General Assemby UXDI Day 4

Presentation Day- Project 1

The day of our cohort’s first presentation came faster than hell and went faster than hell on wheels. Project one was really just a chance for us to practice rapid prototyping, working on a deadline, interviewing and testing, and speaking in front of people. The pressure was there to do a good job, but I didn’t feel the need to “get it right.” I have a feeling moving forward that expectations will increase, and so must our level of work.

Things I learned today:

1. Outcomes! OK so this was actually Thursday, but I didn’t mention it in my post (oops!). Our outcomes career coach spoke with us during lunch, and had some great tips. One takeaway: there are advantages and disadvantages to both full time and freelance work. Full time is salaried, more structured, carries benefits and perks, engenders a team environment, has a routine schedule, a offers room for advancement. Freelance is more flexible, carries more autonomy, a higher hourly rate, a higher diversity of projects, but lacks benefits, opportunities for advancement, and you’re more directly responsible for project outcomes.
2. Deadlines don’t shift. Part of why we rushed to present project 1 today was to give us a chance to experience being on a real deadline. In the world of design, deadlines don’t move. Ever. Some of us didn’t feel totally prepared to present, but the point was to do the best we could with the time given, and present what we had with confidence. Lesson learned.
3. Presentations are an opportunity to tell your story, to describe your process, what you did. That’s what separates UX design from visual design. Visual designers show you an element they’ve created, and the work stands for itself. UX designers have to prove how and why they got to their solutions, and whether or not they are effective.
4. Presenting is salesmanship. I’m making this one up based on what I watched. Lots of people had really fantastic ideas that didn’t always land. Part of proving how great your product is relies on your ability to sell it. Confidence in your work and your process is huge when it comes to gaining clients’ trust and support.
5. While presenting, it’s easy to get caught up in your product’s concept and how cool you think it is, rather than communicating the story of why it works, and how you reached your conclusions. UX is process oriented, and it’s key to really demonstrate that process. It’s why you’ve been hired. That’s a big thing for me to work on.