Donovan Lee

For anyone wanting to know anything about ux design from me: I'm not a ux designer. I took the course through Careerfoundry, gave it my all and failed to find a job. Failed to land an interview even. At no point during my course was I told "Hey, this industry is a lot tougher to get into than it previously was" or "you will likely need to network your ass off for years at this point to even sniff out an interview." I opted into the job guarantee and was awarded HALF of my tuition back. That was not what I signed up for. If you are considering entering the field, I would reconsider. If you are considering buying a course with Careerfoundry, I would reconsider. Happy to answer any questions about my experience either in the comments section or through messaging.

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The UX job market in 2024 is a bit of a mixed bag. There are challenges due to recent economic trends, but also reasons for optimism. ✨ Job openings are down significantly from their peak in 2022, with UX being especially impacted. Competition for jobs is high, with many qualified candidates out of work. Here are some tips to help you carve your own career path in UX design given the current competitive job market: 🔹 Master foundational UX design principles 🔹 Specialize in a niche area of UX 🔹 Explore freelance and contract work 🔹 Contribute to open-source projects 🔹 Focus on transferable skills and consider roles in other industries ✨ Bonus tip: Use Lyssna to gather user feedback and validate your designs. Perfect for updating your portfolio! 🔍 #UXDesign #CareerTips #FreelanceDesign #DesignCommunity #Lyssna #usabilitytesting #userexperience #usertesting #userresearch #designthinking #ux

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Hot Take: I don’t ever have to see a designer’s portfolio to know if they are a good hire or not. The best hiring decisions I’ve made have been based on the individuals soft skills alone. I have always just figured that if they didn’t know something, they would figure it out…and guess what? They did. Am I alone in thinking this way? #productdesign #leadership #hiring #softskillsaremoreimportant

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Design Technologists, such a good topic, PJ Onori and I wanted to bring on friend Donnie D'Amato BFA., MA. for the convo. Back when we all started, it was a skill set I had dabbled with, but only with HTML/CSS. Donnie and PJ go head-to-head to talk about their roles as different types of design technologist/ux engineer and how this role is essential for product design and XFN growth, specifically if they can sit with design systems teams. #designsystems #podcast #designengineer #designtechnologist #productdesign #react #html #css

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Great advice. Remove all friction when sending your portfolio. Keep it simple and remove all restrictions.

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Advice for #UX job seekers: Do NOT "spray and pray." It doesn't work. To wit: Every day I get at least 10 connection requests where the person blasts me with a list of what they do and the job they want; its the equivalent of "Hi. I do UX. Hire me." Here are the two big problems with that approach and why, if you do this, you should stop: 1. I am an independent UX consultant; I don’t hire anyone. So not only will pitching me here not help you, it also SCREAMS to me that you don’t really know who I am or what I do. That doesn’t hurt you here because, again, I don’t hire — but if you make the same mistake with a potential employer, they’ll get the same impression. And not only will they ignore you, they’ll talk about you to their colleagues. Moral of the story: pitch your abilities or resume in a way specific to that company and the positions you KNOW they actually have open. This approach you���re taking now — sending the same generic, impersonal bullshit to every possible employer — will only hurt you. 2. Don’t ever just paste your credentials like this. It gives the impression you’re doing it to every person you meet. It also communicates that the only reason you requested a connection is to further your own career, which comes across as very selfish. Instead, take the time to write something that makes the person feel like you really want to work with THEM and them alone. Talk to people like they’re people. Make it a point to communiciate the fact that you know what they do, whrere they work, what kind of work they do. Explain WHY all of that is of interest to you and why you wnat to work with them. Be specific, be clear and treat them with RESPECT in those communications. YES, that's a lot of work. YES, you must do it. There are no shortcuts. #UXcareer #UXjobs #ProductDesign

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A designer's true seniority is not determined by their title, but by their proficiency in both execution and strategic thinking. The trait of a truly senior designer lies in their ability to seamlessly navigate between these two critical roles. 😊

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It’s the small UX tweaks that make a big difference.... Check out David’s & Marta’s recent UX transformations. If you care to see the deeper rationale for each one, check out the full posts on their profiles! #beforevsafter #uxdesign #uidesign

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This month, the spotlight is on User Experience (UX). This article provides a 'UX playbook' - part 1 (with a link into part 2) and discusses some interesting moves. Lucy Collins Ken Groom #UX #UXResearch #WebUsability https://lnkd.in/dvTxiF6f

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Experienced designers decide on a candidate in a single case study. Here's a case structure that will help pick you: 1. Problem Why is your design needed? What problem does it solve? 2. Brainstorming How did you look for a solution to this problem? What did you look at and why? 3. Iterations What were the possible options? Why did you reject them? 4. Solution What was your final decision? Why did you choose it? 5. Feedback and results Tell what results you achieved with this design? Don't show the processes. Instead, tell a story. Use this structure for next case study, and then you'll be hired for that job. ~~~ ✍️ Do you agree? Write down in the comments! ♻️ Reshare if you find it useful.

