Meet the Mentors: Lessons from Depop’s Lead Product Designer | YSYS and Google UX Design Certificate Scholarship
One of the pillars of our UX Design Certificate scholarship with Google was mentorship. James, one of the mentors who supported the cohort throughout the programme, drew upon his experience in graphic design and product thinking. In this candid Q&A, James offers insights into his career history, his philosophy on mentorship, and his predictions for the future of UX Design.
Exploring the connections between tech, creativity, and user advocacy, we discuss his experiences and lessons learned along the way. From understanding the need to ask the ‘stupid’ questions, to the significance of empathy in his role at Depop: we dive into the qualities that define a successful UX professional.
How did you get into UX Design?
“I’m showing my age here, but UX (and moreso product design) wasn’t really something at the forefront of people’s minds when I was in further education.”
“I’ve got a graphic design background, which slowly evolved into UX and product thinking. That came from me throwing myself into situations where I was forced to learn and grow my skill sets. That’s literally where I’ve got to where I am, from being not afraid to ask potentially stupid questions and throwing myself in the deep end with things.”
Why is mentorship important in the UX Design field?
“We currently live in a world where it’s so easy to share your thoughts and opinions, which is great and breaks down so many barriers.”
“However, if you’re new to something, such as UX or product design, it’s so easy to be completely overwhelmed by different opinions or competing advice.”
“I think it’s vital to have someone to turn to who can say “this is the right way to do something” or even just “do it however you want to do it”.”
One piece of advice for aspiring UX Designers?
“Question absolutely everything. I had a film studies lecturer who told me to do that with any movie I watched. That mindset paired with some basic psychology and you never look at a film the same way.”
“The same goes for UX and product design. Why’s that button there? Why’s the page laid out like that? Most good experiences will have a reason behind it. When you start to understand that logic, that’s when your UX mindset will develop.”
Where do you see the UX Design field in the next 5 years?
“Hands up, I honestly don’t have a clue. 5 years ago I was using an individual tool for everything. Sketch for design, InVision for stakeholder feedback, Zeplin to hand off designs to developers, Protopie for prototyping. Now Figma does it all.”
“AI will obviously become an even bigger part of our lives and I think it’s kind of unfathomable just how it will evolve. A hell of a lot of stuff will change in the next few years, especially with the automation side of things.”
“I do think our jobs, whether it be as UX designers, researchers or product designers, will still remain the same though. We’re advocates for our users, we’re here to make sure they have a voice and we’re creating something that helps them in their day to day life. AI can do a lot, but I still think the ability to be empathetic and understand what someone wants, without them even knowing themselves, is a way off.”
How does working in Depop’s sector affect your UX design work?
“The one great thing for me is that before I joined Depop, I was already a Depop user. I came into this role having empathy for our users and that’s one thing I always ground myself with.”
“When I speak with users, whether it’s on the Depop app through DMs, or through user research, there’s one common thread throughout both buyers and sellers. Buyers want to find what they want at a good price and sellers want to sell what they have at a good price.”
“This is why I throw myself in head first and always try to think like what a Depop user is feeling. For me, if I don’t have that empathy for our end users, I’ve lost that touch and that connection for our users and my work would suffer as a result of that.”
Thank you to James for taking the time to speak to us, and supporting our scholars throughout the programme!
Learn more and connect with YSYS on our website.
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About the Google UX Design Scholarship, from YSYS
The partnership between YSYS and Google aimed to support our scholars through Google’s UX Design certificate with the tools, mentoring and resources they need to thrive. The scholarship programme concluded in October 2023, completing our scholars study of the comprehensive syllabus, tackling key topics such as user testing, design prototypes, and wire-framing.
