Six Lessons in Six Months — Learnings From my UX Apprenticeship
Flashback to Mid-May 2020: I was attending my graduation ceremony online, and like many others, feeling unsure about what was to come. As a psychology major, I loved learning about the mechanisms behind human behavior and found designing and conducting research studies to be fascinating.
Through my experiences in research, I noticed I was most excited by the opportunities to connect findings to everyday life in ways that could tangibly improve the experiences of individual people. When I discovered the field of User Experience (UX), it sounded like it could be a good match for my vague goal of solving problems using a human-centered approach and psychology insights. I loved being able to take research insights beyond a paper or presentation into the real world. Therefore, upon graduation, I decided to pursue career opportunities in UX.
Serendipitously, I learned about the Apprenticeship program at UXReactor from my TA-turned-friend, Elinor. I wasn’t sure what to expect about UXReactor’s Apprenticeship program, but my conversations with Elinor, my soon-to-be-mentor Jamie Yoo, and then many others, piqued my interest, so I took the leap of faith and became a UX Apprentice.
After what turned out to be a transformational 6-month Apprenticeship, I recently joined the UXReactor team as a full-time Associate UX Consultant, so I wanted to share some of the key lessons I learned throughout my journey.
Month 1 Lesson: Learning is an iterative process
I spent the first month of the apprenticeship in daily sessions with my co-apprentice, Sami Alur, learning from people from all areas of the company about the unique practices UXReactor follows. Naturally, as the newbie, I felt immense pressure to impress my new employers and grasp every concept the first time around so I could prove they made the right decision to bring me on.
However, many of these concepts taught in the first weeks of the apprenticeship were complex and required some “noodling”. The more I learned, the less I felt like I knew. I pretty much spent my entire first month of the apprenticeship in a perpetual state of “Wow, I’ve learned so much!” and “Wow, I don’t know anything”. Naturally, this led to a bit of angst.
What I came to realize is that the expectations I had for myself, to immediately grasp all the new concepts, were unrealistic. Complex concepts take time to sink in. Now, at the end of the apprenticeship, I can confidently say, I am still learning and developing new understandings every day. And that’s what ended up being most important — the willingness and enthusiasm for continuous learning and re-learning, rather than being the person who had all the answers.
Month 2 Lesson: Design AND research, not design OR research
Coming from a psychology background, I assumed UXReactor would want to leverage my strengths and assign me to research projects. However, right off the bat, I was asked to work on interaction design. Although I, like all apprentices, was trained in both research and design in Month 1, with my initial intent to focus on UX research, I certainly felt out of my element.
Upon reflection and through my discussions with Jamie, I understood the deliberateness of the decision to have me placed in design. One unique aspect of UXReactor is that research, interaction design, and visual design units are all deeply involved with the entire problem-solving process. This helps the team avoid silos and drive end-to-end outcomes that address the original design problems.
The experiences during my first few weeks supporting design were eye-opening. Thinking from the design perspective, there were different variables to consider; ones that I wouldn’t have thought of if I had stayed siloed in research. Thus, I learned that the more research, interaction design, and visual design are fluent and invested in the entire process, the more ways research and design can drive value for each other.
Month 3 Lesson: Your team’s knowledge = your knowledge
On my first project, I was collaborating with teammates in India and Colombia as well as my remote counterparts in the US. With an entirely remote team that was meeting virtually, I was nervous to speak up, ask questions, and participate in our team meetings — as a result, I struggled to feel a part of the team.
Building relationships with my team was the gateway to learning and knowledge sharing. Once I started reaching out more proactively, candid feedback became easier and conversations became more natural. Not only was I more comfortable asking questions, but I also knew who to go to for the right answers. I learned who was an expert in creating data visualizations (Hey Juan Fernando Gordillo Parra and Julian!), who to consult about consolidating 3 paragraphs into 3 sentences (s/o to Jamie), and who always has good K-drama recommendations (Tejaswini, who also kindly spent her time coaching me in UXPin, our wireframing tool).
