Sarah Doody’s Post

I can’t see the future but I think in the next few years we will see… More and more people will wanting to get into design and with that the competition to land jobs will rise. While this might seem demotivating at first, it also presents a huge opportunity. In a sea of generalists, niching down and becoming an expert in a specific area within design sets you apart from everyone else even more than it does already. Another thing that will only get bigger is the use of generative AI tools to support the design process. We already have Wireframing and information architecture helpers like Relume and UI tools like creatie. With that, UI design will largely be taken over and product designers need to focus more on developing soft skills like problem-solving, communication, and storytelling. I also think that asynchronous remote work will be more and more normalized and most companies will move to virtual offices. Let me know your predictions for the future of UX in the comments below.

Is it so hard for service-based designers to move to product companies? A Frustrating Reality ⬇️ . . . . . As designers, our craft transcends the labels of "service-based" or "product-based" companies. It’s frustrating to see how much weight the "type" of company we’ve worked for carries in hiring decisions. Service-based? Oh, sorry, you might not have the product mindset. But here’s the thing "Design is Design" Whether it’s for a client or an in-house team, the work is often the same, solving problems, creating great user experiences, and understanding what people need, work that requires similar skills and dedication regardless of the company type. In service companies, designers work on: ✅ Diverse projects across industries, which makes us adaptable. ✅ Tight deadlines that teach us efficiency and prioritization. ✅ End-to-end solutions, from research to delivery. But somehow, this experience is seen as “less than.” As if working for multiple clients means we can’t focus on a single product. It’s frustrating because the skills and impact we bring to the table are no different. Why is this bias still so common? It feels like the market is shutting out talented designers just because of a company label, not the work itself. Anyone else feel this struggle? Let’s talk about it, this is something that needs to change. #ProductDesign #UXDesign #ServiceDesign #DesignIndustry #CareerGrowth #DesignMindset #UXCareer #ServiceVsProduct #InclusiveHiring #DesignSkills

‼️The Importance of Soft Skills for Designers🖥️ Beyond Technical Expertise While technical design skills are essential, soft skills like communication, empathy, teamwork, and adaptability are what truly elevate designers in today’s collaborative environment. 1. Effective Communication Designers must clearly explain the reasoning behind their work, especially when interacting with clients, developers, or product managers. Good communication ensures smooth workflows, client trust, and fewer misunderstandings during handoffs. 2. Empathy for Users & Clients Empathy helps designers connect with both users and clients, understanding deeper needs and balancing business goals with user experience. This leads to designs that resonate emotionally and solve real problems. 3. Collaboration & Teamwork Designers often work with cross-functional teams. Strong collaboration skills help align goals, solve problems faster, and foster a sense of shared ownership in projects. 4. Adaptability & Problem-Solving In a dynamic field, being adaptable is key. Projects can change, and designers must embrace feedback, iterate designs, and adopt new tools or processes quickly. 5. Emotional Intelligence Managing emotions and relationships effectively is crucial. Emotional intelligence helps in handling feedback, managing client expectations, and staying calm in high-pressure situations. Soft skills are not just “nice-to-have”—they’re essential for thriving in the design world. How have these skills helped in your design career? #SoftSkillsForDesigners #Collaboration #EmpathyInDesign #DesignGrowth #UXUI #DesignThinking

I'm a bit tired of the discussions that suggest "product design" should solely refer to the field of industrial design and digital design steals it. This term, 'product' has broad meanings, adapting to our evolving understanding of user needs and design solutions. It used to mainly refer to physical objects, whether crafted by hand or industrialised, before information technology is a thing. As services - incorporating both physical and digital designs, along with problem-solving and experience solutions - are recognised as a new form of products to sell addressing real-world needs, the issue persists is that many - including enterprise recruiters and creatives - aren't fully accustomed to using more specific terms in the workplace, like in job vacancy posts. Try to say, e.g., 'industrial designer', 'industrial engineering designer', 'user researcher and experience designer', 'service designer' and 'user interface designer'. BTW I have just realised LinkedIn Rewrite AI's tone of voice sounds like an over-hyped idiot. . #productdesign #industrialdesign #UIUX #design