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The UX job market is in a major correction right now, but don’t give up! 🌟💼 I recently ran a poll that asked ‘What are your top frustrations seeking a UX job?’ and ‘Entry-level scarcity’ took first place.  I put together some tips on how to combat Job Scarcity and get that UX job! 🚀🔑 Keep doing the following consistently and you WILL break through ;) 🔧 Refine Your Skillset: Continuous learning is essential. Take advantage of free or cheap online courses, workshops, and resources to hone your skills and stay ahead of the curve. Consider specializing in niche areas like UX research, interaction design, or accessibility to stand out from the crowd. 📚 Build Your Portfolio: Curate a portfolio that highlights your best work, showcases your design process, and demonstrates your problem-solving abilities. Include case studies, wireframes, prototypes, and user testing insights to provide a comprehensive overview of your capabilities. 🚀✨ Work on Passion Projects: Elevate your UX portfolio by infusing it with passion projects that showcase your creativity, innovation, and dedication to your craft. Craft projects that not only highlight your technical skills but also reflect your genuine enthusiasm for solving real-world problems through design. 🌐 Expand Your Network: Attend industry events, join UX design communities, and engage with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn. Reach out to alumni, mentors, or colleagues for advice, referrals, and informational interviews. You never know where your next opportunity may come from. 💡 Be Proactive: Don't wait for job listings to appear – create your own opportunities. Reach out to companies you admire, pitch your services as a freelance UX designer, or propose redesign projects for existing products or websites. 📝 Optimize Your Job Search: Tailor your resume and cover letter to each job application, emphasizing relevant skills and experiences. Use keywords from job descriptions to ensure your application gets noticed by applicant tracking systems (ATS). Consider seeking feedback on your application materials from mentors or peers to fine-tune your approach. 🧘 Stay Resilient and Positive: Job searching can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but don't lose hope. Stay resilient, maintain a positive mindset, and celebrate small victories along the way. Remember that every rejection is an opportunity to learn and grow. Your perseverance will ultimately pay off. Keep pushing forward, stay focused on your goals, and never underestimate your potential to succeed in the competitive world of UX design. Your dream job is within reach – keep believing and keep striving! 🌟🚀 - Hope this helps!

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Ever notice how many designers flock to Figma tutorials? 🤔 Let me share a different path with you. Imagine investing in your 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 —like Negotiation, Decision-making, Leadership, Time management,... each step propelling you closer to senior designer status. It's not just about tools; it's about mastering the craft holistically. ✨ This is my plan for the rest of 2024💣 What about you?

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Yet another mentee last week told me how hard it is to get off the ground with a Junior UX design job. So many are asking for a minimum of 3 years experience. So how can graduates ever get started. My advice is to focus on the experience you do have, not just job experience. You'll likely have worked on multiple case studies, often in team settings, talk to these. Demo what you do know. You're freshly trained, so can probably draw on methodologies far quicker than us old gits who haven't read up on UX best practices for a while. Be confident in what you know, and don't let a vague job spec potnetially written by a hiring manager who may know little to nothing about UX put you off. #deisgncommunity #designthinking #confidence

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Senior designers are in high demand, but only a few stand out. Here are 5 insights from leading a design staffing agency: 1. Less demand for researchers, more for strategic roles 2. Requests for specialized roles like “design producers” 3. Tons of applications, but only a few match our criteria 4. More demand for permanent, not contracting roles 5. Most positions are private, and only shared with us A few examples of our previous searches are: - A ResearchOps lead, not a DesignOps lead - System(s) designer specialized in tokens - Head of Design for a 20+ design team - Fractional brand designer for an early-stage startup The market for designers evolves quickly. More specific demands than in 2023. - Many permanent roles - Fewer research roles - Many specific roles Companies want generalists. But select for specialists.

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Inspired by personal experience in the labor force.... Why giving test assignments for the designers (mid/senior level) after an interview can be considered a poor idea? 👩🏼‍🎨 Portfolio Sufficiency Designers typically have portfolios that showcase their skills, creativity, and experience. A well-curated portfolio should be sufficient to evaluate a candidate's abilities. Test assignments often duplicate this effort unnecessarily. 🤝 Trust and Professional Respect Requesting a test assignment after an interview can signal a lack of trust in the designer’s portfolio and professional experience. It might suggest that the employer doesn’t believe the candidate’s previous work is indicative of their skills. 👩🏻‍💻 Unfair Labor Practices Sometimes, companies might use test assignments to get free work from candidates. This practice is unethical and can damage the company’s reputation within the design community. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Potential for Bias Test assignments can introduce bias, as they might favor candidates who have more free time or resources to complete them, rather than those who are equally talented but may be constrained by current job commitments or personal responsibilities. 🧚🏼‍♀️ Creativity Inhibition Design work thrives on creativity, which can be stifled by the rigid and high-pressure nature of test assignments. Designers might not perform at their best under these conditions, leading to a misrepresentation of their true potential. And in future 90% of work has nothing similar to test assignement. A more effective approach involves thoroughly reviewing the candidate’s portfolio, conducting detailed interviews, and incorporating real-world scenarios or design challenges discussed during the interview to assess problem-solving skills and creativity. Additionally, employers can connect with past team members or leaders to obtain references. This method respects the candidate’s time, leverages their existing body of work, and provides a more accurate picture of their capabilities.

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Absolutely, the journey of a UX designer is packed with paradoxes and challenges that can often feel overwhelming. Us designers strive to make life easier for users while navigating our own complex challenges, balancing user needs with business goals and technology constraints. Despite the paradoxes, from mastering diverse UX skills that often get overshadowed by tool proficiency to facing unpredictable portfolio evaluations, the rare moments when everything aligns are what keep us driven. Each project is a learning opportunity, pushing us to innovate and refine our craft. This continuous growth fuels not just our professional development but our personal satisfaction as well. So, here's to the resilience, creativity, and those small victories that make being a UX designer truly rewarding. It’s these moments that remind us why we chose this dynamic, sometimes manic discipline. #mondayrants #uxdesigner

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The UX job market is incredibly competitive, and applying early for jobs can make all the difference. To help with this, I designed a site that: - Posts fresh UX jobs daily - Aggregates jobs from dozens of job boards, including UX-specific ones - Helps you get ahead of the crowd Here is the design concept. I’d love to hear your feedback! #UXJobs #CareerGrowth #JobSearch #DesignCommunity

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