Same. Fuck.

did u find anything?

how is it going?

@@sontax6264 taking a bootcamp currently

@@Rutawebs taking an immersive ux bootcamp

Where do you want to go in the future?

@@traviskassab220i have no idea. all i know is my passion for ux is now non existent and I truly dont know where to go from here 😅 looking into front end development but thatll take a while to get into and im not crazy about the idea but it would give me an edge with my ux background

I haven't gotten into the field myself yet but advice that I've gotten is knowing your role and making sure your employer knows your role and what they hired you for to prevent the friction your feeling. like i said not a designer myself yet but hope that helped!

Re: “Frontend Dev” Cool, I’m 4 months down a similar path! It might go faster than you think. My advice would be to pick something you’re interested in building for yourself… perhaps your design portfolio. And use ChatGPT as a code assistant liberally. It’s blown me away how effective it is and how you can get started without knowing much code. Honestly, the hardest part is setting up your dev environment for the first time. Best luck and reach out if you need any help: kassab.travis@gmail.com

@Ejahmix, thanks for your input. for sure, having the right expectations is key!

That’s great, I’m happy you got clarity either way! UX is a great tech job, I think you’ll find the remote work and hours worked to be pleasant, compared to something like physical therapy!

Same! I'm a Massage Therapist and all the pros he stated initially were good enough for me to want to go into UX Design.

I’ve been following your journey!

Keep your physical therapy contacts. Sitting all day as a designer, immobile behind a monitor (or 3) will do a number on your body especially as you get older. I'm actually the reverse of you, hoping to get more active career and spending less time behind a screen as I'm getting older. I can't tell you how many designers I know with bad backs, eyes, posture, added weight since college. Just keep that in mind and please stay active.

This would be the dumbest decision ever....lmao

That's awesome! Very happy to have provided you clarity

Very nice, it sounds like you have the best of both worlds. What type of products are you building?

Did you do a bootcamp?

Yes research is “theatrics” at most of the places I’ve experienced or have heard of from colleagues. Some people leaving comments have had good experiences. They seem to all be at startups, and chose the startup they work for carefully

Hey thanks for this - it’s really interesting to hear you agree on this point. UX is “sold” as methods and processes for innovating but they always seemed to fall short IMO

Hi, thanks for sharing your view. From UX research standpoint, I see why most of the designs or user flow across similar apps are almost identical. The checkout process, for example, has to be similar because we use soooo many apps in a day and if for each of the apps the flow were dissimilar, it would put huge cognitive load. But that’s not to say there’s no room for innovation. Apple’s double pinch feature in AW is truly an innovation in accessibility.

I’m flattered, and yes, that’s the purpose of this channel. To see what’s in the other side and report back 🫡

Thanks for the thoughtful response, it’s great to hear your deep experience and that there’s a fallback if the startup route doesn’t work. It’s also rare to hear from someone who has 10+ years of experience. I imagine you’re approaching Director level, if not already there. What would your advice be to people considering or just starting out in UX?

Interesting… I thought this might apply to everyone in a corporate product team, including dev and PM

Ah cool from the physical to the digital world. I guess the constant for you is that you like building products. Any industries or types of software that interest you most?

Thanks for sharing your experience - I figured it would be more likely to exist in startups. Want to share a little bit more what you’re doing in the startup world so others can see? Thanks!

@@traviskassab220 I'm a freelancing over 7 years now but I experienced what you experienced in my perm roles. I currently work in UX/Service design but focus on 'player experience'. I work for a famous Football institution focusing on their play experience for football coaches and young players Under 16's. its not a common product, so able to develop new ideas and do research. Also worked on the first digital medical in the UK for anxiety for young people, again was a mix of games design, therapy for kids - all new, nothing like that has been designed before and was in a start up. Recently worked with VFX agencies who work for Marvel and working on their AR storytelling app and apple watch, then another for NBA sports for Mixed reality glasses, then stuff for meta quest 3 which hasnt been released yet for their MR mode. If its new tech, you get to design new things and generate ideas - which doesnt happen in the other more known fields like finance. ive been lucky to be able to do design sprints, or even just months of ethnographic research for a market supermarket change to find £12 million in savings. i think why i have a massive range is because i pick my jobs wisely, I even decline if its a boring project- ive already done those already and it doesnt add to my experience of skills.

