"So, the question was, 'How do you convey meaning while keeping it short?'" -GA Instructor, Ted, summarizing a long-winded question by a fellow student
This week, we started our first group project! Each group was assigned a real company with a problem that we have hypothetically been asked to solve. My group is designing a system that motivates LifeLock customers to modify their behavior to adopt best practices in security.
Topics Covered This Week
- Participatory Design
- Design Critique
- Surveys & Screeners
- Interview Techniques
- Contextual Inquiry
- Design and Research Synthesis Methods
- Personas and Scenarios
- Writing and Composition
- Feature Prioritization and Minimum Viable Products
Skills Practiced This Week
- Collaboration
- Affinity Maps
- Gamestorming
- Concept Modeling
- Contextual Inquiry
- Interviewing
- Surveying
Communication Skills = Crucial!
Working collaboratively on our first group project has required us to thoroughly articulate every design decision we make. Coming to consensus can be difficult and time consuming, but now that we've flushed out every decision, I feel much more confident about the design that is to come and the process is backing it up.
I have seen an improvement in all of our communication skills in just one week. One major plus for General Assembly's program is this collaboration that the immersive environment allows.
Guest Speakers
We had a couple of inspiring speakers this week! Here are a few of my takeaways:
- Megan Timney from Inkling
- Make sure your designs actually solve a problem.
- Always ask "Why?".
- Brian OKelley from FutureDraft
- Make LIVE design changes! It builds trust and gets everyone on the same page.
- Involve the client throughout the design process and there will never be a "big reveal".
Career Advice This Week
- Update your LinkedIn profile
- Your headline is the most important piece of real estate on your profile. Make sure it is clear!
- Make sure skills area is clean, and that UX skills are on top
- Highlight any transferrable skills from your past work experience.
- Read newsletters from TechCrunch, Venture Beat, and Crunchbase. Companies that have been recently funded are probably hiring!
- As always, network.
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