UX Career Paths: a discussion with three women
On Wednesday the 26th of February we hosted a panel discussion about UX careers. Three talented women — Matshego Koza, Liz Spangenberg, and Danielle Van Der Watt — joined us to tell us about how they got to where they are, their past experiences, present influences, and how they are looking ahead and planning their next career moves.
If you have time, watch the video — it was a really awesome discussion. If not, read on below for some of the key themes that came out of the stories we heard.
1. Follow the yellow brick road
It is very rarely the case that our peers in the field of UX started out there, or even knew where they were going when they started their careers.
Matshego is a UX designer at Old Mutual, Liz a senior UX/UI designer at DVT, and Danielle a designer at ABSA. But their stories are a mix of unexpected twists and turns — from aspirations to be a social worker, to plans to do mechanical engineering, to clever manoeuvring between the worlds of advertising, Human Resources, and social media, they all eventually found a home in UX.
A relatable story? So how did they get there?
2. There’s no place like home
It may not have been as easy as clicking the heels three times, but Liz and Danielle did both speak of how they accidentally “fell into UX”. For Matshego, it was more about the chase in those ruby slippers. Regardless of how they eventually managed to get there, all of our speakers found their way to UX because they discovered a place where they could create value for people.
Liz found herself sitting at her job at an advertising agency, loving the abstract conceptual part of her job, but missing that certain something that would give her work that extra impact. Once she discovered the magical world of UX, she realised that, really, she was doing it all along, but now had a new language and an authority to create some tangible value for other people.
“When I realised I could empower people that’s when I realised I was in the right place.” — Danielle, about her experience at the all-day accessibility workshop we ran when She Can Do still operated under the banner of Ladies That UX.
So they just found their way to this point on their own?
3. “You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself” — Glinda the Good Witch
Another common thread running through our speakers was the need for some kind of mentorship and guidance, especially as a junior just starting out in your career.
Sometimes you get lucky and stumble upon an amazing mentor who can show you the ropes and teach you the language. But these women also emphasised the need to put yourself out there and ask for help.
“No one knows all the things.” — Liz, reminding us to accept that we don’t know everything.
Matshego also pointed out that sometimes you need to put yourself in places where you can find those people who you can go to for advice and to ask questions, such as attending meet-ups (we’ve got a great one… hint hint). This is a woman who took a leap into the world of UX by doing much of her own learning and upskilling, and contacting agencies until she finally found an internship. And that is not always an easy journey.
4. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
At some point in our careers, most of us are likely to find ourselves in a room with another person/s who treat us as less than equal. Discrimination comes in many flavours and can sometimes have the power to silence us.
Our speakers brought up experiences that ring true for many people, especially women, early in their careers.
Being a junior, and being young, can be especially difficult in corporate environments. Liz told us that her experience was not so much discrimination based on being a “woman” in tech, as we often hear, but rather a “girl” in tech. Be quiet. Sit in the corner. Let the adults (often men) talk.
But what came out very strongly from all our speakers was a drive to overcome that by changing our attitudes about ourselves. So you’re new. You know what that means? You have a fresh mindset and a new and valid point of view.
(By the way, this is part of what She Can Do is about, as we understand the difficulties of finding support as a junior)
Of course, being self-confident can also come with the risk, as a woman, of being misconstrued as stubborn or bossy. But one way to combat that, according to these three women, is to do your research, make sure you know what you are talking about, and say it. Knowledge is key.
5. Somewhere, over the rainbow
Finally, under the last Wizard of Oz reference, our panel told us where their thoughts were in terms of the journey ahead in their lives and careers.
And in true UX fashion, it sounded like those journeys are set to take many paths. Liz is focussing on her PhD and the millions of things she does on the side (seriously — dancing, playing violin in the orchestra, speaking at conferences, you name it). Matshego is feeling excited to be just at the beginning of her current job, and thinking about continuing her psychology studies. And Danielle is starting to follow her passion for accessibility and writing, and sees herself one day do her own thing, outside the corporate world.
No matter what, they are all trying to follow a passion that many of us in this industry have: to help people using the power of design.
