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How to Be a Better UI/UX Designer with Sharon Onyinye
23:39 with TreehouseSharon Onyinye discusses practical steps designers can take to level up.
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[MUSIC]
0:00
Well, we have a wonderful Festival
day to get to and we're so excited.
0:03
We're going to kick things off right now
with our first speaker Sharon Onyinye.
0:08
She is a UX designer and
illustrator who is very passionate about
0:14
knowledge sharing,
data driven design and technology.
0:19
She is based in Berlin Germany, but
is originally from Lagos, Nigeria.
0:23
Please welcome Sharon.
0:28
>> So as Tony mentioned,
my name is Sharon Onyinye.
0:32
I am a UX designer and illustrator.
0:35
I have about five years of
experience not working in tech.
0:37
So when I say working in tech,
I mean basically from design to code.
0:41
I started out as a graphic designer and
0:46
now I'm working full time in a company
called HelloFresh as the UX designer.
0:49
I live in Germany, but
I'm originally from Nigeria.
0:54
So I was thinking we could
start from the basics.
0:59
What is UX Design?
1:02
Some of us already have a fair idea,
1:05
but I'm thinking it might be great
to just go back to the basics.
1:07
So essentially UX design focuses on
the interaction between real human
1:13
users obviously like yourself and me,
and everyday products and services.
1:17
This ranges from websites,
apps, coffee machines,
1:22
your remote control, your TV,
your radio, your phone, everything.
1:25
It's an extremely varied disciplined and
it combines various aspects of everything
1:31
from psychology, business, market research
design, and of course technology.
1:36
This definition I quite love because
it covers quite a lot of what
1:40
UX design is which is a really
amazing mix of different things.
1:45
Now for
us to know how to get better at something,
1:53
I think it's important that
we know what exactly we do.
1:55
So how do we get better at those things
that UI UX designers actually do?
1:59
So just like this cute little guy,
we wear many hats, we do a lot of things.
2:05
So the core of it really is
being an advocate for the users.
2:11
But as we know, beyond just user needs,
we also have business needs.
2:16
So as a UX designer, it is going to
be your duty to find the ability to
2:22
strike the balance between those two.
2:26
So meeting user needs ensuring
that your users are happy,
2:29
your users are able to achieve their goals
with a particular product or service.
2:32
And of course being able to
meet your business needs and
2:37
requirements for whatever products or
service that you are offering.
2:41
Now what are some tasks and
responsibilities?
2:48
Of course, you would do the common
things that I think everyone's more or
2:51
less aware of which would be designing
the wireframes and prototypes.
2:55
Setting up design systems and
style guides.
2:59
Design systems is like a foundation
building blocks that you can use to build
3:02
new things designwise, so components that
come together to form patterns and so on.
3:07
Then of course doing usability tests and
research.
3:12
In some cases some companies have like
designated people to do these but
3:15
in a lot of cases, it may not be.
3:19
And you might find yourself having to do
these and even if there are designated
3:21
people, it's an amazing thing
to know how these things work so
3:25
you would definitely be a part of it.
3:29
Organizing UX workshops and
design sprints, so
3:32
like facilitating workshops,
getting people to talk and share ideas,
3:35
going or working with stakeholders and
of course UX writing.
3:39
So these are some really
important tasks and
3:44
responsibilities that you would probably
be involved in on a day to day.
3:47
Now how can you become a UX Pro?
3:52
Going from zero to hero, from nothing
to something, how do we start?
3:54
So I have listed out a couple of really
practical steps that I personally
4:00
have taken that I would encourage you
to take the time out and get into.
4:07
So let's get started with that.
4:13
So the first thing is to copy others.
4:16
I know that this topic can be or this
concept rather can be a bit tricky for
4:18
people sometimes because it's like whoa,
copying.
4:23
Aren't you supposed to be original?
4:27
Aren't you supposed to always
come up with your own things?
4:28
Well the truth is when you're starting,
4:31
coming up with new themes
is going to be very hard.
4:33
And especially with visual design,
4:36
your eyes are not necessarily
going to be trained.
