Hack to becoming a UX designer for innovation newbies
I am Duffy, a UX/UI designer based in San Francisco Bay Area, where innovation happens.
· Background and Trigger to becoming a UX designer:
Born in China, I was expected to become an engineer like everybody else. Engineering represents wisdom, worth and of course, wealth for a long time. Which was why I, without hesitation, I chose an electrical engineering major while my true passion lied somewhere else.
Luckily when I was in New York, I got a chance to work on the Microsoft Cortana team as a Product Manager intern. During the three months, I teamed up with engineers, designers and other PMs to improve user journey funnels. We worked cross functionally, and I spent a lot of time working with designers and understanding their day-to-day jobs.
This was the first time I learned the definition of User Experience designer. I got a chance to fall in love with what they do. Among all the learnings from my brilliant teammates, one stood out
“Solve problem in a more elegant way.”
After watching them craft PMs’ ideas into sophisticated yet elegant solutions, defending their designs using design thinking and user-centric strategies, always innovating more to create work that makes the most sense, a voice deep down told me that this is something I could see myself doing with passion for years.
· Tips for the early stage:
So instead of staying a product manager, I left to continue my masters studies and major in Electrical Engineering and minor in HCI. Many were shocked, including my parents. Yet they raised me to be responsible for my own decisions. Here in San Francisco Bay Area, I started my own journey as a UX/UI Designer. (Who is also crazy in love with photography and cats.)
It was not easy for me at the beginning, but as I learned how to pace myself and gradually get the grip of things and the big picture, I am fortunately now on the right track. So, for those who are expecting to transfer from a non-related field into UX design, here are some tips for you guys based on my ‘not easy experience’:
1, FIND COMMUNITY:
Community is a thread to bring people with the same passion together and support each other. At the beginning stage, passion was all I had. I honestly did not know how to begin learning and was confused with the new field. Also, I was literally surrounded by software developers, which left me no choice but to put myself out and explore. Through some course project experiences, I gradually grew myself a small but efficient design circle. I was super grateful for those who helped me form a whole knowledge system and answered all my questions with patience.
2, LEARN TO USE TOOLS:
Learning how to use tools helped me land projects with more confidence. The thought of interacting with these tools should not be intimidating and worrying, instead, it should be more like talking to your best friends: knowing every shortcut to better your relationships, revealing your true ability as you two get more familiar with one another and giving you confidence. Here are links that can help to start learning some design tools: Sketch, Principle, Flinto.
3, DELIVERING THOUGHTS & FORMING DESIGN THINKING:
Imagine a good cook, knowing how to make the most delicious dishes but failing to present them to other people. This could cause many regrets. My way of forming presentations is to form every project in the manner of storytelling:
- What is the problem that I am going to solve;
- How am I going to solve it;
- What are the impacts;
- What are the learnings;
As I engage myself more into agile design projects, I am more determined that these are things I want to learn and that I would definitely go beyond just doing a great job in sketching screens.
· Go for it:
Design is a really personal thing, yet it drives more and more people to use their imagination and passion to create products that ease others lives. I love this feeling of being capable to constantly add value to the world with my strength.
My greatest learning as a whole with transitioning experience is not to hesitate. Though it is hard at the beginning to turn to a new area, if you are truly passionate about it, there wont be regrets. Start designing today!
