UX designers should be aware of other teams and departments that have a wealth of customer data and insights. They might even talk to customers more than you! Instead of competing with these teams, designers can partner and collaborate with them. Here are some things to look for as you begin looking around your current company: Which teams have automation tools or reporting features that can funnel information to you? Which teams confront the strongest customer pain? Some teams (like Customer Support) hear it all day long. They can help you identify it. What are leaders in the company saying ..read more

I recently wrote about what I learned from interviews with software engineers about their needs from UX research. In those same interviews, I uncovered several insights about managing feedback from engineers. Designers and developers have much in common. We’re two of the most creative groups in software development. We’re both constantly creating new things. In that way, both teams compose an important partnership worth nurturing. Read on for highlights from my interviews of actionable takeaways for your team. The design and development partnership Designers should expect feedback Feedback ..read more

How did you land your first couple of positions as a designer? Straight out of high school, I knew I wanted to be a designer. I pursued a four-year bachelor’s program in Interaction Design at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Design school gave me a ton of exposure—to not just the field—but to an array of adjunct staff who were also working professionals at companies like IDEO, Frog, and Google. My first few design gigs were primarily found through my professors and their extended networks. Upon graduating in 2016, I had already gone through the gauntlet with many of my soon-to ..read more

Your side project eventually became your full-time job. How did side projects help you become a better designer? As my side project became my only source of income, I had to become a ‘pragmatic designer’, and focus on profitability over artistic pleasure. Having a side project put me, the designer, in the customer’s shoes. I focus on using design to make my business profitable: convert visitors to users, make users so happy that they become customers. It’s less art for the art’s sake than when I was a freelancer. I prefer to ship quickly over procrastinating because a design is not good enough ..read more

What’s the process for how you plan out a research project? My process for planning out research can be incredibly elegant or extremely scrappy—it always comes down to the different needs and constraints of an organization. Some companies have extra time and resources, but others just don’t and, as researchers, we are here to make it work. One part of the process that I never say no to is an intake document (check out a template here!). As soon as someone pings me about a research project, I send them over this document to help them organize their thoughts around the project and give me more c ..read more

Insights from interviews with software engineers about how user research helps them create better experiences. User research isn’t only for designers. Research insights make teams and companies successful by helping them focus and deliver real value. Software developers and engineers, for example, are often a group who is overlooked when considering user research. I interviewed several software engineers to learn about their preferences, workflows, and habits regarding user research. Opinions and working styles vary from person to person! Use these ideas as a starting point to improve collabo ..read more

How did you get into design, and do you wish you had done anything differently? Design was never in my deck of cards. Like many other Asian Americans or Middle Eastern Americans, it seemed like the only choices offered to me at an early age were a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. I don’t fault my parents—like many other loving parents they simply wanted me to be happy which they believed were byproducts of financial security, respect, and helping others. Growing up in America being exposed to both western and eastern values, I found a tension early on between individualism vs. collectivist cultur ..read more

You’ve worked on lots of side projects. How has that helped you become a better designer? I started working on side projects because it’s so fun and such a great learning experience to bring a vision to life. I enjoy being a designer for the same reasons. The difference is, when you work on your own side projects, there is no one else to answer to; it really is all up to you. That type of ownership is rewarding, and when you are in the driver’s seat and must make all the decisions, you need to think through each detail very carefully, which makes you a better designer. I learn something new ea ..read more

You’re very involved in the online design community. How has that helped you become a better designer? Being exposed to the perspectives of other designers across the world and learn from their experiences as well. It has helped me become a better designer because I can exchange ideas and challenges and get many different perspectives on it instead of the feedback being limited to my direct colleagues. Even though I don’t discuss specific design challenges with the designers I know from the community, I do discuss career growth, industry developments and what we can do to build an open communi ..read more

How did you get into product design? And how does your background affect how you approach the job? I always knew I wanted to work in a position that allowed me to be creative. Growing up, I was the kid who was making comic books during class and selling them to everyone at recess for a quarter. That’s just who I am—I love making new things. I remember when I was applying for college, I was set on being an inventor, so I applied to industrial design and business programs, but also to creative writing programs and other random stuff that sounded cool and creative. Nothing technical though. It wa ..read more