In 2018, I had worked two years at my first UX job. I felt like I didn’t know anything. This wasn’t the average imposter syndrome - this was real. There were no design seniors to guide me. There were no real users to learn from. I have a hard time explaining what I did.
I was getting increasingly anxious about the skill gap between me and other designers. When I started my next job I was determined to catch up, so I found a mentor, read hella books, and experimented. And, well, I’m quite satisfied with the results.
Since then, I’ve looked for ways to teach what I learned and help others level-up their career. In 2020, I coached 34 people. In 2021, I want to multiply this by 100. I won’t be able to hop onto 3,400 calls, but if I can write down my method so that people can coach themselves, it should work.
Does this sound interesting? I'm looking for people to help me test these “coaching yourself” ideas, so reply to this email or DM me on Instagram if you want to participate!
My favorite things this week
Video: I was looking for a good way to prioritize hypotheses in a workshop. This video inspired me to try “Approval Voting” and it worked well!
Video: What career path should you choose? If you use your “affinity” to guide you, you’re likely to excel because likely to spend the time honing your craft. Watch this video to help identify what your affinities are. Mine seem to be “Logic” and “Intrapersonal”.
Website: “Cards for Humanity” is a tool that helps you design more inclusively. It creates scenarios I haven’t considered before. Thought-provoking.
Quote of the week
Purpose, people, process. The why, the who, and the how. A great manager constantly asks herself how she can influence these levers to improve her team’s outcomes.
From "The Making of a Manager" by Julie Zhou. Resurfaced using Readwise.