Agreed with you. All the points he mentioned dont apply to all cases and it depends on what type of company you're working.

That’s epic! Thanks for all the detail as well. How do you find these jobs in startups? I ask because I’m building uxstartupjobs.com, I want to help place designers in similarly fulfilling roles to what you’ve experienced

How do you find such jobs?

Much appreciated - I’m happy you got value from it!

Hey thanks for such a thoughtful comment - I think it’s this kind of detail that will help people. Yeah it sounds like your job was on the opposite end of the spectrum: you had a lot of freedom and opportunity to shape the product, but there was not enough time / it was too chaotic to execute. Have you been able to find a balance somewhere else?

Thank you! I appreciate that

That means a lot thank you! And yes I’ll be documenting, that’s the exact plan.

@@traviskassab220 Inspiring! Can't wait... earned a sub :)

Hey Daniel I feel this thanks for leaving a comment. I’d first say not all jobs and companies are created equal. It sounds like the design team you’re on now is large if there’s a dedicated design system team. I’d encourage you to checkout design jobs at VC funded startups. Checkout uxstartupjobs.com for these real-time opportunities This should get you onto leaner more agile teams. With regards to product entrepreneurship, it’s a big leap. Here are my thoughts. Set aside at least a year, especially if you don’t have concrete ideas, or a concrete team, before quitting. That’s a year of cash runway. The corporate UX jobs will always be there if things don’t workout. And the projects you pursue on your “year off”, or the things you learn, will differentiate you as a designer. In your time off you can also think deeper about the type of products you won’t to work on and industries that interest you. Reach out if you want to chat more - cheers!

Hey thanks for this! Hmm well it depends what your end goal is. On one hand, I can see the argument for graphic design + UX, if you’re trying to differentiate yourself as a freelancer. Having said that, whether you’re a freelancer or are employed, you will still take requirements from someone else, which often ends up being dysfunctional. If you do decide on UX, I’d become an expert in an emerging field like Web3, robotics, biotechnology, etc. This way, you can work for startups that are doing new/cool stuff. And you can become an expert at the same time you learn UX. Focus your learning and portfolio on the products in the emerging field of your choice. If you want a list of emerging fields, and want to see some possible startups you could work at, checkout uxstartupjobs.com

Thanks for taking the time to share this detailed comment. I really appreciate the suggestion here. I will look to develop myself in emerging fields

Hey Elise thanks for the comment. This isn’t my area of expertise. I have neither a degree or certificate in UX, so I don’t know how they affect things. I will say that even if you get a Bachelors, still try to build your portfolio as much as possible. Go find developers and other designers and build some side projects with them. Also, think about what kind of software interests you. Do you like B2C mobile apps? B2B web apps? And what industry most interests you

@@traviskassab220 hello Travis your video was really insightful! What I wanted to ask is, if a UX designer working in tech companies.. as you said doesn't have control on new ideas and creativity..The company already has a product in their mind and we as a designer help them research different strategies and solve problems for their product.. so is it like we we work in such companies we will only be focusing on B2B apps or products and not B2C?

B2B and B2C doesn’t matter so much as these things: Why UX is ignored & how you gain influence kzfaq.info/get/bejne/brdxiaqTxrrFlI0.html

I would love to transition into tech entrepreneurship as well.... have no idea where to start -- would love your insight!

thanks for posting your perspective! You said "control" which I think is key. I think a lot of designers feel like they're just 'builders', and that they don't have any control over the product vision. Checkout my post below... you'll probably be most interested in "what should I do about it", which is part 3 and is scheduled to post next week: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:linkedInArticle:7129858764261773313/ I think you have to be careful becoming a product manager. I've known plenty of PM's who were just people managers. I worked with VPs at large companies who couldn't control the product vision. This taught me the lesson that position and job title don't necessarily get you the 'control' you want. Entrepreneurship is tricky also, isn't it? A couple lines of thought would be: 1. Are there products you keep telling yourself you wish you had? You might try building it. 2. Are there stories you really want to tell others? Inform others or entertain others? You might try creating content about it. If entrepreneurship is too great of a leap right now, but you still expect more from your design career, then I recommend you... get a job at a VC-funded startup. Why VC-funded? Because they've received millions to billions of dollars in funding. So they won't disappear overnight. They can pay you a good salary as well. Almost all I've seen have been $100k+ Why startup? The reason you don't have control in your current role is because the company you work for is too hierarchal. The product vision gets handed down to you from above, and you're just there to build it out. You need to go somewhere that is flat in structure, and has a culture for taking risks and encourages self-directed work (i.e. come up with your own projects and go do it). A startup is the best place, in my mind, to do this. Add to this, that a startup is building at the cutting-edge of technology, which I think makes everything more interesting. If you're interested in design jobs at VC-funded startups, then checkout: uxstartupjobs.com These are just my opinions. Of course there pro's and con's to any path you take. Hope this helps!

