Why I’m Jazzed About UX School
My UX Learning Journey First Drafts: A series of assignments responding to lessons I’m learning in my UX Designer cohort at Lambda Schools.
Nerves and Excitement: From The Same Wellspring As Gratitude
I’m back in school. Day one, and it’s pretty thrilling. So far, all my interactions with Lambda School have been great. It’s been a long time since I was in school. My nervousness and my eagerness both flow from the fact that I’m a lifelong learner. I’m eager to learn the fundamentals and best practices of UX design while having ‘the feels’ about being out of practice when it comes to formalized instruction. Self-talk goes something like:
“Don’t mess it up, man.. Find your flow.. and remember: know-it-alls don’t get invited to.. well.. anything.. besides, if you knew it all, you wouldn’t be back in school.. wax on.. wax off..”
I really enjoy the distance learning environment, though; it’s very compelling. I guess having nerves and excitement simultaneously is where the phrases, “nervous excitement,” or “nervous energy,” come from. Although, here’s one thing I’m not as nervous about as I was when I was younger: fear of the unknown. I’ve learned that such fear is a waste of energy. I’m going to need all the energy I can muster to actually face the unknowns as they pop up. Some folks will point out that there’s lots of unfamiliar territory we’ll cover. There are many unfamiliar things we’ll be tasked with completing. However, I prefer to look forward to those challenges rather than ratchet up the anxiety before I even know what they are. There are indeed appropriate times and places for anxiety and fear; being fortunate enough to experience the privileges of skilling up on the way to leveling up is time for gratitude, not fear.
Harmonic Convergence
The profession of User Experience Designer is increasingly vital. UX Design represents a convergence of disciplines that combine to define (and refine) how systems and services convey meaning. They’re intended to positively impact how people leverage technology to interact with the world, and also to positively impact how they feel about those interactions. I’m a storyteller at heart, so the fact that any single micro-experience in an app or site shares a technical story, a visual story, and an emotional story is fascinating to me. One of the most important roles for the UX designer is to communicate effectively in each of those contexts. Internal team members, stakeholders, and their shared external audiences are intended to have similarly effective experiences. Those encounters will (hopefully) be full of interactions that both inform and enrich their respective experiences. When it all comes together, it’s like hearing musicians and singers “click”, and we experience that coming together as a truly moving harmony or a killer groove.
End At The Beginning
A mentor once rescued me from the depths of a situation I was struggling with, by quietly stating,
“Start over. And this time, begin with the end in mind, not as a foregone conclusion, but an ideal to achieve. You’ll run into snags again, no doubt, and when you do, pause, reflect, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
- my personal Miyagi moment
She was one of the most successful and dynamic leaders I was ever fortunate to learn from.
When we start with the simple premise that the outcome must address a person’s need, solve a person’s challenge, add richness and depth to a lifestyle choice, and/or entertain whoever experiences a given product or service, everything that flows from that should end up being an element of someone’s delight within the overall experience. It’s a good candle to keep alight, too. It may get dark in the depths of complicated designs, where it’s easy to forget what it’s all for, and you wish something would just work. It’s comforting to have a nice, clear reminder to help light the way.
