How Interaction Design Foundation helped me advance as a User Experience Designer
By: Yvonne Dreptate
Tags: UX, Design Thinking, Interaction Design, Job Search Tips

I wanted to share a journey I have been on. I enrolled in classes at Interaction Design Foundation a few months back to hone my UX skills. I had researched for a month before choosing. I loved the mission statement and the Scandinavian style education model.

We are a movement to create accessible and affordable Ivy League-level design education.

As of today I have completed 4 classes and taking in 3 more. My first classes were Design Thinking and Gestalt psychology.

These classed have changed the way I come at problems at work and in my personal life. I used the design thinking process during my recent job search. I had heard of it prior, but had never taken a official class on it.

I have spent hours at my computer learning fascinating topics. My favorite class so far was Gestalt psychology and Web Design. This class taught about how the brain perceives images and how to use that in web design.

Gestalt psychology is often applied to user interface design, as the organisation of visual displays is heavily influenced by the perceptual biases that influence and help to create our perception of the world.

After completing the class I never looked at interfaces the same way again. I was at a whole new level and it showed at work. My new skills got me a team lead position on a project shortly after completing a few classes. The time and money I had invested in myself was well worth it.

As we all know the Tech industry is fast changing. In order to keep up with the trends as a professional you need to stay up to date. For me Interaction Design Foundation helps me deepen my knowledge and learn about new trends. I have personally found that if you fall behind in the tech field it can massively impact self-esteem and performance. The reverse is true as well. Continuing your education will help you gain a new appreciation for your job and give you the confidence boost you need to advance.

My second favorite class was Design Thinking. After taking these classes I decided to apply my knowledge. I wanted to use the design thinking framework to look for the perfect job.

You might be wondering what Design Thinking is and why I would use it in a job search. It is a non-linear, iterative process that helps understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.

There are 5 basic steps to design thinking:

Stage 1: Empathize — Research Your Users’ Needs

Stage 2: Define — State Your Users’ Needs and Problems

Stage 3: Ideate — Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas

Stage 4: Prototype — Start to Create Solutions

Stage 5: Test — Try Your Solutions Out

Teo Yu Siang and Interaction Design Foundation. Copyright terms and licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Design teams use design thinking to tackle ill-defined or unknown problems (otherwise known as wicked problems) because the process reframes these problems in human-centric ways, and allows designers to focus on what’s most important for users. I believed that this process would help me clarify and narrow down the positions I was applying for. Design thinking is a non linear process but you have to start somewhere.