Over the past six months, I had the incredible opportunity to work as a UX/UI Design intern at Ungrammary, India's leading UX design agency. As my intern
ship comes to a close and I prepare to transition into a full-time employee role, I want to reflect on the invaluable experiences and lessons I've gained during this transformative journey.
Disclaimer: The points I will talk about in this article are based on my experiences during my UI/UX internship at UG, which helped me convert to a full-time role. These may or may not help you because what worked for me might not work for everyone. So please make your judgment before following anything.
Let's get started…
Comprehending the Role of a UX Designer:
Previously, I believed I understood the responsibilities of a UX/UI designer after completing an online course. I thought my main tasks were creating wireframes and designing interfaces. However, upon entering the industry, I realized there was much more to it. I needed to listen and communicate effectively, grasp the product's goals and requirements, and collaborate well with a diverse team, including stakeholders, product managers, and senior designers. Additionally, I had to explain my design choices, present my work, and gather feedback from everyone involved in the process.
What can you learn from this?
UX/UI designers are not just responsible for creating wireframes and designing interfaces. They must also be good listeners and communicators.
With time you have to build the aptitude to understand the product's requirements and goals and articulate them in design.
A good designer must be able to explain their design decisions, present their designs, and get feedback to collaborate effectively.
Tips/Resources
Talk to people who are working in the industry to get a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Use ADP List to book free sessions with industry designers around the world.
Connect with people on LinkedIn, Twitter(X)
Attend design meet-ups and conferences.
The Significance of Using Established Design Patterns:
One valuable lesson I've learned is how important it is to refer to existing design patterns when making user interfaces. I realized that by studying and using well-established design patterns, I could avoid common mistakes and create better designs. It's essential to find reliable references and also critically assess the design patterns you come across.
What Can You Gain from This?
Learning from established design patterns can save you a lot of time and effort, as you don't have to start from scratch every time.
These patterns are based on years of research and experience. Incorporating them into your work can lead to designs that are more efficient, effective, and user-friendly.
Useful Tips and Resources:
Take a deep dive into Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design Guidelines (These were particularly helpful for me in acing my internship interview).
Check out Pageflows.com, a highly beneficial website.
Read the article by NN group (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-pattern-guidelines/) for more insights.
Design is tool agnostic:
Before my internship, I used to work only in Figma. But during my training, I learned Adobe XD & Protopie to create Hi-fidelity advanced prototypes. I also had to learn 'Overflow', an excellent tool for creating user flow diagrams.
What can you learn from this?
Design is tool agnostic, i.e. tools may come and go, but you must be open to learning new tools/software.
Tips/Resources
Follow the official documentation & videos of the tool you want to learn
Practice a lot. I can watch 100s of videos on Figma, but work is done when I practice it
If you get stuck, ask for help or search on the tools community page
Effective Documentation and Management: During my internship period, I learned that it's important to document my queries and manage them effectively. This ensures that I can capture feedback accurately and implement it efficiently and timely. At first, I used to struggle with this. I keep on forgetting things, but this helped me a lot.
Tips/Resources
As David Allen said, "Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them." So, take notes of your queries as soon as they come up. This will help you to remember them and to track your progress.
Use a systematic approach for documenting queries. I use google sheets and Docs, which help my notes organized and easy to find.
From hating feedback to embracing feedback:
At the start of my internship, I hesitated to receive feedback on my work. Whatever I designed was the best solution, and I didn't want to hear anything that might challenge my ideas. However, gaining more experience, I realized that feedback is essential for growth. It helps me to identify areas where my designs can be improved, and it allows me to learn from others.
I learned to embrace feedback as a catalyst for growth. The constructive feedback from mentors, colleagues, and stakeholders helped me iterate on designs, think clearly, and produce better user experiences.
What can you learn from this?
Learn to embrace feedback. It's a gift and can help you become a better designer.
Feedback is not always about being right or wrong. It is about getting different perspectives on your work so that you can make informed decisions.
Tips/Resources
Remember, the person giving feedback is on your work, not on you. So, listen to feedback with an open mind and avoid getting defensive if you receive feedback that you don't agree with.
Ask for clarification if you don't understand the feedback otherwise, it can lead to wrong design decisions (I suffered from this alot)
Feedback is only sometimes positive. Sometimes, you will receive feedback that you disagree with. It's okay, stay respectful, and ask more questions to understand that person's perspective and then put forward your points logically.
Designing with Scalability and Edge Cases in Mind:
An essential lesson I gained during my design internship was the significance of considering factors beyond immediate requirements. This involves contemplating how a design will evolve as user needs change over time and how it will address unexpected situations, also known as edge cases, that can impact the user experience.
What Can You Take Away from This?
Designing isn't confined to the present moment; it's about crafting adaptable solutions that can evolve alongside users and effectively manage unexpected scenarios.
Helpful Advice and Resources:
Engage in conversations with seasoned designers who have successfully tackled scalability challenges. Collaborate closely with your peers and other designers to uncover potential edge cases and ensure comprehensive design considerations.
UX Writing/Copy:
UX writing is crafting text that helps users understand and interact with a product. Effective UX writing is an integral part of the overall user experience of the product, and it should empathize with the users.
This is one of the aspects that is most overlooked by many designers, and I was no exception
During my early days, I used to write UX copy in a passive tone, in paragraphs, using jargon.
But with the feedback I got from my mentors and with the help of some resources, I started understanding what effective UX Writing looks like, I used to go to products that I love and see how they write UX copies.
Of course, it's an ongoing learning process and I am learning it.
What can you learn from this?
When writing UX copies, use clear and concise language. Avoid jargon and technical terms
Read UX copies of products around you and try to observe it
Keep in mind that UX writing should empathize with the users of the product
Tips/Resources
Apple WWDC video. https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2022/10037/
NN group resources. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-writing-study-guide/
Use tools like ChatGPT, Bard
Asking powerful questions (A game changer for me):
Learning to ask powerful questions can be a game changer for you also
But, it's not just about asking any questions, you need to ask powerful and specific questions that will help you to understand better the problem you are trying to solve, the users you are designing for, and the constraints you are working with which eventually leads to better design solutions.
Let me give you an example
Instead of asking "Hey X, how do you pick the color for UI?",
Ask "Hey X, I have picked red and blue as my primary and secondary colors, but they don't seem to be working together. Can you help me pick colors that will work well together?"
Now which of these questions has a high chance of getting a reply?
This is what asking powerful and specific questions is about
Another example
Instead of asking "What kind of icons should we use?"
Ask "To evoke a sense of playfulness would would animated icons be more effective, or should we focus on simplicity?"
You can clearly see the difference, aren't you?
That's what asking powerful questions is about.
What can you learn from this?
Practice asking powerful questions to uncover the hidden truth and facts about the problem you're solving
The more specific level questions you ask, the better answer you will get from the person you're trying to reach out
Tips/Resources
Read articles on the web (https://hbr.org/2018/05/the-surprising-power-of-questions)
Practice a lot
I'm grateful for the opportunity to have interned at Ungrammary, and I'm excited to continue learning and growing as a UX/UI designer. I hope this is helpful!
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out at divyansh@ungrammary.com
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