Reflection on the next chapter in my UX designer journey

This article is a reflection looking back on my performance as a UX designer since I joined BrainCheck in mid-2019.

When I was looking for a job while I was still at school, I asked myself what I want to do. The answer was that I wanted to join a startup, become one of the original gangsters, and contribute to making the company succeed. When I joined BrainCheck as their solo UX designer, I was very excited but also felt a little scared. Now looking back at what I’ve done, and how I’ve been working, I want to note down a couple of things I did well, as well as point out several mistakes I made.

Mistakes I made at the beginning:

When the design requirements were too specific, I forgot to step back and ask WHY. Instead, I jumped into the solution immediately.

Usually, at school, a design project started with a general topic or problem, and my brain was trained and is used to narrow down the big problem space. So when I first received a design requirement that has particular user stories, I lost my direction. I forgot to ask why — why are we doing this. I forgot to think about users — who am I designing for. I felt like everything was obvious and already there, so I started the wireframe at a very early stage. And yes, I not only got stuck multiple times later in the process, but I also wasted lots of time going back and forth and still couldn’t figure out how to make the design right.

Lessons learned here:

1. Always ask questions the big why, no matter how specific the design requirement is.
2. Always ask about the users I am designing for, why they need this feature, how will they use this feature, and why BrainCheck wants to provide this feature, etc.

Asking questions has so many benefits. For me, I received the design requirement from my PM. Asking questions helps me and the PM to be on the same page. It is also an excellent opportunity for me to learn the product strategy. Asking questions takes me to the right design, then I can think about how to make the design right.

Real-world usability testing can be very challenging. Lacking preparation might limit the chances of receiving valuable feedback from users.

So far, I’ve facilitated multiple usability tests. Some of them were moderated remotely, and some of them were moderated onsite. Although I was trained in conducting professional user research at school, I got nervous and made mistakes. Another complication is that sometimes the usability tests and the sales-call happen at the same time. In that situation, if we don’t have a clear research goal and didn’t run practice tests ahead, it is very easy for us to make mistakes. We start to ask Yes/No questions, and we begin to guide participants through the prototype instead of letting them explore and tell us.

I also noticed there were times that I did usability tests just for the sake of the testing. Without a clear research goal, the research findings could not guide forward, let alone if I even chose the right research methods. Maybe usability tests were not the proper method for us, and perhaps we should do concept tests instead.

Lessons learned here:

1. Never rush ahead, and always have a clear research goal first. Always prepare the interview questions around that goal.
2. Always make a plan B or C in case any technical issue happens.

How much should I know about the technical stuff?

This is a question I started to ask myself the first day when I decided to pursue the UX design. I believe the technical knowledge is not a must-have but a nice-to-have for designers. So far, I tried my best to engage myself in all kinds of meetings at BrainCheck, including the dev meetings, which helps me to understand how BrainCheck is built.

However, one thing that I didn’t expect was I found myself being afraid of trying creative, and ‘crazy’ interactions when I brainstorm. And the reason for that was me worrying about getting push back from the engineering team. Therefore, there were moments when I decided to play safe and stay in a comfort zone, which led to unimpressive outcomes.

Lessons learned here:

1. Ideation is a diverging process, so never let the technical stuff to limit creativity.

Things I have done right so far and should be continued:

• Always doing the design reviews with low-fi wireframe at the early stage
• Keeping everything organized: notes, sketches, product images, whiteboard sketches, etc.
• Always prepared to present in front of the team, no matter if it’s for a design review or a product demo
• Be humble and open to receive all critiques
• Always be prepared to wear different hats
• And lastly, keep reflecting

Besides these, one thing I want to improve immediately is beginning to take more responsibility. Not only finish the design but also thinking about shaping the design culture of the BrainCheck.

I admit being a solo designer is hard and sometimes lonely. But I am glad that my company values user experience very much, and I have lots of allies and support on this journey. I have a long way to go, and I am ready to take more challenges.