Week one as a future UX designer.

First things first, after everything I had already learned up to this point in my career, I realized I had to let go of it all. I don’t want to go into this with any assumptions or thinking that I have all of the answers. And mostly, I wanted to get my head around the “real world process” of how things are done in the UX industry.

Overall, I would say I had an interesting week. On Monday morning, I walked into class (read: sat down in front of my zoom meeting) feeling good and ready. Then came the words and the data. I felt overwhelmed and questioned my capabilities as a potential future UX designer. Is this how much data and abstract concepts we need to pull out of a magicians hat to solve? And will I ever understand this? Cue sweating.

A quote came rushing to the forefront…

“I stumble through a carnival of horrors”
― Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat

However, as the week progressed, I learned to trust myself more and not worry so much about having to understand everything fully from the second I hear it. There is a learning curve, but I found that once I was able to spend time unpacking each of the concepts, it eventually clicked. Not only did I get it, I enjoyed it.

I also had a great time working as part of a team and getting to know my peers. I like the banter, being able to confirm information with one another, bounce ideas, vent frustrations and work collaboratively. It helped with seeing different perspectives as well as some validation that we are all in the same boat.

Throughout my first project, I was relieved that I could put some of my previous skills to work alongside my newly acquired knowledge, and although the time constraints proved to be a challenge, I learned that taking a moment to be creative and a little silly can be beneficial in the creative process. By the end of the week, I felt proud of what I had done, where I was at, and was surprised by my self-restraint during the project. Working on paper helped me focus on the fundamentals and think like a UX designer. I started asking questions in my head like:

“what is the minimum amount of information I need to communicate the steps to the user?”

“how can I make it enjoyable?”

and “how can I make it easy?”

And although I am far from there yet, if I start trying to think like I’m already a UX designer, maybe it’ll help me become one faster.

Advice to self: It’s important to remember that achieving a big goal is not always easy and can take time, and the best approach for me is to break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Set specific, measurable, and achievable goals that will help me make progress towards my larger goal. By focusing on what can be accomplished within a shorter timeframe, I will hopefully build momentum and stay motivated.

Celebrating small wins along the way will help me stay positive and focused on the end result.