Tips for yourself in youth (design version)

I moved to San Francisco in 2013 as a junior designer with quite a bit of experience and a great desire to plunge into the world of design. I have experienced a lot in the last 4 years - and I still have a lot to learn as a designer and professional in my field - I decided to write down some of the biggest lessons that I would like to teach myself from the past, at the time when I moved in San Francisco

Find Mentors for Everything

The ideal mentor who will teach you everything you need for a successful career is quite a rare case. When I finally renounced this imaginary image of an ideal mentor, I began to see teachers everywhere in my environment. Every person you meet can teach you something. Some of my best mentors did not know anything about design, but they helped me communicate, feed myself and be a leader. The marketing director at one of my first jobs was a great mentor. He had nothing to do with design, but he taught me a lot about communication and immediate feedback. Mark taught me the value of questions and the desire to understand.
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Find a mentor is not necessary to learn everything in a short time, it should be two-way interaction.

Approach your friends, colleagues and family members and absorb everything they tell you. I constantly start such conversations and openly talk about everything that interests me. Getting a mentor does not exist so that you learn everything in a short time, it should be two-way interaction. You have something to give in return, even if it's just ears ready to listen.

Go to meetings and conferences

Freelancing events are a great way to find a community and make connections. Not all meetings / conferences / events are the same. Alternate them until you find those who have an association that you can join. But watch how you present yourself - designers have a habit of tying up a lot of “I” in work. Share what you are working on and your hobbies about, but be open to what others find interesting. One of the first meetings I went to San Francisco for was the enterprise of UX designers. I thought these people were crazy, “Why don't you want to directly connect with consumers?”. Four years have passed and I am standing in the corporate software camp and I like it.

Making informed decisions and quick judgments is what we do for a living, but we all know what to judge, not knowing all the facts, this is a bad idea. Do not strive to condemn the choice of the profession of other people. Listen and learn.

Connect with people using Twitter (use Twitter as a tool)

Twitter is a powerful tool and I find it as useful (if not more) like LinkedIn, which helped me in my design career. I used Twitter as a business card and a way to connect with people I respect, like other designers in SF. I would say about a quarter of them actually answered my questions or a desire to contact them. At first it upset me. But this is absolutely normal. People are busy and skip some news in their feed, especially if they have a lot of subscribers. Look for real connections and do what seems right to you. But Twitter is not for everyone, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work for you.

Find a well-established team

When I first started, I did a lot of work as a single designer. Sometimes you have to do this to create a portfolio for yourself and prove who you really are. However, if you get the first chance to work with an experienced team - agree. In working with an experienced team, I refused to pay and change names, and I can say that it paid off in the long run.

Learn about other people's work.

Find out what the people around you do. They can be those who write code to bring your projects to life, those who sell your product or those who work with customers who were dissatisfied with your choice of design. You have something to learn from them to become a better specialist and as a result the best designer.

I sat opposite the customer support team in an online commerce company I worked for a few years ago. The stories they told me, sometimes even funny, were a clear indication of poor communication in the final flow of the order. They helped improve the verification methodology, which has benefited our customers and made the work of the support team easier.

Stay inspired, not scared

Easily flip through your Instagram or Dribbble feed and feel overwhelmed. I myself experience it from time to time. Beware of things that suck out your energy and make you say, "I am not good enough." I feel inspired to communicate with other designers on a friendly level. Sometimes I get it from meeting new people at meetings or talking with friends over a beer. Express your disappointments, but do not dwell on them; Try to absorb the passion of other designers in your conversations. She is extremely contagious.

Teach to learn

You can learn a concept at a much deeper level when you try to explain it to others. It expands your consciousness, allowing you to take into account all the details of the problem. This is very important in practice, even if you do not start with design. If you know something useful about cooking, photography, traveling or even about the daily routine, chances are that you know what others do not know. Writing blog posts or having a meeting with a friend / colleague would be a good start.

Understand business

Learn how the numbers converge to make your company successful. It’s easy to figure out how to create perfect pixel icons or adjust a custom map, but all this will not make any sense if you are not paid. My diploma in business helped me a lot in this area. If you are not so savvy, ask some simple questions about income, customer retention and company growth. They can be extremely popular. I do not work in a company I don’t believe in, because its success / failure affects me. When you first start, you cannot always afford to choose, but it is important to ask questions and be aware of the state of the company for your own job security and career growth.

Respect the process (visual inspection, UX, command)

Learning a good process and practicing it is a great skill in itself. A good designer can sit in the corner and make his way to an impressive design. An excellent designer can bring with him a whole team. The process is always on, so do not be afraid to repeat. Adapt your process to meet new challenges. This is a large area for receiving feedback to help improve and / or inquire about other perspectives.

Play the role until the role becomes you

Everyone in the industry says so. Many of them are still pretending. You will be surprised how many people you are looking at today are still learning something new. And more than likely, there is something you could teach them.

Be patient with yourself

You will not become a great designer overnight. You are already ahead of the game because you are reading this article. Find a balance in your life. Design is what you do, not you.

What advice would you give yourself to a young man?

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The translation was made with the support of the EDISON Software company, which is professionally engaged in software design (here are examples of technical specifications: one , two , three ), as well as software development for large customers ( microtomograph , mobile communications , city ​​lighting ).

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