Hey thanks! Agreed, it’s possible in some scenarios. The smaller the company and the smaller the product, the easier it will be to influence the roadmap. At a startup, a mid-level UX designer might be able to influence roadmap, especially if they understand the tech. However, I worked for one of the largest Banks in the world and one of the largest OEMs in the world. Even the Managing Directors there had their hands tied with bureaucracy and top-down initiatives. Not a fun place to work as a creative technologist! Curious, What kind of products are you building?!

@@traviskassab220 Iam not building products, I was just learning and getting my way in ux and found your video interesting, nice to meet you, mate.

nope its not bad. if that what helps you float your boat then why not :) to each their own!

Well said. Thanks for providing this detail to others

Yeah same, but it always felt slightly out of reach. I think a lot of UX’ers are in the same boat. Sometimes you gotta stop and think, “why did I think UX was cool in the first place”? Good news, it’s never been easier to learn dev skills with AI copilots and all.

yeah its an interesting time. Im diving into flutterflow as its a great mix of design first development but allows deeper dev development with API's and logic etc but I do wonder how long we have before everyone can just make custom apps with voice commands@@traviskassab220

Ooh good point, haha “voice-to-app”. The thought at first intimidates me as someone who has spent so much time going the “long route” with UX career etc It’s true we may be learning things now that are automated in a couple years! Do you think your experimentation now will inform what you do with voice command tech?

Yeah I could see that for ultra-casual mobile games, and the up-selling techniques. Thanks for leaving a comment and providing detail, I think people will your commend interesting given your niche category

My theory is that most UX’ers are interested in startups, and/or new product development. What do you think?

Yes good point. I wanted to call it out here because unlike other professions, building products is high-leverage. I wanted to point out that you could be on top of something quite valuable

Excellent! It's all about seeking information and either confirming what you want, or pivoting to something else

IMO freelancing won’t solve your problems. Your freelance clients are the same as a boss, passing you requirements. Having said that, freelance gives you the freedom to seek out the best clients. If I were you, I would seek out early-stage startups in emerging fields. Here you’ll have the most creative control, and may get to work on never-before-seen use-cases

Solopreneurship for now. I started learning to code several months ago. It’s a fast ramp up with ChatGPT. The idea is to get good enough to build an MVP. As users start to adopt it, I’d decide if it’s worth putting money into professional development. Right now focused on AI powered research tools.

@@traviskassab220 I enjoyed watching your video. Did you ever consider pairing other with another technical or business person to start something? You can look into something like YC startup school that has co-founder matching and people always looking for someone to start something with them.

What’s an MVP?

@@lintonmonanu Minimum Viable Product

​@@lintonmonanuminimal viable product

Hmm I'm not sure I understand the difference between the two. Can you rephrase your question?

Epic list @razzy9896 ! You bring up a good point about how you can never do big redesigns. So you can never get to root of problem. Then you get stuck doing ineffective patchwork. Design isn’t a silver bullet, especially if you can’t actually revert the product back to zero.

Very nice! Can I ask what type of company is it? Is it a small comapny/startup? And what industry?

creative and dev agency with up to 10 people all together. multiple projects at the same time and max two teams. we all have multiple roles. It sounds exhausting, and it is. but also rewarding. there is no middle ground I guess. @@traviskassab220

