How UX folks are making the most of their home setups
In this post, learn how to make the most of your spaces with Vithu and how to leave space for creativity and play with Heeji.
Hello! Since all of us are confined at home, creating a peaceful and beautiful space to live, play and work is essential. In our last UX Sauna Session, which happened online, Alicia and Lucia shared about mental health in personal and professional settings.
Now that we all have to stay indoors and to keep us all inspired, I wanted to share great examples of work setups. Let me present the workspaces of Vithu from the second UX Sauna Session and of Heeji, UX designer in Toronto!
How Vithu Makes the Most of His Spaces
This is Aziz, Vithu’s cat living his best life, looking out the window.
You might know Vithu from the second UX Sauna Session: he is a product design lead at Sportlogiq. He is also growing his own startup Firstbloom for those of you who are coffee lovers! (Psstt, check out the app).
For some of us, working in the same setting and for too long can become uninspiring and even unproductive. But guess what? Vithu has found a brilliant solution which is creating three workspaces in his home: one as close as possible to the sun, a standing setup and a conventional (and very aesthetically pleasing, if I may) setup with a monitor.
In the morning, Vithu starts in the kitchen to take advantage of the direct sunlight coming through the windows. That makes him feel like he is outdoors ☀️😀 (and boy, we do need that sun right now, lol). Then, he has a dedicated standing desk setup that is “a good change considering how much time I spend sitting” for him.
Here’s why he made it work:
“I got sick of really quickly is being in my office all day so I started finding other spots where I can get work done productively.”
Vithu’s clean standing desk setup, in Montreal, QC.
His desk setup with a monitor. Did you notice how beautifully the wood contrasts with the rest?
Some cool details to mention
One of the first things Vithu bought with his partner is a whiteboard so they could “get ideas down and do more work off of the computer.”
He uses a couple of collaboration tools that allow for effective asynchronous communication: Notion (perfect for organizing your thoughts), Miro and Figma (best collaborative prototyping tool). For Vithu, Miro has been “ the best stand-in for whiteboarding in person during the COVID crisis.”
Books. You can find Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit at his standing desk for those who are looking for books for your reading list.
How Heeji leaves space for colour, exploration and play
Heeji is saying hello to all of you! She is a fresh graduate from Interaction Design program at Sheridan College. Her main focus is product design and UX research. She makes digital illustrations on the side (check out her Instagram).
For her, curiosity and empathy are two key things that drive her as a designer, and she is always looking for opportunities to build things that matter to the world.
When she is no looking for problems to tackle, you can find her drawing fat cats (like adorable fat cats 😍). Follow her on Twitter and Instagram to get updates on her processes and thoughts!
Heeji’s cute setup in Toronto, ON.
When it comes to her work setup, let’s hear from her directly:
“Working from home has been going pretty well for me, since I'm a student and I'm used to this kind of routine. But I'm also starting to realize that being a hermit is only nice when I have the choice to be so.”
Thankfully, I have my graduate thesis to keep me busy! I'm designing and developing an app named Wander. It helps people notice unrealistic and negative thinking patterns, and replace them with something more manageable and positive (what a fitting timing to be working on this). It really feels like we are living in the time of uncertainty, and I'm learning that we need to find more effective ways to mitigate what we feel, during times like this.”
“I also picked my illustration hobby back up. I haven't really had time to sit down and work on non-digital drawings especially being a 4th year student, so this is quickly becoming my go-to activity to distract myself from having anxious thoughts.”
“And of course, I've been spending hours playing Animal Crossing: New Horizon! It gives me the illusion of living on a remote, beautiful island, which is something I really need right now.”
Let’s highlight some quirky things in her space
I love her bright yellow Nintendo Switch sitting at the edge of the table. It is perfect for escaping during a work break.
Have you seen her impressive amount of markers!
Heeji’s setup includes a healthy snack: extremely important when you are a creative working from home. Thank you for reminding us Heeji 😇.
Books. You can find Jane Jacobs’ Death and Life of great American Cities. In my opinion, it is a must-read for everyone, but most importantly for designers. Check out what else is on Heeji’s reading list:
Do you want to share your work setup with us?
Anddd, here you go team! These are two different yet inspiring setups that we can learn from. If you have a setup with photos that you would like to share with the community, don’t hesitate to reach me directly, alright? I am going to leave you with Vithu’s Tweets that I found relevant, thoughtful and amusing.
If you want to chat about design, research or just connect, do it! Enjoy and talk soon!