“Talking to industry professionals and seeking mentorship was crucial in building my confidence and skills, ultimately leading me to a successful career in UX design.”

Hi everyone, I’m Hannah. After graduating with a degree in Creative Computing from IADT, I knew I wanted to explore the user experience side of technology. That’s what led me to enroll in the UX Tree Mentorship Program. It was a valuable experience that helped me develop my UX skills, and now, I’m putting those skills to good use as a UX Designer at Motion.

Can you share a bit about your background in Creative Computing?

I studied creative computing as my undergraduate in IADT. The course focused on front-end and back-end development with a creative twist to it. They mixed programming and design into projects.

As a student I specialized in different areas such as cloud computing, mobile computing and advanced javascript.

At what point did you start considering a career in UX, and what were the key factors that made UX design stand out as the next step for you?

Near the end of my undergraduate I realized a career in programming wasnt for me, and I focused on careers that were design related.

The college’s careers portal had different opportunities available. One opportunity that caught my eye was a mentorship by UX Tree. I applied for it and was accepted into the mentorship. During my time at the mentorship I met interesting people who had experience within the UX industry.

Initially when I started the mentorship I was unsure if UX was the right career path for me. However, when I completed the mentorship I was confident I wanted a career in UX. I could see the passion and pride the mentors had for their career and I found that inspiring.

Once you decided on pursuing UX design, how did you approach learning and developing the necessary skills?

UX is a discipline that has a lot of resources. However, it can be overwhelming to sift through all that information. One of the biggest ways I developed the necessary skills was talking to people within the industry. They gave me advice and sent me resources that would be useful in developing my skills. This included books, online tutorials and links to UX influencers social media accounts.

I would also say familiarize yourself with the design and resarch software that is used within the industry. You will need to have a basic understanding of that software as it will help you build a portfolio and practice designing.

Can you describe a challenge you faced while transitioning into UX design and how you overcame it?

A challenge I faced while transitioning into UX design was making a portfolio. Building a strong portfolio is crucial in the UX industry. It can be difficult to know what to put into a portfolio especially if you lack relevant projects to showcase. Finding opportunities to work on real-world projects or creating your own can be challenging but necessary.

Before I started building my portfolio I needed to understand its purpose. After talking to a mentor I learned that my portfolio should demonstrate my skills, process and value I can bring to potential employers or clients. Once I had built my portfolio I sought out feedback from other mentors. They provided valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.

How did mentorship or guidance from others play a role in your journey into UX design?

I don’t think I would’ve been a UX designer if it wasn’t for the mentorship. The guidance I received from the mentors gave me the confidence to pursue a UX career. I applied for a junior designer role at this company.

As part of the interview process I was asked to prepare for a whiteboard challenge. I had never participated in something like that before. Initially I looked at online tutorials but felt I needed more information. I reached out to several people who I had met during the mentorship for advice.

It was thanks to their advice I was able to excel at the whiteboard challenge and land my first UX job.

Were there any specific pieces of advice or support from mentors that you found particularly valuable?

You will make mistakes when you are starting out in a new industry, whether it’s interviewing for a job or a project that doesn’t go the way you expected. You can learn from those mistakes and take that information with you as you keep moving forward.

One of the senior designers I work with gave me advice for the office environment. Pick and choose your battles. You can make something that is beautiful and well put together but sometimes it will not be what stakeholders or clients are looking for. You can’t take it personally. It is not a criticism of you as a person. You cannot become too attached to designs as things can change over time during the cycle of a project. If you have research and data to back up your designs and decisions that’s great. If you get the sign-off for said designs that’s even better.

Looking back, what advice would you give to someone with a background in Creative Computing considering a move to UX design?

If you have an interest or are even just curious, try it out. There are UX bootcamps that can give you an idea of what is involved in a career in UX.

It is a lucrative career option – If you are in creative computing you have the knowledge and experience to pursue UX. You have a background in computer programming, tech knowledge that companies love and basic design knowledge. You know how the process of building a website and application works.

UX is a versatile career as there are so many branches to jump off of – You can be a researcher, UX content writer, or product designer. Find the area that suits you.

How do you see the skills and mindset from your Creative Computing background continuing to influence your work in UX design?

It allows me to have a basic understanding of projects from different perspectives. I am able to communicate with different teams during projects – especially since I work closely with the Dev team. I can understand their process and mindset. When you talk to different departments they don’t have the same understanding of design thinking. How I communicate with them helps convert the designs I have made into code.

It helps in my research process – When I am trying to improve myself and upgrade my skills I know what I need to do to achieve it. I look at what tech the devs are using and what constraints I am given for the scope of a project. I am considerate of what the devs are working with as many companies have tech debt – this can make their job harder and I want to ease their frustrations as much as possible.