Hey great question! Why is UX paid so much? In most cases, to build products with good UX, which is essential, you need ppl thinking deeply about the user flows (I.e. the ordering of screens), information architecture (I.e. overall layout of app), and maintaining styling consistency (I.e. professional looking app that is scalable). I’m not saying devs can’t do this, but devs don’t generally do this. In my experience they’re afraid to touch Figma and don’t spend the time to think through the things listed above. UX’ers, on the other hand, are drawn to these types of problems. I think there is a switching cost between working on coding problems and working on UX problems, so division of labor makes sense a lot of the time. They engage different parts of the brain. I do think this is beginning to change with AI. We already have text-to-code AI (just ask ChatGPT to code you something), and we will soon have, in next several years, text-to-UI AI. So the entire product building pipeline (idea -> design -> code) will get at least partially automated, affecting both designers and devs. Fast forward 10 years, I think there will be more UX Engineers. Someone who can code and ship a product, and who can also design it from scratch. So the line between dev and design will fade, and we might just call everyone “product builders”. Here’s a vid I made on this exact subject kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fc-oaLN-sq3df5s.html What does this mean for you? Well this is just my opinion, but I’d say UX is still fine to get into. Just be aware of the coming changes. You may not like to code, that’s one reason that pushes you into the UX route, but the DevEx is going to change massively with tools like Replit and AI. It’s as easy as typing out a new feature in natural language and an AI spits out the code. Stay on top of these changes, learn a some code here and there. And consider yourself a “product builder” rather than just a designer. I think this will put you in a good place for the changes that are coming!

@@traviskassab220 Great answer! Thanks, much appreciated!

I am about to transition from brand design to UX/UI.. already been practicing web design with out coding on google sites and my Shopify store… this response here is really helpful

Stay the course 🫡 … UX is still a great place to be. Come back to this video if your job satisfaction ever wanes, and you can’t seem to put a finger on why

@@traviskassab220 I gotchu, one main thing I haven’t completed my program is just me being lazy and not working on my case studies. I have to build real client projects

​@@traviskassab220how can you suggest this path to anybody if you personally think it's garbage. 😮

@cannotwest it all has to do with where you are and what you want. I don’t think UX is “garbage”. It became personally frustrating to me, so the video was me pinpointing my frustrations after 7 years in the field. UX might still be the right place to start. Or stay for your entire career! Again depends what you want. I’d probably do it again, with three stipulations: - don’t work for large, corporate design teams - instead, hold out for a job at a well-run startup where you’re forced to learn a broad range of things from various skills to the technological field the startup is in - consider yourself a “builder”, not a “UXer” ^ that last one is crucial… basically start to pivot out of the field the moment you get into it. UX is a great way to get your “foot” into tech. I just wouldn’t define myself by it for 7 years. Maybe 2-3 years… and the whole time I’m picking up coding skills. So by the end, you can pivot into a builder role that can do research, design and code. Again ^ that’s just me. A lot of people won’t want to do that. They’ll prefer to specialize in UX, make great money, and not go through the stress of startups

ya I think this is the correct mindset nowadays. @@traviskassab220

Yeah I see what you’re saying. Perhaps “creative fulfillment” is a better North Star. It’s personal to each designer. For some reason, I have an artisanal chair maker in mind. Chairs have been built before, so it’s not “truly new”; however, the chair maker has more degrees of freedom than something more commercial.

Broad, rather pessimist generalization disregarding the nuance of human diversity in thought and skill.

Hey thanks for the critique! I agree, pushing for a seat at the table is part of the job. It just never happened for me. I agree, my career did fail me, or I failed my career 😄 I’m not sure how much it was one or the other. Although I believe it’s somewhere in the middle as I remember times where I failed and where I was failed. I’m aware that I’m generalizing and can only speak to my experience and perspective. That’s why I appreciate your comment. As to your last point about iPhone, I think we agree here as well. Apple Vision Pro is new and creative, and the iPhone is not. That was my whole point. I wasn’t implying that they should change anything. It’s working for them, no reason to change - it would just hurt UX. I was simply making the observation that the maturity of the product you’re working on affects your experience as a designer This video does a better job at explaining my thoughts here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ndiFltuduNjbhps.html

That would be great if they used the information I gathered! 😉 Maybe I’m just bad at my job, as some other commenters have speculated 😎

That’s great! I’m glad you got clarity either way. UX salaries are really strong. And, if we’re being honest, the job is usually laid back and doesn’t require 8 hours per day. So, if you divide salary by actual hours worked, you’re earning a much higher hourly rate than you might realize.

@@traviskassab220 yup, and I can design creative / unconventional prototypes on my free time :)

Oh yea… so what’s your average daily work hours?

@@lintonmonanu 8

It is what it is right? It helped me to understand the reality of a UX job, then once I did I no longer complained about my job. It just became a decision: to stay or go

so true @designweb3514 🔥