Prior to working remotely, I would get to know people simply by being in close proximity, so it took overcoming the nervousness and potential awkwardness of a scheduled and virtual get-to-know-you meeting to bridge the gap. But I learned, especially with remote work, the sooner you feel comfortable with your team and they feel comfortable with you, the more you can learn from each other and help each other grow.
Month 4: Feedback is your friend
UXReactor is a very candid company: people say it as it is. Feedback is given continuously and constantly. From the first day of the Apprenticeship to every debrief after a design presentation.
That said, feedback is never given with any intent other than to learn. Feedback is essential for cultivating a growth mindset, a mindset that people at UXReactor embody. As a group of innately curious individuals who are always working on bettering themselves, feedback is one channel in which we support each other’s growth.
The value of this type of candid and honest feedback quickly became apparent to me the first time I shadowed a design review and became indisputable the first time I partook in the review itself. Through critiques and feedback, we ensured that every detail had been combed over and no rock was left unturned before delivering the final artifacts. The deliberateness leaves the team fully prepared to field any questions that may come from the client.
Month 5 Lesson: Being a UX Consultant is more than designing and researching
As my Apprenticeship progressed, and I started to take on more responsibilities within the project, and to my surprise, many of the biggest learnings had nothing to do with UX design or research. My mentors helped me develop skills in storytelling, guided me in running effective meetings, and shared tips about relationship management. I was continuously reminded that, at a consultancy like UXReactor, being a good UX designer and researcher is just 50% of the challenge. The other half is transforming yourself into a consultant, someone who delivers meaningful value to those who trust your expertise.
This was an entirely new mental model for me and one of the more challenging concepts for me to learn to embody. One of the key mantras at UXReactor is the consultant mindset, emphasizing that every team member should always have a perspective and be able to voice it with conviction.
When I decided to pursue UX as a career, I did not anticipate the diverse range of skill sets I would need to develop as a consultant. However, these experiences have only allowed me to become a more well-rounded and effective UX researcher and designer. Gaining this perspective has helped me cultivate my own consultant mindset and develop my confidence as a UX consultant.
Month 6: Trusting yourself
During university, I naively assumed that once joining the workforce, all traces of impostor syndrome would disappear. Unsurprisingly, my assumption was mistaken and throughout the entire apprenticeship, I often found my inner voice asking; Am I ready to moderate interviews? Is this a deck I am qualified to create? Should I really be leading this meeting?
Despite feeling internally unsteady, my team and mentors were continuously supportive, pushing me to take on more responsibility. In hindsight, I know my mentors would not have allowed me to take on responsibilities that I wasn’t prepared for. My doubts were due to my own lack of confidence.
Over the course of 6 months, one area I worked on with my mentor, Jamie, was conveying conviction. Whether it was conducting dry runs together before meetings or discussing presentation tips. As I noticed that my teammates and mentors were trusting me, my trust in myself also started to grow.
I don’t think it is possible for myself nor anyone else to never ever have any moments of doubt. It is 100% ok to feel uncertain sometimes. However, it is important as consultants, to not let uncertainty undermine the outcome or hinder progress.
In life, there will always be times of uncertainty, whether it be new challenges or novel situations. We can and should recognize and acknowledge these moments of uncertainty, and then break down the problem, logically think about the next steps, and make progress towards a solution.
Conclusion
Reflecting back, the 6 months of my Apprenticeship were a whirlwind of learning and growth; I could probably go on much longer with many more learnings, but this article would soon be a 15-minute read. These six lessons have been the most consequential throughout my UXReactor Apprenticeship.
Each Apprentice will bring their own unique perspective and set of skills, and each Apprentice also completes their journey with different takeaways. But in my opinion, the key shared characteristic between all UX Apprentices comes down to what I learned in the very first month: having the persistence and hunger to continuously learn and become a better UX consultant.
