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Article by Nate Schloesser
The Myth of The Self-Made Designer
  • In the article, the author dispels a common myth about a self-made or self-taught designer providing arguments based on his own experience.
  • According to the author, there are five key aspects to becoming a designer, all of them come from sources outside of self:
    1. Education
    2. Experiences
    3. Opportunities
    4. People
    5. Time
  • The pursuit of being “self-made” can be dangerous for designers as it can involve ignorance, arrogance, and isolation.
  • Designers need each other as they learn from each other. External help, advice, expertise, and feedback from fellow colleagues can be a determinant of professional success.
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10 min read

Excellence is deliberate.

Article by Nate Schloesser
Designers, Excellence Is Not Accidental
  • The author speculates on reaching excellence in design backing the arguments with his own experience of delivering product strategy for Internet and Screen Accountability software Covenant Eyes.
  • Excellence in design is not something that comes to you naturally; it is deliberate and comes with effort.
  • Excellence starts with mastering design skills through learning, making mistakes, and, eventually, making a habit of putting to work everything you’ve learned.
  • In the pursuit of excellence, intelligent execution is an essential step. The author advises that you should always take into account the environment in which the plan is to be implemented. Also, you should have a thorough awareness of the framework and the organization you are working with.
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6 min read

Tenets that go beyond disciplines and technical skills.

 
Article by Nate Schloesser
10 Intangibles of Design
  • The process of becoming and being a UX designer is rather complex. 
  • The article proves that the combination of some intangibles makes the difference between an average, dissatisfied designer and a successful designer.
  • Transcend disciplines and technical proficiency with these 10 intangibles of design:
    • Always be valuable.
    • Other people’s agenda matter.
    • Always bring an artifact.
    • Design requires tradeoffs.
    • Inquiry over advocacy.
    • Design like you are right, listen like you are wrong.
    • Avoid paralysis by analysis.
    • Move between abstract and concrete.
    • Your resilience will be rewarded.
    • Seek to master your craft more fully.
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11 min read
10 Intangibles of Design

What is identity and how to define it?

Article by Nima Kamoosi
How humans understand identity
  • This article explores the different aspects of how a typical user understands concepts related to identity.
  • In order to explicitly understand abstract terms like “identity”, Nima Kamoosi**,** Founder at Universal Identity, suggests looking closely at the following points:
    • Definitions (reiteration of the basic terms and concepts)
    • Economic activities and mental models (our mental models have evolved with significant influence from the economic activities that help sustain us and our societies)
    • Multi-identity (a person’s self-identity morphs depending on the context of the social circle or context it is embedded in)
    • Identity as a tool (identity-related artifacts and tools)
  • The ultimate goal of understanding the mental models of typical users is building intuitive identity systems and applications.
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13 min read

Based on my own experience, here are the 5 things you need to have in your portfolio to stand a chance of success.

Article by Westley Knight
Share:5 things hiring managers are looking for in your UX portfolio
6 min read

Critiquing is about a way to make sure that each person in the room is as smart as the smartest individual in the team.

Article by Rounak Bose
Share:A Guide to Giving and Receiving Design-centered Critique
6 min read

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