Jason Andrews

As designers, we are in a constant search for improvement. I believe those who choose a career in UX design are naturally inclined to endlessly seek better ways, better organization. And this drive extends beyond our professional duties—it's about enhancing our work environments, our spaces, and more. While this tendency isn't exclusive to UX designers, in my experience, it's what led me to transition from sales to service and marketing, front-end development, and ultimately, UX/UI design. When you study UX, it can seem like everything is coming up roses. UX is a fast-growing, dynamic, and flexible discipline where you're meant to make a real difference! A UX designer is someone who keeps the user's best interests at heart, advocating for a better digital future. But in reality, this path is not as clear or straightforward as a yellow brick road. Many UX designers face challenges within traditionally structured development teams, dealing with company politics and leaders who may not even understand why we were hired. Our colleagues often don't know the difference between a UX designer, a UI designer, or a graphic designer—and that's not their fault. It's just the way things are. In my opinion, the first two qualities any designer must have are thick skin and patience. It's crucial to have seasoned UX professionals like Joe Natoli backing us up. Listening to someone with real experience, who tells it like it is without any sugarcoating, is a sanity check for many of us. The reality of UX is not as glamorous as it might appear online. At the end of the day, it's a real job, but it can be just as fulfilling as promised if we don't give up on the UX vision and continue moving forward, one small step at a time. I want to thank Joe Natoli for his dedication to helping UX designers understand their potential, for the invaluable experience he shares so openly, and for the sanity check and unity he brings to all UX professionals who need it.

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This week, I watched a roundtable on connecting design systems to business value organized by Into Design Systems Community & Conference. A big thanks to the experts for sharing their knowledge! Elyse Holladay, Staff Design Engineer @ Color Marcela Rodriguez Joos, Design System Leader @ UPS Adam Lagerhausen, Sr. Product Marketing Manager @ Omlet Brian Alfaro, Design Lead @ The Washington Post It’s not always easy to directly connect the value of a design system to business metrics like conversion rates. However, here are a few key business benefits: 💥 Scalability: Supports product expansion with minimal redesign efforts. 💥 Reduced Maintenance: Lowers future costs by minimizing tech debt and keeping designs up-to-date. 💥 Reduced Tech Debt: Lowers long-term maintenance by standardizing code and design assets.

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Highlighting my newest article on Making Research outputs actionable. https://lnkd.in/eS48shQz #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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To all my UX Friends in the Richmond, VA area! The 2024 UX Census (RVA) Survey opens next Monday, September 16th! Get ready to participate in the annual survey that helps bring more transparency to the UX Careers in #RVA with questions on key skills, industries, job titles, salaries, etc. The more people who participate... the better the insights are. 💡 #uxcareers #richmondva #ux #design #productdesign #content

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Curious about your strengths as a UI/UX Designer? This tool helps you gain valuable insights through 360° peer feedback and self-assessment. Understand your current skill level and uncover areas for growth to elevate your design career. https://lnkd.in/e4h96iAN

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If you want to be really, really good at UX... Focus on what really matters and avoid making dumb mistakes. What matters: -Stakeholder buy in and commitment -Good user research -Iterative design + testing with users -Detailed specifications and robust component libraries -Extensive QA testing to flush out the bugs before shipping Dumb mistakes: -Berating design suggestions from non-UX team members -Behaving like design prima donnas, thinking that designers can do no wrong -Whining about not having a seat at the table when you have neither earned it nor demonstrated the capacity to sit there -Criticizing engineers and PMs for behaving like engineers and PMs Note: both lists are incomplete, but hopefully they give the gist #ux  #userexperience  #userresearch #design

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As a design leader, you work for your team—not the other way around. Learn how to keep your #UXteam happy, creative, and always on schedule. https://lnkd.in/eksZbUXM #DesignLeadership #TeamManagement #UXDesign #Productivity

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Check out this workshop series if you are interested in design leadership or wondering what it's about!

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Very interesting article on the process of showcasing the results of research to stakeholders. https://lnkd.in/eyzx_4Sg #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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Accessibility - Impairments to consider while designing for users with #disabilities #UXBestPractices #Accessibility #UXDesign

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UX Research Bingo! Adding fun to insightful sessions User Experience Research (UXR) can be an intense and detail-oriented process, but who says it can’t be fun? Introducing “UX Research Bingo” — a lighthearted way to make your research sessions more engaging while staying productive. This is not only a game but adds an extra layer of enjoyment and also helps the team be attentive and recognize common patterns in user feedback. I have created this after getting inspired by Greta van der Merwe’s UX Writer Bingo article.

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Some of these may be self-evident, but a worthy reminder of certain qualities to keep in mind when navigating a career and challenging job markets. https://lnkd.in/eF4jbJrC #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui #ai #genai 

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Great article explaining design systems and how best to use them.

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#FridayFindings from #UserResearch: #insurance #policyholders will not memorize or even remember significant details of their policy, however, they expect #quickaccess to and #digestibledetails of their policy in moments of need. #uxresearch #uxfinding #researchinsight #userinformeddesign #design #designandresearch #insurancecustomers #insurancepolicies #customerinsight #customerbehavior

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GET WORK

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