#1 - On keeping up with the Joneses of UX Design
Plus a book recommendation and an exciting update ✨
Thinking back to what has been released in tech in 2023 so far, the past 6 months have been crazy for design. We now have:
A ton of AI tools, ranging from ChatGPT to actual interface builders, are starting to radically change our daily work;
A breakthrough in Augmented Reality with the Apple Vision Pro;
Figma on steroids, thanks to new features like Dev Mode and Advanced Prototyping
And more.
Once faced with all of this, one of my mentees recently expressed their concern regarding their path in UX: with all of these changes happening so fast, how can one keep up while trying to enter the field for the first time?
The question I want to pose instead is: should you keep up - at all?
To be clear, knowing what is going on in the industry is vital in an industry like tech which keeps moving fast. At the same time, do you really need to know everything in detail as soon as a topic goes viral? I’ll make a couple of examples:
If you're not collaborating with devs or creating complex components within a design system, it makes no sense to hurry to learn Dev Mode and Variables shown in Figma’s Config 23. Simply knowing they exist is enough for now.
If you don’t wish to design for AR or VR in the future, studying design best practices for these interfaces might be superfluous at the moment.
Here is what I recommend doing to stay updated:
If keeping up with UX news seems overwhelming, remember that simply skimming through headlines in a news blog or newsletter is enough. No career is worth the burnout!
When you find an interesting article but have no time to go through it, consider implementing a bookmarking system so you can save it for later. I personally use raindrop.io
Limit the newsletters/channels you follow only to the ones that really spark joy, Marie Kondo style
Consider following senior designers who share bitesize tips and news on social media to be aware of the latest news (Vitaly Friedman from Smashing Magazine posts great content on Linkedin for example!)
Book recommendation: Design is a Job by Mike Monteiro
I always loved the books I read in the past within the A Book Apart series and Design is a Job by Mike Monteiro is no exception. I wish I could have read this earlier in my career as I was working in a company with low UX maturity. His witty and irreverent writing style (sometimes not for the faint of heart, I must admit) makes the content stand out even more. This book is for you if:
you are curious about different careers within UX and what they entail;
you want to know more about how to overcome the struggles you might face in your UX career;
you care about ethics in design and wish to align your career with your values.
(Ps: I suggest going for the audiobook - it’s short and recorded by the author!)
Struggling with your portfolio?
I’m thinking about building a live, 4/6 week, hands-on, cohort-based course for aspiring and junior UX Designers on how to create their first portfolio website. You’ll learn what makes a successful portfolio and be able to create your own through a guided process. This will help you finish up your portfolio in less time and get my support as well as your peers’! After being a designer for 5+ years and mentoring for the past two years, I have gathered a lot of knowledge on UX portfolios. Now I’d love to teach you. Fill out this survey to get on the waitlist & be the first to hear when enrollments open: https://maven.com/forms/72ea57
As always, hit me up in the comments with any questions or requests. See you in two weeks!
-Maria