I interviewed ten aspiring UX designers, spending over 30 hours conducting interviews about what UX mentorship was like from both sides of the table. This article reflects my best thinking on how to approach UX mentors, and a counterintuitive way of thinking about mentorship in general.
It’s no lie: mentorship can fast track your learning in a new field. Having someone “on my side” did wonders for me when starting out, giving me guidance in a sea of endless information. I hope to return the favor to the community with the following insights on UX mentorships.
After dozens of interviews with UX designers, I realized that there was no agreement between each of the interviewees on what they wanted out of an ideal UX mentorship. Some sample responses:
- I want a formal mentorship program where I can talk to my mentor weekly
- I want a mentor who can get me an internship or job
- I want someone I can go to events and talk shop with
Despite the different responses, several themes emerged. While I started with the intent of finding an ideal mentorship structure, I ended up discovering an entire mentorship spectrum instead.
