As a progressing UX designer, users aren’t always the focus.
In the UX design industry, it’s a given that users are the foundation of any product or design. Everywhere we look, we see design. Behind every design, there’s a reason to why it is how it is; there’s a decision. Users have a strong influence behind every design decision and as UX designers, we’re encouraged to design with not only logical and solid decisions, but also with consequences. Although putting the users first in any given project is highly critical, it’s also important to focus on yourself and to become proficient in generic expansions of digital media. Everyone has to start somewhere and that becomes with becoming well-rounded. A well-rounded UX designer has to be familiar with not only user-centric concepts, but also non-user centric concepts. What?!
When I first began my college journey in in the fall of 2016, the very first class that I had was a two and a half hour class called Digital Media Essentials. Although this class seemed overwhelming at first, due to the long class period and various programs that we had to learn, it turned out to be one of my favorite classes because of the hands-on experiences that I got from it. It provided me the opportunity to understand concepts that were related to digital media.
Prior to taking Digital Media Essentials, I wasn’t very familiar with the Adobe Suite or any digital media software, really; my experience with any creative package was limited to just iMovie, Microsoft Office programs, and Photoshop. As an incoming college student, I also wasn’t aware of the possibilities of digital media. “Digital media” is the umbrella term for digitalized content; it encompasses text, images, video, audio, and graphics. Even though you may think that you won’t use certain creative applications in your future day-to-day workflow, it is still beneficial to know the basics of diverse programs as it can benefit both you and your team; you’ll have a better understanding of what design application would be the most optimal for your project.
In this class, we were given an in-depth introduction to digital media tools and production techniques in programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, and Wix. We familiarized ourselves with the hardware and software tools to create effective digital media solutions. For every new program that we learned, we had a new project that challenged us to use our creativity through various platforms. What helped me the most, however, were the in-class demos that my professor conducted as it made me realize what was possible within a certain application.
The possibilities of digital media are endless. Period.
Shown below, is a quick overview of the digital media applications that I got to have hands-on experiences with.
- Adobe Photoshop: The industry-standard graphics-editing program, ideal for creating and editing pictures.
- Adobe Illustrator: The industry-standard vector-graphics program, ideal for creating vector images.
- Adobe InDesign: The industry-standard publishing program, ideal for designing and publishing documents for both digital and print platforms.
- Adobe Premiere Pro: Video-editing program that allows editors to trim, clip, and add effects to videos.
- Adobe Audition: A digital audio workstation that allows audio recording, editing, and mixing.
- Wix: An online drag-and-drop web development platform, ideal for people who do not know how to program in different coding languages. If you would like to view the portfolio website that I created for this class, please visit here.
Conclusion
So, why is it critical to be well-rounded? When entering into any field, everyone has to start somewhere — the basics. To be a well-rounded UX designer means that we need to practice things that are non-user centric, things that aren’t usually the focus or in our line of our work. We need to learn about digital logic and how to operate ourselves around programs and computers, the history and the current state of the Internet and digital media, the uses of HTML and CSS, or how to collaborate with others in team projects.
As Cameron Moll, the Facebook Product Design Manager, mentioned in a lecture that he gave at Utah Valley University in the Spring of 2017, we need to soak up as much as we can through books and lectures; if we have other interests or passions, we need to pursue them and be a well-rounded individual. Although those are good attributes to have, being team-oriented is the key to success. Collaborating and being team-oriented is the greatest output of any career as it builds strong relationships with your colleagues.
By practicing in these areas and more, you can gain experience and leverage your skills over time to explore new design concepts and possibilities in the digital world of today. Exploring new areas allows us to challenge ourselves and to essentially help us find a niche that we’d like to specialize in. Even after we find that niche and familiarize ourselves in that one area as much as we can, at the same time, we have to remember to deepen our skills in other fields. It’s also important to routinely re-evaluate your skill set in an ever-so-changing industry. It’s a good idea to anticipate the various kinds of skills employers are searching for by investigating job advertisements and researching the industry. Demonstrating a combination of skills will help you become a more well-rounded, preferred UX designer candidate.
Having a specific niche is important, but it’s also critical to explore all areas of digital media because you never know what you may like. As a result of learning new skills and broadening your skillset, you will be able to increase your value to your potential employer.
Ellie Hoyt is a student in the Digital Media program at Utah Valley University, Orem Utah, studying Interaction & Design. This article relates to Widening Your Skillset in the DGM 1110 course and is representative of the skills learned.