4:38
So if you don't have a visual design
background, it's gonna be hard for
4:40
you to kind of really know the elements
that make up a good design.
4:44
So I would always advise you to go online,
look for products that interests you,
4:48
look for designs that you think are cool.
4:52
You can check out anything from Dribble to
the your favorite app on your phone and
4:54
take a look at it.
5:00
So don't just like blindly try to
recreate it but pick it apart.
5:01
Look at the parts of it that you
think that make sense to you and
5:05
the parts of it that don't make
sense to you and ask questions.
5:08
When you're in the process of
intentionally and thoughtfully trying to
5:12
recreate this thing maybe in Figma or
Sketch, whatever design tool it is that
5:16
you're using, you're going to find
yourself asking a lot of questions.
5:20
Why did they use this font?
5:23
Why did they take this approach?
5:25
And just by that,
5:26
you are tuning your mind into the whole
process of thinking like a designer.
5:28
So the next thing is practice often.
5:34
Start with small milestones, studying for
5:37
as little as 15 minutes a day
will go a long, long way.
5:40
So as Dr. Tony even mentioned, 30
minutes a day can go such a long way and
5:44
you commit to it for a while, like three
months or you can start with a week.
5:49
Just promise yourself you're gonna do
15 minutes every day for about a week.
5:54
That will go a long way.
5:58
So it doesn't always have to be something
like maybe redesign or something complex.
6:00
Sometimes just picking up something and
looking at it and writing notes,
6:07
doing like an informal app critique.
6:10
So you can look at an app that
you use of maybe you use Uber,
6:11
maybe you use Instagram and just pick
it apart and think to yourself, what
6:15
are some patterns here that are important
for me to be aware of as a UX designer?
6:20
And constantly getting yourself into
that mindset of thinking as a designer.
6:26
The next thing, the next step,
rather that you would take is networking.
6:32
Expand your network to include
people with similar goals.
6:39
So these are not just gonna be designers,
so developers, young developers,
6:42
young product managers, people who
are doing startups, things like that.
6:46
Join these groups and communities like
this one, attend the meet-ups, hopefully
6:52
virtually for now and then when everything
is over, in person, go for these things.
6:57
Join groups like Facebook groups,
and put yourself out there and
7:04
surround yourself with this.
7:08
One thing I noticed especially when I was
starting out was following a bunch of
7:10
people on social media helped
because anytime I opened up my
7:14
social media accounts and
I would see them doing things.
7:17
It would be inspiring to me.
7:21
It would be so great to see people doing
things that I was interested in and
7:22
sometimes, it would
really pick my interest.
7:27
And it kept me very motivated and
I was able to keep going and
7:30
keep asking questions.
7:34
That mindset would always help me to
keep doing what I was doing at the time.
7:37
And next is to seek feedback.
7:44
Feedback is your best
friend as a designer.
7:46
And the best time to get comfortable
with seeking feedback is now.
7:49
So ask for actionable feedback.
7:54
So when you design something,
you want to ask, does this make sense?
7:59
Would you use something like this?
8:04
Do you understand what this means?
8:06
Does this look good to you?
8:08
So that the feedback that you
get would give you clear and
8:09
concise areas that you can improve on.
8:13
Even till now as
a designer a few years in,
8:15
there is a tendency to feel
a little bit almost like to be
8:19
very protective when
it comes to your work.
8:24
And you need to separate
yourself from your work.
8:28
Your work is one thing and
you are another thing.
8:31
And your own job is to
continue improving yourself.
8:34
So when you get that feedback constantly,
8:36
you are going to stop yourself from making
the same mistakes over and over and
8:39
over again, because you've learned
from it because someone has told you.
8:43
This is why it's also important to
join communities like I mentioned in
8:47
the previous slide.
8:51
Because when you ask for feedback,
8:53
you're surrounded by people who most
likely know a little bit more than you or
8:55
are around the same level and
have some very valuable insights for you.
8:59
So become comfortable with asking for
feedback.
9:03
Next up is partner up.
