Professional development report
- Kier Vergel de Dios
- May 31, 2020
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 2, 2020
On this page:
Creative industry roles and skills
Changes within the industry
Expert review
Job vacancy analysis
Skills analysis
Planning for the future
One of the struggles of newly graduate college students is to look for a job that suits their skills. As a design student, I can't help but wonder what career path I will take after I finish my UX design course. It can be overwhelming too look for jobs, as most of them require experience and specific skill sets, which can be hard to establish especially for someone who just finished college.
The current global economic and social situation has opened a lot of opportunities for creatives and web-skilled individuals. Many newly graduates seize this opportunity to start and grow their career on design. And as this industry continues to grow and flourish, so are the creative careers involved. In this blog, I will explore these jobs and deepen my understanding of their roles in the creative industry. I will also analyze current industry trends and how they relate to these roles. In addition, I will analyze my skills and look for appropriate job opportunities where these skills align to.
Creative Industry Roles and Skills
There are a number of jobs in the web design industry. The roles depend on the specific tasks involved in creating the product. The roles are discussed in detail below:
Web designer. The web designer is in charge of the overall look and aesthetic of the website. He/she makes decisions with regards to the product design and coordinates with UX designers and developers to implement these design decisions. Currently, the industry has been obsessing about responsive design and intuitiveness, and the web designer is closely involved on implementing such trend in web design. In addition, having a clear understanding of different client's design tastes is a good skill to possess. Each company, client, and user group has their own design preferences. Being able to adapt to these differences and produce impressive design is imperative to attract jobs.
Front-end developers. The web designer works closely with front-end developers whose task is to implement the designer's vision through codes. They are skilled with the complexities of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, and are knowledgeable about current industry trends in terms of front-end development.
UI/UX Designer. Both roles work on creating and designing a smooth process for the website users. The responsibility of these roles continue even after the product was released, as they are involved with user behavior research and usability testings. It is a relatively new and interesting role, as more and more companies seek to hire them to ensure success and customer satisfaction. Little design coding and design skills are involved because their focus is more on how the product feels and flows. They need to be knowledgeable with the principles of interaction, branding, and creation of mock-ups and prototypes.
Back-end developers. Back-end development refers to the server side of development. Developers involved in this branch must be knowledgeable on database management, scripting, and architecture of websites. A back-end engineer should have a clear understanding of programming languages such as Java, Python, Ruby, MySQL and the likes. He/she also know how to troubleshoot system related problems.
Full stack developer. A full stack developer is knowldgeable in both front-end and back-end development.
As I am studying UX design, I decided to explore the roles that a UX designer might assume. The problem with the creative industry is that the roles can be confusing. In most cases, a role is called different names but in essence, the job is just the same. Below are the roles UX designers assume and tasks they do:
UX researcher. The UX researcher plans and makes solutions through direct involvement with potential product users. He/she conducts a thorough analysis of the company and its industry, and use this data to create actionable solutions to propel the company to success. The researcher is expected to be knowledgeable in plotting interviews and data gathering methodologies, and must have a clear grasp of creating user personas, user maps, and usability testings
Content strategist. This role works hand in hand with product managers, stakeholders, and teams to decide the appropriate contents for the product to achieve its goals.
UX designer. As mentioned previously, the classic role of the UX designer is to devise the process for the users.
Visual designer. Unlike the researcher and UX designer, the visual designer is most concerned about the aesthetic value of the product and how the users interact to it. They are in charge in creating the brand and identity of the product, which is important for users to remember the product.
Changes within the industry
In order to be ahead of the game in applying for a job, one must be aware of the changes and developments in the creative industry at present. Having the knowledge of the current trends, advancements , and even the threats, gives an applicant an edge from the others within this competitive industry.
Below are the recent developments that have happened in the industry:
Modular design and low cost development. Templates have been used widely in the industry, but the ongoing trend now are smart templates, or modular designs. This are design pieces that can be used and recycled, thus making the development faster, easier, and cost effective.
Responsive design. Almost all people have mobile devices. For this reason, it is imperative that designers make products that are mobile friendly, and can also be viewed on desktop and other devices.
Chatbots and enhanced customer support. Surprisingly, according to studies, almost 60% of users appreciate automatic chat responses. There are also predictions saying that chatbots will become more popular in the next five years. Live chat is also a trend in customer service. Chat widgets that float in the pages are becoming increasingly popular.
Voice search optimization. Another upcoming trend in the industry is voice search optimization such as Siri and Alexa. These breakthroughs have slowly become popular and surprisingly useful to consumers. These technologies are seen to be integrated to websites and mobile apps for ease of use and optimization.
The rise of APIs (Application Programming Interface). APIs are softwares used to build applications. Due to the development of different devices such as phones, wearable tech, home devices, that can operate through a centralized command, the number of APIs is expected to increase.
Motion UI. To address human's decreasing attention span, designers thought of using animated contents to distract them and also, provide additional interaction.
Cybersecurity. An interview with a friend who works in an SEO company revelead that one of the greatest concerns, and threat in the tech industry nowadays is cybersecurity. The number of fraud from online transactions have been increasing, and designers and developers need to know how to address these pressing concerns as these issues affect customer loyalty and trust.
An aspiring designer who desires to work on the tech industry needs to be aware about these futuristic integrations as employers are constantly looking for innovators.
