#agilexd

December 17th, 2015

A Letter to my Industry Confidant

Dear Industry Confidant –

I went to my first industry-networking event - AgileXD hosted by Rangle.io!

There were two speakers: Fatima Remtullah – an emerging UX designer and developer, and Matthew Tobiasz – an established UX designer with expertise in lean product design.

For my first event, I was thrilled but nervous so I took a back (well rather far left, second row) seat in the conversation and decided to observe. Fatima was the first speaker. She introduced her journey to Rangle.io  and I was instantly comforted. It can be intimidating to meet people who have known all their lives that this is where they wanted to be. It is comforting to know that her journey, like many others, was a winding road much like my own.  Her journey was inspiring but what I enjoyed the most was that she was transparent about the hurdles.  

She discussed the challenges of an emerging interactive media professional and she discussed the challenges of working in the industry. Her advice was relevant and relatable.

Fatima’s Tips for Success:

1.     Trust and establish yourself as an expert.

2.     Your team is an asset … collaborate

3.     Live style guides bridge the gap for clients

4.     Don’t refactor based on assumptions - remember to sell the process!

5.     Talk to the users (use empathy maps as valuable resources to challenge stereotypes)

6.     6-8-5 rule to iterate- iterate-iterate!

7.     Protoype !

Matthew Tobias – of ThoughtWorks, an industry leader in UX deisgn, was obviously a more experienced professional. His work was engaging and he offered a ton of information.  Matthew offered experience in UX design coupled with agile project management skills. He illustrated how the two disciplines compliment the design process offering dynamic results.  I loved his project approaches – one of which really stuck with me. He said, “when thinking about competitors, have clients think about how their competitors plan to put them out of business.” This is a great way to compete with the market while thinking about the next step.  His talked about his dynamic team – which sounded like a dream – and he suggested organizing my own team based on experience design capabilities: design, interaction, visual and product.  The industry is filled with experts with diverse perspectives – utilize that by choosing a focus.  Finally another tip that resonated with me was to “design as needed.” As a designer, and many designers can related I’m sure, I can tend to focus and fixate on the details running wild with creativity and not necessarily designing for the need it’s boundaries. While thinking outside of the box is fantastic, it is often unrealistic. Matthew’s approach to anticipate the usage and align with the business values is a mantra for designers of all kinds. It allows for more realistic exploration.

It’s a euphoric experience when I leave the classroom and hear working professionals utilize the same skills and tools that I am learning to use. It makes me excited and it makes me feel closer to the end goal. But I suppose that is the difference between a university and college experience. I spent years at Laurier sitting in a classroom and then writing papers and taking tests. Although I explored the work force, it was never quite the same experience because there was always a learning gap that left me feeling unprepared. Within a few months in this new college experience, I feel growth, experience and advancement. I feel my ambition resurfacing.

My take aways…

Branding yourself is key. Even down to their presentation deck, I could tell that both individuals had distinct identities. I left that presentation also realizing the importance of an online portfolio. In an industry like this, digital should be in my brand DNA. (CHECKLIST: develop my online portfolio) I also know that I need to refocus and turn my passion into my hobby and not just a job.  I am not privileged enough to forgo the need for part-time employment during school and so I have the dreaded retail position to sustain the lifestyle. (There’s no shame in retail BTW – you have to do what you have to do).  But what this does is take time away from my personal development. I have often contemplated leaving work to spend more personal time on skill development and the more I absorb from the experiences of those around me, the more I realize that in the long run, these types of personal sacrifices may in fact be more beneficial. (CHECKLIST: spend more time development skills) This means investigating and practicing things outside of the classroom.

Overall, my first meetup made me excited for more to come. I feel reenergized.

Sincerely,