9:08
We know what's better than one designer?
9:10
Two or more, three, form a group.
9:12
Ask yourself what's the problem
you've always wanted to solve and
9:16
just start working on it.
9:21
Start doing some research,
partner up with others and
9:22
you guys can all just form like
a little group and give yourself tasks.
9:26
You can also of course pair up
with developers, product managers,
9:30
generally anyone who is in tech
that you think could add value.
9:34
And these are ultimately the kind of
projects that can enter your portfolio as
9:37
a junior designer, just things that you
don't necessarily have to be so grand.
9:42
They don't have to be so life-changing but
they're just important steps.
9:46
Now this also teaches you how to work
with other people and as a designer,
9:50
that is a huge part of your work,
stakeholder management.
9:55
So you will eventually
work with developers,
9:58
you will work with credit managers.
10:00
So if you can start to get that experience
now even before you have maybe even your
10:02
first job,
Then you would be helping yourself.
10:06
You will be putting yourself
basically miles ahead.
10:09
So learn to team up with others,
learn to set goals.
10:13
Set goals that you can actually achieve.
10:16
Now, another great advantage
of partnering up is the fact
10:19
that you can stay motivated easily.
10:24
So if one person is feeling down,
the other person can say no, no,
10:26
we committed to doing this for
two months and we're going to do it.
10:29
We committed to achieving this
milestone by this particular time and
10:32
we're going to do just that.
10:35
And so just by having that good energy,
that positive energy,
10:38
that drive in your circle,
it helps you to keep going.
10:42
And lastly, I think it's very important
that we remember that it's important to be
10:48
very kind to yourself while
you are on this journey.
10:53
Now, it is usually quite
daunting to learn a new skill.
10:57
It's daunting to start and
see other people doing what you would
11:02
think is better than your,
being able to achieve,
11:06
being able to get certain milestones
supposedly because of you, before you.
11:10
So it's really important that you take out
the time to mark your progress and say,
11:16
even if you're not seeing it, it's there.
11:21
One day you would look at your work
that you did weeks ago, months ago, and
11:24
then look at what you're doing now and
11:28
be fully appreciative of the amount
of progress that you have made.
11:30
Take breaks, courage yourself, relax,
and just enjoy the ride because at
11:35
the end of the day,
it's a journey and it doesn't stop.
11:40
So always remember to be kind to
yourself and to allow yourself,
11:44
allow your brain time to relax.
11:48
So yes, you are on your way
to becoming a superhero.
11:52
Just be patient with yourself and
keep going and
11:56
remember to make small
actionable commitments so,
12:00
So thank you all so much.
12:12
I would like to get into
some questions now.
12:16
So the first one is knowing there is
an overlap, what skills did you have to
12:19
acquire outside of your role as a graphic
designer to become a UX designer?
12:24
Well, actually, yes,
there is an overlap as you mentioned.
12:30
That is really true.
12:34
But you would soon find that
the concepts of design within graphic
12:36
design are actually quite different
from those within UX design.
12:41
So of course,
there's some core principles.
12:45
But when it comes to actually
being aware of mobile principles,
12:47
web principles, and stuff like that,
that was something that I had to work on,
12:51
so understanding how design
works within technology.
12:56
You know how you would learn as a graphic
designer, maybe how to work with
12:59
prints and how to set up your,
I don't know, CMYK versus RGB formats.
13:05
If you're a graphic designer,
you would know things like that.
13:10
So within UX design,
you have to learn mobile-first approaches.
13:13
You have to learn your constraints.
13:17
Then of course, you would also learn,
I also have to get into a lot of UX
13:19
research and
understanding how to ask questions,
13:24
how to solve problems, and
just really trying to understand or
13:28
get into understanding how to solve
problems for users and what users are.
13:32
Another thing I had to learn was general
best practices regarding mobile and web.
13:38
So when you get to
understand those things,
13:44
it really puts you into that mindset.
13:46
So those are some skills that
I had to to really learn.
13:48
Another question is, are developers and
designers open to collaborations or
13:53
are they reluctant to add
more to their plates?
