Designers🎤alk #32 with Akshar Patel( Product Designer at Gojek)| PHASE 3 [IND Edition]

Date: 14th March 2021

Akshar is working as a Product designer for Gojek. He’s one of the nicest person to discuss anything related to design. In this talk, he has shared his opinions regarding:⁣

1️⃣ advice for making your first portfolio;

2️⃣ lorem Ipsum or real text for your design;

3️⃣ approach towards inclusive design & etc.

Q1. Hi Akshar, nice to meet you. Let’s start with a short background story. How did you get started in design?

It was back in college I was making electronic music. We needed album art(s) for my original mixes.

I learned Adobe Illustrator on YouTube. YouTube’s next recommended video was — How to get started with UX design. That’s how I got started designing.

Q2: What advice you would like to give to someone making his/her first portfolio?

A portfolio should have a structure. This structure will provide the stage for a good narrative.

Making sure you can convey the design process and decisions. There are several articles on designing a portfolio. You should give those a read. Something I do — document some of the major projects I’ve worked on and use these as a reference for times when I want to update my portfolio.

Since we tend to forget the tiny decisions we take, it’s best to document as you are shipping em.

Q3: Do you use ‘Lorem Ipsum’ or real text in your designs? And which practice out of two is best according to you?

I don’t use “Lorem Ipsum.” I use ‘Office Ipsum” if I have to use something for a placeholder (. When designing with details, you don’t want to use these placeholders as they don’t provide what context you’re setting in the design.

At the wireframing stage, we can use some blocks/scribbles to represent text. When you are starting to add more details, you should use real text (max context.)

Q4: Why inclusive design is important? How do you approach inclusive designing?

Turn the question around — why not design inclusively? It’s simple, you design, and design for all, without discrimination. Your design represents the brand that aims to provide a single consistent experience for everyone.

Think about different scenarios and be aware of what tools are available for ensuring inclusiveness.

Q5: How do you make sure you stay up-to-date with industry “Design” Standards?

To be honest, I’m passive about learning about design. At Gojek, we have Slack channels where great folks share articles and snippets from what they’re reading. That’s the primary channel for knowledge.

I regularly listen to Audible books doing daily chores.

Q6: What’re the skills the designers should learn before entering into a UI/UX domain?

Beyond skills, I think some traits may help with the learning process, the art of finding answers, and getting things done. These traits have helped me learn and build faster at an early stage.

Q7: Would you want to share a few tips with folks out there who want to join as interns or a UI/UX or product designer at Gojek?

These are not applicable for Gojek specifically. Make a portfolio. Feel free to use concept product (solving a real problem), college projects, or whatever.

Just structure it, present it to your friends, and improve. You’d be more confident in your content and the flow. P.S. We’re hiring for some interesting roles.

Q8: Designers Talk: Wrap Up round(One word or Choice-based)

1. Design in one word: Intuitive
2. A product that inspires you: iPadOS
3. Favorite design blog/publication: Inside Intercom
4. Favorite gadget: iPad
5. Dribbble or Behance: Behance
6. Linkedin/Twitter/Instagram: Instagram
7. DesignersTalk in one word: Community
8. Favorite Design Series/Video/Movie: Netflix’s Abstract
9. First Choice(Website/App): No particular choice
10. Favorite Design System: Shopify Polaris
11. Android or iOS: No particular choice
12. XD/Figma/Sketch/Invision Studio: Figma
13. Go-To Tool for you as a designer: iPad for everything (scribbling, reading, & writing)
14. Taking Design Inspiration from: Mobbin design
15. Design Hero: Julie Zhuo

Thank you 🙏 Akshar💚⁣⁣⁣ for giving your precious time
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HOSTED BY: designer.akash

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The motto for this DesignersTalk is to “Bridge the gap between Industry Standard Designers and New Designers”.

Why text-based? Because it’s precise, to-the-point opinions and it also gives freedom to those designers who want to share but not comfortable in front of the camera and who don’t want to give their too much time but still wanted to contribute.

If you like it, please follow this publication and share it with the design community and help them to learn from the experience of the great designers without investing your and their tooooo much time…

Akash ✍️💚

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