Breaking out in UX with unsolicited redesigns

Hi again

You might know me from the other thread

Help finding scholarships or getting money funding for my online UX course?

As I’ve said there, I’d say I’m a amateur UX designer right now, and I’m eager to just leave my college and not finish it and just break into the UX. But since my other way of breaking looks not possible right now since still UX bootcamps are still not cheap for me. I want to try another way. Like what @dougcollins adviced to me on that other thread:

UX is like medicine in a lot of ways. We’re practice our professions. There is no substitute for practical experience.

Unlike medicine, it is absolutely possible to get into the UX world without a formal UX certification.

which I also believe since it’s what other’s also adviced to me. I also believe that it’s not your diploma or school where you came from is what matters but what’s on your design portfolio. Is that right?

So here’s my deal, I wanna say to you guys what is my other plan, and please tell me if it’s gonna work

I wanna make my own unsolicited redesigns or better solutions of popular and big products that the world needs, hopefully enough to make it viral and everyone talks about it. Also to have a better excuse to my parents to skip this semester too and hopefully never go back to that college again. Specifically either on of these companies or products: Twitter, YouTube, Spotify, Windows 10 (Microsoft) (hopefully whole platform and OS) (whoa that’s big, I know), and Samsung Experience or design language (Samsung’s launcher, also known as TouchWhiz before) . These are also my top most loved products and dream companies where to work at, and sometimes, you so much love a product, and if you’re in the UX, sometimes you see it’s problems by your eyes, and imagine a good solution to it in your mind. That’s what I always felt on this products. And use that as my leverage and proof of works on my portfolio and hopefully apply on those companies and get accepted?

Is that too ambitious? Is that enough to get hired on these big Silicon Valley, and hopefully do what I love to do now and get to work.

I personally think of myself of very capable to be on these companies tbh, I think I have so many things to contribute on their company’s and product’s growth via UX

Also here’s my project ideas btw, in no particular order:

1. New Twitter Timeline experience & redesign

- Twitter suffers big competition to Facebook, so slow growth and new features, resulting the company to be always in brink of collapse. i think I got a new idea for a new Twitter experience that could appeal to mass people that still haven’t on Twitter, or happen to be confused to how Twitter works when they first sign up to it (I know we all been there), so simply from pure Facebook converts. Also still with still preserving how old Twitter works and not alienating it’s existing. One word: Discovery

2. EDITING TWEETS

Yes, I know this is big. EVERYONE REALLY WANTS THIS. This is a controversial issues there on design Twitter as some others raises concern for editing tweets could change the contexts on retweets intentions. But I think I already thought of model that could work. I think I cracked it now

3. Threading tweets

Current implementation of this is replying to every other tweets, that’s why this a self taught or a lesser known feature. Also for most people 140 chars is not enough for most, most still haven’t understand the art of 140 chars tweets, and also source of confusion and annoyance to new users. I think I found new and multiple ways to implement this obviously, and make conversations more fruitful, organized, easier to browse and longer too. Leads to platform engagements growth too

[details= 4. New YouTube player redesign for all platforms][/details]

[details= 5. New Spotify fullscreen experience & redesign][/details]

[details= 6. Reimagining Windows 10 experience]Here’s my biggest deal. Also of all companies I want to work to, my very top is Microsoft really. If I had to still jump through hoops on being stable and breaking into UX, if possible I want this to be my first and last UX job I’d ever need and will have, that’s how I love this company. I’m also a long time fan of the company and it’s platform, even got myself and stuck with a shitty Lumia Windows phone.

But here’s what I really want to do, Windows or Microsoft’s design has never really been challenged since I think on the Windows 95 era. It’s ground breaking, it’s taskbar and Start button design just works and designed how PC really should to. But growing Windows, it’s been designed so many times, from Classic on 95-2000, Luna on XP, Aero on Vista, Aero 2.0 on 7, Metro on 8 to 8.1, and MDL & Fluent on Windows 10, that it’s been designed on top of one another, leading into a very bad design fragmentation and a very bad UX compared to Mac. Company’s also multiple design iterations and efforts also leads to failed attempts disaster like Windows 8 and Windows Phone, their attempt on mobile, so many cancelled hardwares and bad user satisfactions. Tho they have Fluent design today, it’s still very far as a real thing, built from nonsensical and intangible philosophies and principles and imho to what it looks and does today would worsen the design fragmentation on Microsoft than fix

I know designing for a platform that extends from a smallest screen to the biggest one, from mouses to touch to game controllers, to motion, to voice, or to the theoretical interactions like on gaze and air touch on AR on HoloLens or VR and vice versa and anything in between is very, very hard. But I think I have a very general idea how I could make a consistent and still true Windows experience that could extend until on the smallest until to the futuristic HoloLens. And also making Windows experience itself more sensible, consistent and disciplined, streamlined, and much powerful and ahead of it’s other platform’s competition, a very ambitious feat that Windows never achieved since it’s original design on 95, and also unlike it’s design harmony on it’s competitor’s Apple on Mac and iOS

And much excitingly, I think I could reboot Microsoft’s efforts on mobile with this. All I just need to do is to catch up and make UX as flexible, productive, capable as to what Android Oreo and iOS 11 has come into now. Also with combining the power and flexibility of Windows PC experience.

