Here's a Recap of UX Sauna Session 02!
Hello! On February 26, we met for our second session joined by the amazing Vithu and all of you!
So, do you want to know what happened during our second UX Sauna Session in Montreal 😄? We were a diverse group of people that included designers, engineer-majors, a business systems analyst, a sociologist, an English-major that advocates for plain language, and many more!
Many of you were present as product design lead Vithu joined our discussions. He shared about his fascinating journey from studying urban planning to working in human resources and being mentored by a UX researcher. Vithu gave his take on design school vs. UX bootcamps. His perspective was unique since he chose none of the above, but has an understanding of the pros and cons of both options as a hiring manager. His conclusion on this topic is to always choose what is best for you.
We discussed being a self-taught designer, imposter syndrome at work, and most importantly, about not feeling like a “designer.” Our collective conclusion was that designers are facilitators. We are supposed to be mindful and inclusive of everyone’s opinions and diverse contributions whatever their title, hard skills and educational background. Ideas and even the best ideas might come from non-designers and it is absolutely a good thing because design, especially in UX is a collaborative process.
Get in touch with him ✉️
Vithu was super helpful and shared his contact, so you can get in touch with him anytime on LinkedIn, Twitter or by email.
Talks and other Nuggets 🎁
Here is a couple of things Vithu wanted to share with all of you:
Jared Spool, the founder of UX consulting firm User Interface Engineering (UIE) did a talk titled Design is a Team Sport. You can check out his work and listen to the talk.
Spool’s other talk Beyond the UX tipping point
Books and learning platforms
A UX essential you can buy online is The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett. You can always read a sample of the book and find this list of resources on UX information architecture.
Skillshare is another amazing place to familiarize yourself with UX by taking introductory classes. Your first 14 days are free!
Other design communities
Montreal Interactive, a local community that also runs events. You can join their Slack channel and attend their events and workshops to become an even better designer!
Design X Community is a primarily Toronto-based, but has a great online community. You can also join their Slack channel!
Also, check out this great playlist: Design X organizes a conference called Ladders for people starting their design careers:
Wow, that is a lot of great stuff! But, we have one last lesson of the night that Vithu wanted to imprint in all our minds. Remember, there is no one size fit for all when it comes to design schools and UX bootcamps. And that job that you are afraid to apply to, you know what? Apply anyway.
Reach Out
As you’ve come this far, let me know which city you live in in the comments 🙂.
UX Sauna Session 03 🎉
Alright, share this post with your close friends and family! UX Sauna Session 03 will be held at the end of the month! I will announce the topic very soon, so stay tuned!
Looking forward to seeing all of you. Remember, my inbox is always open.
Cheers,
AM