See what I’ve been up to lately.
Making.
Building
I am attempting circuitry and programming for the first time. So far the most I’ve been able to achieve is getting lights to turn on and off with a switch, but we all start somewhere. Having to anticipate all the steps that need to go into coding even a simple action has proven to offer an unexpected bonus: training myself to imagine problems and processes on an even more granular level—the way a machine does. In a way, it’s not all that different from imagining all the ways a design potentially could break in production.
For Fun
Recently Completed: A piece for flute and piano—my first new music composition to publicly premiere in over 10 years!
Learning.
How to Work with Developers as a UX Designer
A fun, hands-on workshop from Bitesize UX to reinforce and level up my skills in collaboration with my developer colleagues.
AonaTalks on YouTube
Aona is a UX Researcher who shares content on a lot of great topics. I have found some of her recent videos on surveying and sample sizes to be a helpful starting point as I dig into unmoderated research methods to apply to my own work.
GAA Foundation Coaching Certificate
There are so many parallels between the experience of being on a sports team and collaborating on an Agile team. With any luck, leveling up my skills as an athletic coach will pay as many dividends professionally! This certification, which authorizes the holder to serve officially in an assistant coaching role for the Irish sports of hurling and Gaelic football, includes modules on skills development and fundamentals for coaching children, youth, and adults.
Reading.
Just Enough Research by Erika Hall
Favorite takeaway:
And you don’t even have to get people to care about “research” as a concept, as long as you can get them to embrace reality as a constraint. I like “evidence-based design” as a rallying cry, because if your design isn’t based on evidence, then what is it based on? Keep the focus on shared goals and decisions, (p. 18)
Want to know more?
Let’s chat about what’s next.