🚀 Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch: A Step-by-Step Guide. 🚀 You're in a job interview and your interviewer says, "So, tell me about yourself." How do you normally answer❓ During my job search in 2022 (when I was first pivoting into tech), my mentor helped me develop an elevator pitch. 🛗 Now, it's my turn to share that advice with you! 📝 Let's write your personal elevator pitch in 5-8ish sentences: 1. 🗣️ Intro: Start with a brief introduction of yourself and your role. If you are pivoting, this should be the role you are looking to pivot into. (1 sentence) 2. 🗣️ Education: Mention relevant educational background or qualifications. You can skip this if this doesn't apply to you. You can also switch this with experience if your education is less recent. (1 sentence) 3. 🗣️ Experience: This is where you would highlight your most recent relevant work experiences and achievements, including any role-relevant methodologies and skills. (1-3ish sentences) 4. 🗣️ Other Relevant Methodologies/Skills: Discuss other specific methodologies, skills, or areas of expertise relevant to your role that you haven't mentioned yet. (1-2 sentences) 5. 🗣️ Additional Skillsets: Optionally, transition into any additional skills or experiences that complement your current role. This is especially relevant if you pivoted but have transferrable skills. Always tie it back to the role you're applying to. (1 sentence) 🌱 My elevator pitch from 2022: I’m a UX Researcher with a foundation in Service Design. I have a master’s in UX from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I focused on mixed methods UX research. In my current position as a Service Designer & Researcher at a NASA contractor, I have overhauled all corporate processes and procedures by building a scalable infrastructure to support future company growth. Throughout this project, I have employed various UX research methodologies such as journey mapping, user interviews, contextual inquiries, focus groups, user surveys, and usability testing. Prior to pivoting into UX, I had over a decade of experience as a visual designer, which has served me well in my UX career as I can take projects from planning and problem-scoping through generative research to ideation, sketching, and wireframing. 💭 Further thoughts on the elevator pitch: 💡 Use your resume to help you write steps 3 and 4. 💡 The longer your career, the more you *could* add to steps 3 and 4 but try to keep your elevator pitch to ~1-1.5 minutes. There will be plenty of time to get into the nitty gritty throughout a job interview. Your pitch should be a good high-level intro of who you are and your skills. 💡 Practice saying your elevator pitch out loud to make sure it sounds and feels natural! 💡 Use this elevator pitch for the "No-Ask" policy (if you're unfamiliar, learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewrcGTqP). As you write your elevator pitch, remember: your story is what makes you unique as a candidate! ❄️

This might be a wild idea. LinkedIn is filled with smart design leaders with great intentions who give back by sharing insights and advice. What if popular annual UX industry surveys went beyond answering which design tool is best design tool and turned the focus to survey what hiring managers value in candidates and portfolios? Unfortunately, at the high level, there is no consensus or emergent patterns among the insights and advice provided by leaders. The values of designer leaders and hiring managers appear to be in opposition. - Hiring managers are busy people, job candidates should aim to be concise. No need to provide overly long case studies, get to the point, show the work. 🆚 Show your process, hiring managers want to see that you’re thinking and what you’re thinking - The world is messy, projects are never linear. Perfect final work doesn’t represent reality. Show your messy sketches. 🆚 Messy sketches without context is pointless and hiring managers do not have the time to create context. Get to the point, show the final work. - Candidates should build stories that focus on impact 🆚 Impact is great, but WHO are we working with? Candidates should focus on bringing their personality and personal brand to their stories. - Be open to sharing your Figma files, doing so helps hiring managers understand the way you work and how you handle handoff to developers 🆚 Tools don’t make the designer, thinking does. - Design is never a linear path, the design process is also not a checklist, show us the divergent paths you took to ship this project 🆚 Being able to hit the ground running and deliver is what matters most. - Self directed learners are valued members to have on teams. Candidates with the right attitude can learn to do anything. 🆚 Candidates with direct past experience within specific verticals or industries are most valued. These days, the stakes are high for candidates. It’s important to talk about the ideas we have on The Right Way To Do Things because it’s entirely possible to lose out on a job by picking a strategy that is direct opposition to the values of the hiring manager you interview with. #uxportfolio #uxdesigner #ux #design #portfolio #designer #userexperience