13:58
It depends, you could, it depends on
the kind of people that you are going
14:02
to be working with them,
what their own situations are.
14:07
So if you're looking to
work with other junior or
14:14
people that are just starting out,
14:18
most likely they might not have too
much on their plates and stuff.
14:21
But that would make it easier or
14:26
that would make them rather more open to
collaborations and linking up with you.
14:29
So you may not want to reach out to
someone that already has a full-time job.
14:34
Maybe someone that's still testing
the waters and other people like that, so
14:38
people that are still figuring it out.
14:42
So it's hard to say,
not everybody would be reluctant and
14:45
not everybody will be open.
14:48
But it's helpful to look for people at
a more similar level as yourself, so
14:50
you know how you would manage time and
responsibilities.
14:54
Next question is, I was wondering
if there's a current trend or
14:59
concept in UX that you
are personally really enjoying.
15:03
And in the opposite vein, anything that
makes you wonder why it's a trend?
15:07
Well, one is this is not so
much in design.
15:14
But one thing I do currently enjoy
is that there's this new kind of
15:18
role called design ops.
15:23
And so how it works is basically
design operations where there
15:26
are designers that are specifically
hired to work on design systems and
15:31
to make design systems scalable and
to make them extremely
15:36
useful across all platforms
that they're being created for.
15:41
So personally, I quite really enjoy that.
15:47
We have a few in my company
which is on HelloFresh.
15:50
And working together with them makes
your life so much easier as a designer,
15:52
so definitely that.
15:57
Then something I don't
understand why it's a trend.
15:59
I don't yet understand, forgive me if
you're a fan of this, but I don't yet
16:02
understand your Neumorphism and
why it's a theme.
16:06
I'm not against that.
16:09
I don't hate it or anything, but I just
don't see it being very practical when it
16:10
comes to accessibility standards and
all of that.
16:15
So I think that it still has
a lot more work to improve and
16:18
to finally be a fan and would need
some maybe specific guidelines for
16:21
it to become very accessible and useful.
16:26
So yeah,
I hope that answers your question.
16:29
And from Jason,
do you think it's important for
16:33
new developers to learn
UX design principles?
16:35
For front-end developers,
I would say just having some concepts,
16:38
some understanding of concepts
like accessibility and
16:43
some very basic things
would be very useful.
16:47
And that is also because UX
designers constantly need
16:50
the feedback of developers.
16:53
So I wouldn't say it's a must but
it's a nice to have.
16:56
So if you can gain some knowledge on this,
then I would say, why not?
16:59
It's not top priority, but
definitely if you have the extra time,
17:05
you should go for it.
17:09
Laura says my background is in web design,
mostly information architecture, CSS,
17:11
rather than in graphic design.
17:16
What recommendations would you have for
17:18
me as someone wanting to
transition more into UX science?
17:20
I would say that your background,
first of all, does give you an edge.
17:23
And that's really cool that you have that.
17:27
Information architecture is still
a very core part of UX design till now.
17:30
So I would say, right now,
what would be very important is for
17:35
you to familiarize yourself
with UX-related concepts.
17:38
So just really get getting
into user research,
17:42
familiarizing yourself with products,
core products and
17:46
services that are solving relevant
problems and things like that.
17:50
And of course,
it does help to take UX courses.
17:56
So when you take UX-specific
courses that would take you from
17:59
the basics to explaining some
deeper core concepts, then yeah.
18:04
Another thing I would advise for
18:10
you is since you already do have some
knowledge of it, just start practicing.
18:12
Just start doing something
as soon as you can.
18:16
So don't necessarily wait until you
feel like you have all the answers.
18:19
And yeah, just start at it and
then just keep going.
18:27
How did you learn general best practices?
18:39
Is there a book or
do you follow through and [INAUDIBLE]?
18:42
Well, for one, yes, following Google and
is actually a very good place to start, so
18:45
understanding material design and
things like that.
18:49
But I would say general
best practices are,
18:52
it's just something that you would
do a lot of a bit of research on.
