How I Embraced Maturity as a UX Designer

Dear UX Designer,

Thank you for the cookies and the holiday cards, lad. The weather has been brutal this winter. I received your letters and will respond to all in due time. I’m glad that you finally completed your online UX courses, but “you’re not a Jedi yet.” Your learning has just begun.

Since you haven’t been successful in securing your first job as a UX designer, may I ask what have you been doing in your spare time besides applying for jobs? Have you read any good books lately or watched instructional videos to increase your knowledge and understanding?

Beware of the Mental Sloth

I would agree that Gatekeepers in the world of UX are a problem indeed, but I hope after reading this, they will not be for you! There is a perfect imbalance between those void of emotional intelligence and those who are not. Can you guess who’s winning this tug-a-war? I suppose this is why the concept, “there are no losers,” resonates with many. Do not be deceived by the poison of such words coated with empathy. You cannot evade the laws of nature, my dear lad. There will always be winners and losers.

“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.” Earl Nightingale

In one of your letters concerning senior designers, you wrote, “It seems like they have a problem with new people and are trying to prevent them from getting into UX.” I don’t believe you are accurate in your assessment but first, let’s deal with you.

One common characteristic shared amongst those seeking to transition into any tech field is the lackadaisical approach. This is especially true for UX design. You mentioned the need to stand out in one of your letters. Unfortunately, there’s nothing reasonable you can do to stand out.

I think you have a great attitude. Try investing more time and effort in yourself as a designer and the work you present to others. That will alleviate much competition since most tend to do just enough to get by. Accepting and doing the bare minimum is an attitude that has paved the road for many imposters to enter into the world of UX, hence your Gatekeeper dilemma.

The Gatekeeper

It may come as a surprise, but the concept of gatekeepers is nothing new to any discipline, or is it a bad thing in and of itself. While some gatekeepers within the UX community are awakening from hibernation, others have been more vocal through the years. I think the question we should be asking ourselves is why? I’ll leave that as homework for you! The term “gatekeepers” has been used to label UX designers who feel obligated to preserve what I can only describe as the culmination of design.

Gatekeepers are typically seniors. Yes, some are arrogant, stubborn, or both. The same could be said of juniors and mid-level designers. We all are people. Yet still, there’s one thing that shouldn’t be overlooked and is essential to our discussion. Senior designers are mostly quite intelligent and skilled professionals (at least for now).

Semantics or Seniors?

There seems to be a lot of spongy thinking as to who actually are seniors, that needs to be addressed. Forgive me in advance for being candid. The task of declaring who is a senior should be confined to those who are skilled practitioners of the discipline itself, who’ve invested years, if not at least a decade in the trenches. They should have a diverse portfolio displaying a high level of critical thinking, problem-solving, and experience with a solid background and professional references that can be verified and recognized by peers of equal competency.

This does not happen in the span of a few years nor should one take pride who occupies the position of such and fall short of the aforementioned criteria. Money is the motivation behind fraud and ignorance serves well as a conduit. This may well be the demise of UX design, but let’s hope for better things.

Beware of Snipers

Etymology is an interesting subject matter. The term gatekeeper is an idea that appeared sometime before the medieval period. This would be label was applied to those who protected the entrance of something, primarily cities, from intruders. They were highly skilled individuals, trusted and relied upon by many. So how do we explain our current understanding of the term gatekeeper today?

Our usage stems from a warped connotation of the word, remote from its definition, serving as the subtle manipulation of oneself and others. Rheotoric is used in the form of pleas for compassion on the surface but underneath, serve to encourage you to ignore, trounce upon, and otherwise help to assassinate the character of seniors (or gatekeepers) who call for a deeper understanding and a more serious approach to UX design.

I would highly advise you to abstain from such people and donot engage in their practices. Designers who condone such behavior do not contribute much to your knowledge, maturity, or understanding. The main objective at this stage in your career is be whole, lacking nothing. Here’s a question you should ask yourself if tempted to follow this trend that was taken the UX design community by storm, “Is this a career transition into a highly specialized discipline or hobby?”

More About You

I would have hoped by now that your zeal would have been met with a level of maturity, enlightening your understanding of the validity of gatekeepers. It is to your benefit to acquire the knowledge you lack as a designer, which they possess. Your thoughts betray you and many others! You’ve embarked upon something far beyond designing apps or websites. On the contrary, this is a lifelong journey along a rigorous path of learning, understanding, and the complexities of problem-solving UX design requires of all. I implore you to embrace personal and professional development.

Who’s putting you down?

You believe seniors are putting you down. How so? Throughout the years I’ve discovered that for some, truth resides in a parallel universe whereby reality ceases to exist. I won’t speak much more on that since I don’t know the details, but I will say that things aren’t always as they appear. I know things aren’t as you imagined, but be patient and that will change. Take this time to examine yourself and make sure your thoughts aren’t derived from the frustration that all encounter finding their first job as a UX designer.

“A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.” Earl Nightingale

Who’s holding you back?

Also, I think you should erase any thoughts of them holding you back. This is not a good thing lad. In other words, unless these individuals you speak of are playing an active role in the hiring process you’re involved in, no one is holding you back.

Most seniors are intelligent enough to understand the impotence of those who seek to prevent others from accomplishing their goals. Again, I think you should spend more time investing in yourself and securing a job. Have you checked the analytics on your portfolio website? How’s your resume looking? Are you actively making connections and building relationships on social media?

A Different Approach

Here are some tips for engaging with seniors on social media, during interviews, and at work that I think will serve you well:

Be humble in word and in deed. For some strange reason, a little learning seems to drive people mad. Yes, you’ve learned some things which are elementary at best. Always remain a tenant of self-improvement.

Train yourself to listen. This is more difficult than you can imagine. Most people hear when what’s needed is listening. Take time to acquire the necessary skills required to actively listen.

Become a good student. The greatest challenge I ever had in my professional career was teaching and mentoring adults. The vast majority of adults cannot be mentored because they fail at the first two tips I’ve given you.

Think. I’m not suggesting that you don’t, because you do. You just need to make it a habit to think deeper than what you have. Some senior designers are liberal, while others want to know that you’re committed to deepening your understanding before they reward you with knowledge, information, or even an ear. So take the time to carefully consider their words. This is good advice for effective communication with anyone.

Be sober. Be prudent. Try to avoid confronting intelligence with ignorance. Don’t become intoxicated by what you think you know. This leads to convincing yourself you know better than those that have real knowledge and experience. The key thing here is to win by losing. You’ll find yourself learning what you don’t know but should.

Sincerely,

The UX Designer