🌟 Navigating the Future as a Designer in a Dynamic Job Market 🌟 As designers, we often find ourselves at the intersection of creativity and technology—a space that’s constantly evolving. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned professional, job seeking in our field requires a blend of adaptability, continuous learning, and strategic networking. 🔍 Job Seeking Tips 1. Showcase Your Work Build an engaging portfolio that not only highlights your skills but also tells your unique design story. Potential employers should see not just what you can do, but how you think. 2. Network Authentically Connect with fellow designers, industry leaders, and potential employers. LinkedIn and design communities are great places to start. Remember, it’s not just about finding a job; it’s about finding the right fit. 3. Stay Current The design industry is ever-changing. Whether it’s learning a new tool, understanding emerging trends, or exploring new methodologies—continuous learning is key to staying relevant. 4. Be Resilient The job search can be challenging, especially in today’s competitive market. Keep pushing forward, refining your approach, and don’t hesitate to seek feedback from peers. 🌐 The Future of Design As we look ahead, the role of a designer will likely evolve further with AI, UX/UI advancements, and a stronger emphasis on sustainability. Staying ahead means embracing these changes, integrating them into our work, and thinking critically about how we can use design to shape the future. In the words of Charles Eames, “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” Let’s continue to refine our plans and create impactful, purposeful work. Here’s to designing the future—one pixel at a time! #DesignCareer #JobSeeking #UIUX #Portfolio #Networking #FutureOfDesign #ContinuousLearning #Resilience

Many designers' jobs aren't what they expected. What they thought it was going to be: • Talking to users • Problem-solving • Usability analysis • Multiple iterations What it is: • Designing what their PM asks for • No tools for tracking behaviour • No time for interviews • No usability testing Before launching my course, I spoke to dozens of designers, and this was a common pattern that emerged. My method to avoid getting stuck in this situation includes: • Understanding the business context you work within • Learning how to communicate the value of your work • Methods for gathering data and aligning stakeholders • Acquiring the skills and frameworks to lead discovery work • Advocating for separate timelines for discovery and delivery ----- The course starts on Monday, last week to book your place. Links to my course and newsletter are on my profile. Here's what a previous student said about it: "Dan's course on product strategy was exactly what I needed to better understand how I can bring my voice as a designer to my team and advocate to work on meaningful features."

Creating your portfolio? Before you get creative, make sure your design portfolio has these essential elements covered first! 👇🏻 ⚡️ Clear Design Documentation: Include research findings, user personas, user journey maps, and sketches. Clearly document your design decisions, the problems you’re solving, and how your solutions meet user and business needs. 📊 Data-Driven Design: Back your design choices with user data, analytics, and A/B testing. Show hiring managers that your designs are both beautiful and effective. 📈 Your Impact: Show the impact of your designs. Highlight any improvements, like increased onboarding completion by X%. 🤝 Teamwork and Communication: Showcase your ability to work in teams. Your portfolio should reflect how you collaborate, share ideas, and incorporate feedback. All the best! You've Got This! 💪🏻 ____________ Follow Manvi Singhwal for more! Like and comment to support. ♻️ Repost to help other designers. #uxdesign #designtips #careergrowth #teamwork #portfoliotips #userexperience #techcareers #datadrivendesign

Landing Your First Gig as a Product Designer Hello Linkedin Fam! Tech4Dev Community is host an exclusive webiner designed to help designers exeptional designers like you grow in your tech career. thanks to our amazing Community manager Paul Andrew . Are you a budding product designer looking for how to land your first gig or more gigs🤔? Join us for an exclusive webinar, "Landing Your First Gig as a Product Designer," where our amazing facilitator Dennis obaro - The Product Designer (UI/UX) will be sharing actionable insights and practical tips to help you secure your first role in product design. Date: Thursday, August 15 2024. Time: 4PM WAT Register Here: https://lnkd.in/edaqQeSQ What You'll Be Learning; ■ Insider tips on essential tips that make you stand out ■ Valuable insights on making a lasting impression on potential employers. ■ How to connect with the right people for recommendations for gigs📌 Don't miss this opportunity! See you at the webinar 😎 . Kindly repost to reach more designers. #ProductDesign #UIUX #DesignCareers #Tech4Dev #Webinar #DesignCommunity #CareerGrowth #DesignJobs #ProductDesigner #LandingYourFirstGig