Testimonials

Simon Norris. Founder and CEO of Nomensa. Bristol, UK (2021)

[From twitter]

“And then there is @jhobbs_za who I describe as one of the most intelligent designers I know. I have learned so much about design and art from Jason…he has a mind that is capable of anything…I have never laughed so hard as with Jason it results in happy tears of pain (quantum)”

Dan Klyn. Co-founder of The Understanding Group (TUG). Official biographer of Richard Saul Wurman (2021)

[I emailed Dan two personal timelines – coming soon – which I had designed. This was his reply]

“Gorgeous.  You’ve got a light touch in your designerly work that’s fun to not reconcile with the more robust way you carry yourself in conversation and interpersonal exchange.

I will credit you when I steal these design ideas for RSW’s biography”

Daniel Sale, Digital Strategy, Investec Specialist Private Bank, London, UK (2013)

“I’ve worked with Jason for a couple of years, and on two strategically significant projects in particular.

The first point to make is the empirical one – whenever we’ve user-tested designs and processes put together by Jason, we’ve been extremely impressed by just how well these have performed (as have our users).

Jason has an enviable ability to simplify complexity, to distil unwieldy processes down to their elements and rebuild them in a way that is intuitive to the user. Where we’ve struggled with seemingly unfathomable journeys, Jason has been able to bring clarity and common sense – to the extent that on a number of occasions we’ve wondered how on earth we didn’t see it that way to begin with, so obvious does it seem.

In the same way, Jason brings UX principles to illustrating complex concepts to stakeholders – clear of clutter, painting a concise and visually rich story, leading to a well-defined vision. Jason listens, translates, dissembles, reassembles, with great skill and tact.

Jason’s views on and commitment to good UX are heart-felt. There’s genuine passion for UX. Not just in perfecting an isolated interaction, but in building this in a context that places UX centre-stage in the longer-term strategic play. This is something of a challenge, as it involves an organisational mindshift, but Jason has a pragmatic understanding of corporate workings, and doesn’t promote the Big Idea at the expense of achievable reality. Again, UX principles are in play – listening, interpreting, iterating, adapting, testing, evolving…

Finally, Jason has a keen eye for visual design. There’s one occasion in particular where he proposed a design solution that felt utterly counter-intuitive, but his understanding of how design and behaviour intersect won the day. Jason could have taken the path of least resistance – offered up something loud and obvious – but instead he proposed a very subtle, very zen response to the problem. We scoffed, we mocked, but we trusted his expertise and we ended up eating humble pie. Happily. But this typifies Jason’s approach – quiet, considered, principled and, generally, right.”

Sam Beckbessinger, Head of Think, Quirk, Johannesburg, SA (2013)

“Quirk brought Jason in to help us understand and define the strategy for UX within our agency. Not only did he help us to clarify our processes and team structure, but he also played an integral role in helping us to grow the capabilities within the agency. Over four days, he worked with a mix of designers, strategists, account people, UX specialists and data analysts, to help them understand the principles and techniques of user-centred design and to grow their practical skills.

The impact this has had on our agency has been profound. Before, UX was seen as a niche specialty that only a few people worked on; now, the idea of user-centred design has permeated our culture and it’s increasingly something that the whole team feels responsible for.

Jason is insightful and has deep knowledge of his discipline. He’s a patient, engaging teacher. His understanding of the business side of our industry meant that he was able to give us very useful advice about positioning our services in the market. Our whole engagement with him has been great, and I recommend him highly”

Warwick Gill, Channel Development Manager, Investec Private Bank, SA (2013)

“Jason worked extensively with Investec Private Bank South Africa from February 2010 until the end of 2012, primarily focused on designing the user experience for the secure online and mobile sites.

Historically, the Investec secure channels emerged through product strategies without sufficient focus on consistency and the client experience – this resulted in narrow usage, limited service discoverability and an inability to enhance the service offering. Jason was engaged to drive the redesign process, due to his extensive experience in user experience design, methodical approach, proven track record and passion for the field – he did not disappoint.

His approach combines process, an element of statistical analysis and art to create an experience that can be mapped to measurable business benefit. Additionally, he was instrumental in driving the standards for these items for the group and creating a long-term strategy that combines the benefit of content management, social, holistic views and multi-channel delivery to create an experience that will become a differentiator in the market.

He is a tireless contributor who takes on roles outside of his direct responsibility in order to make the project successful and is always prepared to put in extra effort. During his time at Investec, he leveraged his network to bring in additional skills that were required to create a complete experience – individuals that became critical to the delivery of the project and demonstrated the same high level of professionalism and commitment as Jason.

I hope to continue working with Jason as required in the future and strongly recommend him based on his skill and professionalism – he will be an asset to any organisation.”

Mari Page, Program Manager, Investec Private Bank SA (2010)

“Jason is very professional with a high work ethic. He delivers high quality work, performs well under pressure, has a great sense of humor and is very diligent. He is a great visionary in the digital space with great innovative ideas.”

Rhyn Potgieter, Senior Business Analyst, Investec Private Bank, SA (2010)

“I presently work with Jason on a UX design project in the financial services sector, I have been really impressed with his knowledge and application of user centered principles and design.”

Paul Esson, Lead Business Architect, Fine & Rare (2012)

“Jason Hobbs is in my opinion a leading advocate for common sense customer-centric ‘journey’ design.

Whilst working with Jason at Pam Golding Properties I gained first hand experience of his professional approach to the client and the clients ‘needs’, seeing how he was able to marry the clients needs, brand and culture with an expert view of the customer journey.

In addition Jason is a ‘risk taker’, able to think out of the box and come up with something new and fresh, and support his ideas with logical reason and thought.

He taught me a lot and I would be happy to work with him again on other projects. If you are struggling for ideas, have a fragmented digital strategy or just need help to ‘kick-start’ your journey into the customer-centric digital world, I can recommend you contact jh-01 and talk to Jason.”