The mission of this channel is to help you design better and be a better designer. I share my insights and lessons learned (often the hard way) through my journey from a student at UX Design Bootcamp to a Designer at multiple high-growth startups and enterprise-level businesses. The channel thoughtfully covers an array of subjects that explore the intersection of design, career, life, and the intersection of them all.
Whether you're just starting out in UX design, or you're a seasoned pro looking for a fresh perspective, we hope you'll find something valuable here. So stick around as we navigate the complexities of the modern creative career, and find ways to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Hey StuKim! Thank you for such a great and honest review of the course. I enjoyed watching it. Just wanted to clarify, we do have a dedicated community for our students. The Slack channel was a very old channel created nearly 10 years ago. We also JUST launched 2 new modules on Variables + Conditional Statements :) Enjoy!
FYI, Mizko's course recently put in new modules for the new features to Figma. The live updates are free. If you're convinced by this video, benefit from my exclusive 10% discount code: *StuartKim10* via the course link here - shorturl.at/KGyA5
Working on my design BA thesis and so far my mentors have been a torture. Leaving me even more confused and sad after every feedback. They kept on insisting their ideas on me, but at the end I have to remind myself that I will be the one who will defend this thesis. They won't be there.
Sorry to hear that and for what it's worth, I've had similar experiences before. The best mentors tend to give tools and frameworks rather than be prescriptive about tactical things. And as a practitioner I can confirm that the way we learn design doesn't line up with how design is done in practice. It's a lot more fluid and there is often more than one way to do things.
Thanks for the note! I'll update those. For your question about UX Writing. Check out www.nicolefenton.com/ She consulted for my team once and it was really thoughtful. She also has a book.
So glad you took your time to check out the video! Yep! Planning out videos for another season. I'm working on some other templates and materials to go along with them too. If you have burning questions you'd love for me to cover in the videos, let me know!
Hey! Volley (the company) shutdown so I'm looking for another platform. If you're still interested. Shoot me an email or DM with your contact. My contact is listed at stuartkim.design
LOVE/NEEDED THIS. Been struggling to do a case study for a hackathon I completed. I wasn't totally satisfied with the project and had a lot of issues come up.. in the end I think we did the best with what we had. Excited to try it out
This was by far the most impactful video I've watched regarding the presentation of UX case studies. I bought your guide for $0, but once I've landed a job I want to buy it again for some $$$ just to thank you! Cheers!
This is genuinely super helpful. I've never done a bootcamp but I'm a game UI/UX designer and I find case studies to be a difficult aspect of my portfolio. They always seem far too long and I know that recruiters in my industry will not read all of that text, or scroll that far down the page. You showed some ideas on how to really streamline some of the information required. I'm feeling confident about my next portfolio redesign :)
Hi StuKim! Been loving the content and I really enjoy the way that you break down and teach design! Can't wait to see more videos! I was wondering if you're still working with DesignLab as a mentor? I'm currently in DesignLab Phase 2 and I was wondering if you had any more spots for mentees if you still do work as a mentor!
hey! thanks for the kind words and I'm so glad the content is helpful! I'm still with designlab but I'm only doing career services on a limited basis. Is that what you need or are you looking for more hands on mentoring for the Academy?
@@StuKim_DesignLead Right now I'm in the portfolio stages and working on my final project! I think I'm really struggling on understanding where I am as a designer and what I need to do to improve my process (been having a hard time with designlab mentors) Entering career services within the next month or so and I'd love to work with you in career services if you have spots for mentees still! I understand if not tho, life definitely gets busy!
Not necessarily though they are the type of industries that may not be as sensitive to general market movements. The nature of the downturn matters. Also, layoffs can be arbitrary and memetic in nature. I wish I could give you a more firm answer. If you're trying to assess if this is a criteria for where you should work, I'd say it's not a reliable factor.
Whats the beat way to get into ux with no experience in tech or a degree I worked in the trades before but want to switch still trying to figure it out while learning about it
There are many layers and nuances to what you're asking but I'll just break down the first couple of big buckets to get you started. First - The beauty of working in design is that you get to show your work vs only talking about your work. This means that your end goal as a new person would be to develop a compelling portfolio. Step 1 - Learn the breadth of design. This means definitions, general ideas, base concepts, etc. You can do this via the internet plus books. If you're into it, Ssme places ofter intro courses to see if you'd like to do a full bootcamp (Designlab does the feeler course very well). Step 2 - Learn a design tool. Figma is a popular one right now Step 3 - Create a case study and put it on your portfolio Step 3B - Create a case study for a real life project and put it on your portfolio.
Thank you so much for this video! Really loved it and I wish you have other case study feedbacks that can be shared. It helped me to reflect on my case study.
I'm so sorry to hear that. Frankly that has been my biggest complaint to DesignLab. The market is so saturated that a key differentiator is a real-life commercial case study. It could be for a family/friend's business, volunteer work, freelance gigs, etc. My cold/tough advice to folks has been to hustle to try and get a commercial case study. The real-life problems that you can talk about via those projects will make your candidacy that much more trustworthy and believable.
Love the concept, bringing others into the channel...especially engineers who are so important in the UX work flow. Looking forward to seeing who else you bring in!
Thanks so much! And you watched til the end! You're my hero! If there are other things you're wondering about, I'd love to know. I'm always looking for content ideas that my subscribers will find helpful.
Thanks so much Ivan 🙏. I'd love to know the questions you're thinking through either with this video or anything related to design. Perhaps I can make some of those questions into a video.
Honestly, I think this is the best approach. You come off as thoughtful yet don't claim you know everything. Without attaching yourself to the outcome, you free yourself of needing to defend but open up to an honest conversation.
Hey Stuart! I really liked that you posted this video; this is definitely something I have been thinking a lot about. The plot twist though... ( *blasts off in outer space* ) 🤩
@@StuKim_DesignLead will do!! Quick question if we would it be okay I sent you a LinkedIn connect request? I am Working on my first case project and would love feedback from someone in the industry thank you.
@@adriannamartin5992 hey! Thanks for reaching out about this. If it's some consulting or mentorship sessions you're looking for, I'm working on a way for folks to engage with me that way and that would be my preferred way to work with you. I usually connect on LinkedIn with folks that I've talked to or met at least once so that when I need to reach out to help others via my network, It has a better chance of working out. Hope you understand. Let me know if you're interested in some mentoring sessions. If you're in a rush, I can even refer you to people I trust.
@@StuKim_DesignLead No worries!! I thought I’d at least ask. Thank you for replying so quickly and offering this confetti free. As free as the program your working on for mentorship’s sounds amazing. If there is an email list I would love to be on it. I am interested in mentorships but I’m not in a rush right now. Thanks again 😊
0:52 - a familiar story 2:00 - an unusual gift 3:00 - the problem with what we were taught 3:57 - the lessons learned 5:51 - bad strategy is common 7:30 - for the designers I care about
Hello Stu, I just stumbled across your youtube channel and I'm finding a lot of the content you're putting out super valuable. Do you have any advice on what to do when product owners come to you with already a decided upon solution?
Thanks so much for checking out the videos and I'm so glad it's resonating with you! So, what you're describing is a perennial "problem" of being a designer. In other words, it's normal and may always be around... Addressing this comes in two parts, mindset and design process. My latest videos cover a bunch of these advanced topics. I recommend you start there. There one about my design process (Lean methods and strategies) and there is also another one about how to collaborate.
