage service (I’ve heard good things about Sugar Sync, Time Machine and Backblaze) is a great way to make sure data, pictures and music is not lost should the hard drive die.

Less Expensive Tech Gadgets

It doesn’t take much to make this UX consultant happy, so if you are trying to save a few dollars, then the following gadgets will provide the most joy for less money:

1. Hand crank radios are low-tech all-in-one devices that makes you feel a little better about all the technology seeping electricity from your office. Some of them also include a cell phone charger and flashlight.  I got my hand crank radio during a public radio membership drive, and love how long the power lasts when it’s cranked up and in the sun.
2. A GPS keychain is the modern version of breadcrumbs.  When I’m focused on working out a complex problem for a client and not paying attention to where I park my car, the GPS key chain would help me find my car and so I can keep brainstorming.  It’s definitely a win/win situation.
3. A label maker is a perfect compliment to the “classify and organize” part of our job.  It’s also popular with kids who like to add icons and experiment with fonts.  Just make sure you have enough label tape and spare rechargeable batteries.  Label makers go through batteries quickly and it’s too much fun to stop in the midst of label making.
4. Flash drives don’t need to be just about storage.  They can also be an expression of your personality.  Whether you want the C-3PO version, the Swiss Army Knife version that also offers a flash light and pen or the flash drive hidden in a watch, we definitely want one of these even if we don’t know it yet.

Zero Technology

We aren’t total robots.  It doesn’t need to be an electronic gadget to make our life easier:

1. Most of us drink a lot of coffee or spend time in coffee shops using their wireless to get work done.  A gift certificate from Starbucks can allow us to upgrade to a spendier drink, buy a CD or purchase a travel mug.
2. Dilbert cartoons because hilarious when I started working in this industry so the 2010 Dilbert Calendar is a must.
3. Most of us use zip tie’s to organize the cords around our house, but if you got us wire tie straps we could color code and re-use them.
4. We tend to sketch out or record ideas on the go, so a Moleskine looks nice and keeps us organized.
5. It’s true that part of our job description includes drawing so we definitely need sharpies. There are little Sharpies & big Sharpies. Pink ones and green ones. And retractable Sharpies! You may never meet another group of people (outside of grade school) who love sharpies as much as we do.

Create an Experience

We spend a lot of our work day researching users and designing experiences for them, so we enjoy taking part in an experience we didn’t have to create.  The best part is that you get to hang out together.

1. Sign up for a wine or beer tasting.
2. Climb a wall at REI and then go eat Nepalese for dinner.
3. Take a cooking class through community education in a cuisine you both love.
4. Get out on the road and visit the curious roadside attractions in your state.
5. Drive two hours and have a picnic or visit that great pie joint/diner/etc you found years ago.

I’m not the only one who has put together a list.  Nick Finck just released his yearly Gifts for User Experience Geeks so if you aren’t sure what to buy and our wishlists have not been updated for two years, these are just a few ideas that will appeal to the special user experience designer in your life.