IxDF Learning Review — Career transition into UX Design

A few years ago, I made the career transition from Graphic Design to UX Design. Most notably I wanted to solve complex problems through design thinking. As part of my learning journey, I stumbled onto the Interactive Design Foundation (IxDF). Their UX courses provide me with a strong foundation to broaden by perspective and skillset needed to design user experiences that are intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable for users.

As a working mum, I really love the fact that you can study the courses at your own pace. There is an impressive range of courses and masterclasses to choose from and are easily digestible with a mix of text, videos, open ended- and multiple-choice questions.

The first course I completed was “Become a UX Designer from Scratch” and gave me a great foundation to start my new career path and start implementing what I have learnt. Next a course that every new UXer needs when entering the daunting job market and creating a UX Portfolio, “How to Create a UX Portfolio”. This changed the way I created my traditional portfolio, and of course was instrumental in landing my first UX Design position. Onwards and upwards!

I then dove deeper by completing “Design Thinking: The Ultimate Guide” where I learnt how to apply an iterative, user-focused design process to generate innovative ideas that solve complex problems, methods such as interviews, co-creation sessions and rapid prototyping.

My favourite thus far is “Accessibility: How to Design for All”, highlighting the importance of accessibility and how it also brings benefits to all users. That’s because accessibility features that help people with disabilities often help other people, too. I appreciated the videos where I could see how a blind person uses assistive technology, navigates websites and apps and follows through with tasks.

I find myself constantly enrolling for new courses as I see an area of interest where I can improve in my current role. Personal development is essential as a UX Designer. It enhances your skills, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, and overall career growth. Several of my colleagues at PDMS have IxDF memberships as a personal development resource.

To anyone out there, whether you are a beginner or more advanced in your career, my message is this — keep learning!