Thinkful Webinar Replay || What is UX/UI Design?
The What is UX/UI Design webinar hosted by Dodge McIntosh from Thinkful Webinars was a nice refresh on what I learned about UX/UI from my classes and internships. The webinar was held on February 2nd from 6-7 pm, and it was a very productive hour of relearning what UX exactly is and how broad the concept is. I found it very helpful to see the design process again. McIntosh did a great job explaining how the design process is not as linear as it is shown diagrammatically and how each step can have its own micro-steps and may require repetitions. He also talked about several other UX concepts I found interesting, such as his breakdown of UI design, examples of when to use AB testing or different kinds of user research testing, and a few useful tools UX designers can use.
The part of his presentation I found the most interesting and learned from was how he explained UX thinking. He used a swimlane diagram to explain this, which connected perfectly with my current MIS knowledge. He displayed a swimlane diagram of the user’s experience and explained how designers are required to think about the UX process from the start, each of the decisions the user will have to make throughout their user flow, and how the decisions made by the user might alter the course of the user flow. This connection between swimlane diagrams and UX thinking helped me connect those dots, allowing me to understand both concepts better.
This relates to my current position as an IT Developer Intern, where I develop apps to support insurance systems at United States Liability Insurance, since UX/UI is a significant part of my career path. To get into software development, UX design, or whatever position I end up having relating to my interests, I need to have the skill to think about the solution design from the perspective of the user. Regularly refreshing UX concepts and learning more about it will only benefit my career and allow me to create better solutions for business problems.