Expert Analysis: Christine Chun, US based UX Designer
I have been following Christine Chun for a while now on her social media account as I was impressed with her career story. Christine is a US-based product designer famous for her work on Instacart (www.instacart.com) as its product designer. I can relate to her story a lot because like me, she ventured to the industry without any prior experience or a degree in design. She graduated with a science degree (B.S. Chemistry) and worked for a skin care company before jumping on the UX design ship. She quit her previous job with nothing planned out.
She figured out that she want to pursue UX design after numerous coffee sessions with graphic designers, web designers, SEO analysts, accountants, and product analysts. Her passion for creativity, problem solving, and analytical thinking made her decide to pursue UX design.
On her UX blog, she emphasized three effective ways to land on a UX design job without prior experience:
Establish your purpose, or your career mission and vision. She figured out that her passion is in helping people solve everyday problems through analytical thinking and creativity. These are the same values I adhere to and because of that, I think that I can be a good candidate for the same role.
Build your portfolio. Christine emphasized that a UX good portfolio is the one that tells a compelling story, because essentially, your role is to be a story teller. The portfolio should reflect your knowledge of design processes, UX design principles, and sense of visual design. She emphasized that enrolling on a bootcamp dedicated to helping people build their portfolio is a smart investment, especially if you plan to make UX a life long career. This alone, does not guarantee a sweet ending. She said that to take on small projects helps adding up to your experience, and thus attracting companies.
Find support. Connections are important on building a career in UX. This people may include someone who can coach you with design, someone who works in a design company, or a friend who works closely with web developers. While they may not give you jobs, they can help you improve your design skills and UX process which will help you land on regular job in the future.
Learning is a continuous process. Reading and updating yourself on the latest trends in UX is important. Some things are not learned from school but through experiences. Experiences are also a great source of inspiration for your design work.
I browsed through her portfolio and checked out the products she created. Her works reflect her passion on understanding people's plight and their struggles and changing them for the better. You can check out her portfolio here.
Job vacancy analysis
I have searched online for UX jobs and I found two that fit my skills as a new UX designer.
UX/UI Specialist, Reperio Human Capital
I found this job in Indeed.com. Reperio Human Capital is a recruitment agency for jobs companies seeking IT roles. The responsibilites for the role include designing wireframes, conduct research, and carry out testing sessions with potential clients. I was particularly attracted to this job because the requirements do not include years of related experience. It only requires a strong UX portfolio, knowledge of web technologies, and ability to create prototypes. It also requires understanding of testing tools, which I have no knowledge of, but I am willing to work on learning more about it by reading and doing related courses.
UX Designer, Sage
This job posting is from Glassdoor.com. Sage is a company that provides marketing solutions for businesses. High level skills required to do the job include proficiency in prototyping software such as Adobe XD, knowledge of HTML, CSS and APIs, and knowledge of design systems. I am proficient in using Adobe XD as I have been using it for a while now for college projects. I have minimum knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, but I need to familiarize myself with APIs and design systems. Doing a course related to these concepts will be a big help.
Skills Analysis
Based on the potential roles reviewed, I will now analyze and reflect on my own skills, strengths, and areas of improvement to know if I will fit these roles:
STRENGTHS
My greatest strength will be my design skills. I have always been fascinated and interested on making logos, branding, and designing print materials. I have knowledge of design softwares such Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and XD. I have done some freelance work for friends and family, and by far, all of them are happy with my service.
I am organized. I always keep track of my deadlines, and I organize my tasks according to priority and level of importance
I have strong communication and time management skills. I am goal oriented, but open for changes.
My background in healthcare makes me caring, compassionate, and patient, which are also important qualities in the design industry, especially if I assume a UX design role. UX designers need to be empathetic to the clients and users, an important characteristic to ensure success in creating meaningful products.
AREAS TO IMPROVE
A strong portfolio is a must. I need to work on my portfolio contents, especially my UX design case studies. Following Christine's advice on story telling is a great way to improve my existing case studies.
Establishing myself as a 'brand'. There are a lot of aspiring UX designers who are fighting for a place in the design industry. And as the industry becomes more and more saturated, employers look for the best. That is why, a good branding strategy is important to stand out from the rest. I will work on my brand by creating my own design statement that will be unique from the others.
Knowledge of important design systems and software, and development tools is necessary to land on jobs.
Establish more connections within the design industry
Furthering studies will create more opportunities for employment.
Planning the future
Based on these analyses, I have come up with three career development goals:
Portfolio development
Skills enhancement
Establishing connections
These goals will help me become a stronger candidate when I apply for a design job. Within 6 weeks or more, I will work on achieving these goals. I have created a Gantt Chart of my activities for each goal so that I can keep track of my progress. At the end of each week, I will be writing a career journal, outlining how I worked on achieving these goals for the week. Each reflection will be on a separate blog.
Below is my Gantt Chart:
Career development blogs:
Links to my references:
Portfolio (https://kvergeldedios.wixsite.com/artportfolio)
Cover letter and CV in the Home Page
References
Chun, C. 2020, viewed 30 May 2020 <www.chunbuns.com>
Saltis, S. 2020, 8 web developement trend every CTo should expect in 2020, viewed 30 May 2020 <https://www.coredna.com/blogs/web-development-trends#6>
Understanding UX design job titles and their roles 2019, viewed 30 May 2020 <https://medium.com/@designthinker_97912/understanding-ux-design-job-titles-and-their-roles-ee85c1dfd1cb>
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