I totally forgot to make a post when I finally completed the course, but I did it! I finished Google’s UX Design Professional Certificate!! I actually finished it back at the beginning of November, but I had a lot going on and also just plain forgot to make this post sooner. It took two months to finish the course, where it took only weeks for the others, and that’s mostly because I was dragging my feet on this one. I think I hit a wall and was just ready to be done with it. I really like the design process of ux design, which makes sense considering that was my whole focus going into the course. But what slowed me down was the research bit. I understand the importance of it, but I’d rather someone else do that part so I can focus on the visual design of the product. After all of that, I think I accomplished what I had set out to do with this course, which was to develop a better understanding of ux design and how it applies to visual design.
What’s next? Well, I actually need to flesh out my third project some more, and go back and make updates and tweaks to my second and first projects. After that, I may occasionally put together some ui designs without doing all of the research surrounding it with the goal being to add to my portfolio and better familiarize myself with the programs.
Also! I managed to get a job within the past two months! I’m working as a web designer for a company out here in Washington, and it’s been interesting learning their process. It’s not really design-focused so far, and there’s not really any HTML or CSS work involved, but for now that means I can spend my time outside of work improving those skills and working on a few passion projects finally. That is, if I don’t get too distracted with cooking and video games in my free time! It’s all about balance.
Oh, another thing that happened in the past two months was Adobe Max! It was online and free again this year, so that was really nice. Of all the sessions and labs I watched, only one really stood out: “Concept Art: Break Artist’s Block with Emergent Design” by Sam Nielson. I really connected with the idea of just making marks on a page to get started and not having a focus when you start, since staring at a blank page can be so daunting. Besides that session, most of the other sessions I scheduled were Adobe XD-focused, but they all ended up being pretty much the same. It was disappointing that I didn’t feel like I learned anything new from them considering that I still think of myself as a newbie to the program. They all just focused on highlighting the new features in Adobe XD which I understand why they did but when you’ve seen it once, you don’t need to see it again multiple times in the same week. If Adobe Max ends up being online and free again next year, I’ll probably try to take different sessions for some programs I haven’t learned or rarely use, since the focus seems to be new features instead of learning actual tips or tricks.
I think that’s all for now. Next week is Thanksgiving and I’ll be spending most of my free time doing prep work for the Elder Scrolls feast that I’m making for mine and my fiancé’s first Thanksgiving away from family as we settle into our new home in Seattle. Wish me luck!
Design Diaries 