18:55
And it's also to an extent,
some trial and error.
19:00
So you would basically start
from doing some research
19:03
about mobile-first practices and
web-based practices.
19:09
And then, just start reading up on these
things and then also start working on it.
19:15
Then you would also do some research on,
19:20
You would also do some research on
how to basically solve problems and
19:25
what things that you're
supposed to look out for.
19:30
How were you able to get a job in
Germany considering the tech industry is
19:36
competitive there?
19:40
Honestly, I would say when you know
that you're in a competitive market,
19:42
you also have to take extra steps and
do your best, put your best foot forward.
19:47
So there are efforts that you can
make personally on your side.
19:54
And then also when you hear
that something is competitive,
19:57
it doesn't mean that there's no space for
you.
19:59
So it's competitive but
20:02
that doesn't mean that you are not
able to get an opportunity there.
20:03
So I would say, I just tried and
I learned from mistakes and I kept trying.
20:08
So when you're also in competitive fields,
or in competitive environments,
20:15
it's very important
that you try your best.
20:19
And that when you apply and
someone rejects you,
20:21
you find another place and you apply.
20:23
And you learn from your mistakes,
and you basically keep going.
20:25
So basically I didn't give up and I kept
applying even when I got rejections.
20:29
So I think that's a very important aspect.
20:33
What is your philosophy in
deployment of interfaces?
20:40
Is it more important to get something
out ASAP than improve the UX or
20:43
do you need to get everything right?
20:48
The truth is you can't get
everything right at the first time.
20:50
No matter how hard you try,
there's always going to be trade-offs.
20:53
There are always going to be things
that you will have to compromise on.
20:56
So I would say that it's important
that you get the core things right.
20:59
So get your core things right.
21:04
So some very basic, ensuring that your
whatever it is you're launching is usable.
21:05
So it doesn't have like very bad
usable practices, it's responsive, and
21:11
things like.
21:16
Then ensuring that it meets up
with accessibility guidelines and
21:16
things like that.
21:20
So you wanna ensure core
concepts are met and
21:21
core business goals as well are being met,
and core user needs are being met.
21:23
And then from there begins
the process of iteration.
21:27
Iteration is a never ending process.
21:30
For example, HelloFresh has
been around for eight years or
21:32
so, and we're still designing till now.
21:35
So we are making iterations, we're
constantly finding room for improvement.
21:38
But you do have to take the first step and
push the bird out of the nest and
21:41
actually start, and then constantly
iterate and improve from there.
21:46
Would you say voice UX is similar'?
21:53
Any insight on voice UX?
21:56
I mean, generally anything that has,
21:58
a lot of things are related when
it comes to UX design in general.
22:00
And this is one that is
becoming quite popular.
22:05
So yeah,
I would say it's It's a growing niche.
22:08
But I would say familiarize
yourself with core UX concepts,
22:13
get into that, and
then branch out into voice UX.
22:17
Yeah, but
it is definitely a growing trend, and
22:21
as well as AR and VR UX,
those are coming up in a couple of years.
22:25
So if you can familiarize yourself with
it now, then definitely go for it.
22:31
Do you have any recommendations or go to
books on writing for UX and web design?
22:39
There is actually a really nice course
22:44
on Gymnasium by Aquent
that you can search up
22:48
that talks about UX writing for
web design.
22:53
So you can just check that out.
22:58
I don't know if I can type it up.
23:01
It's Gymnasium Aquent.
23:03
You can just Google that.
23:04
And then there is, I think,
UX Writing Hub on Instagram.
23:06
And you can reach out to them.
23:11
They do some really awesome UX trainings.
23:12
So thank you all so, so much.
23:17
I believe that was the last
question that I have time for.
23:19
So yeah, you can search for me.
23:23
I'm on YouTube.
23:25
I have a YouTube channel.
23:26
So you can just search for Sharon Onyinye
and you can check out my videos.
23:27
You can also follow me on Instagram or
connect with me on LinkedIn.
23:31
Thank you all so, so much and
have a lovely, lovely rest of the day.
23:35
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