I have a big (and stressful) grand plan that I can’t wait to let it out of my head for this. All that comes from my frustrations as a designer on using and experiencing Windows, and for the love of the platform.
[/details]

Of course I can’t do it myself solely alone (I tried it back then, it’s very hard and stressful) (especially on the Windows 10 one) that’s why I’m thinking of building my own design team from my few design friends on Twitter, and also I’m thinking of writing my own blog, journeys and critical UX reviews of this on my Medium publication, and maybe even starting my own YouTube channel too to upload motion UX videos and sizzler reel films there too, design reviews and talks too, and maybe hopefully be my own personality myself. Also with that hopefully few earn on money on that either by donations supports and on the YouTube channel earnings too to save up for interview trips and equipments too

What do you guys think? lol is it too much? Is this a good plan to break into UX and get hired? Any advice to guide me through there?

Sorry again for a very long post again, I think I really need to let out what’s on my head and say to someone that understands what I really wanted to do since then, and maybe ask for validation for ideas as well

I’ll just ask this right away because it is going to be the first thing the UXperts (coining that right now if it hasn’t already) ask:

How are you going to validate your redesigns? Are you going to be doing usability testing, in some fashion?

You seem to be in no short supply of ambition, and you and I seem to be in a similar place, career-wise. I am doing redesigns, too! These are some huge undertakings, and I just want to say that I wish you the best of luck!

So, my advice is going to be more motherly than UX based.

This concerns me. Not because I think your goals aren’t good but because it feels to me like you’re running away from college rather than working toward UX. Don’t get me wrong, you are obviously smart and thinking hard about what path to follow and that’s awesome! Truly.

Don’t underestimate what college can do for you. My advice is to choose one thing to focus on for UX but still go to college. I’m 49 and going to college now. As I learn new things, I realize how much I missed by not going sooner. By going to college, you’ll learn things you never expected to and begin to see the world differently.

I’m not saying that you should not work on UX, I’m saying that you should do both.

Also, from what I’ve read, I’d suggest that you start on smaller projects to gain experience and work your way up from there. The idea is not just to get experience but also to build up your portfolio.

It seems that portfolios are the key to a successful UX career.

2 Likes

Ha – years ahead of you :wink: https://uxmastery.com/?s=uxperts

1 Like

I should have known. It was too good a pun.

1 Like

Yeah. I see your point, but as of now, doing proper usability testing is out of reach for me for now, nor I do know to how to do it properly bc I haven’t taken any UX class myself like what I said above. So as of now it’s just my intuition and my instinct that I’ll follow first as of now. Please tell me if there’s anything wrong with that

Also I’ll still ask for comments and feedbacks in the process, but to not spoil the fun and leak the whole of it to the world, I’ll make it private and just ask it on our Slack team instead. Is that okay?

Hi thanks for your motherly reply.

It’s okay. I still have plans for college tbh. But I think not for now. My whole college (user) experience is what keeps me unmotivated and run away on it, it’s social aspect of it (I’m making less to none friends here, its very less fun than HS), the sensibility of what I’m learning there and the subjects too (sometimes they’re repetitive, like I know and they’re teched better on me on HS or the internet) (and finishing it wouldn’t even help my plans on UX too, instead waste more time).

TL;DR: It’s just too depressing and stressful to me. I feel the need to just leave it for awhile to keep my sane and finally move on to my life (I think I’m not progressing on college, rather than its just slowing me down) And I felt and certain it’s a huge time and money waste (I also consider my parents costs on me on that)

My plans actually is if I make it there, I’d save up since some of y’all said it’s a good paying job, start of my own life in the Silicon Valley, live there, and if I find time, more money and more courage I think I’ll take a Psychology degree to make my parents proud and walk them on the stage. I want to take it bc I’m really legit curious about human mind, personality and experience, and to also learn from it to understand my kind of niche, and maybe even apply it to my UX work in the future

UX = Physcology.
I think they blend together right?

[Disclaimer: Not an expert]
Nothing wrong! In my book, good User Experience Design can come from good intuition and raw talent. But you will never be able to look at your own product with fresh eyes. Usability tests, whatever the method, is just a design cheat-sheet for you to get most of the largest usability flaws in your designs. Or a more optimal menu structure. A healthy amount of litterature explains just how easy it can be, and knowing about the process can help you down the line. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Hi
Based on your post I understand two things

  1. you are interested in UX and have some plan how to proceed
  2. you need a break from college life
    It is quite natural for everyone to go through phases of likes and dislikes. Grass always looks green on the other side. I have been working for 7 years and have dabbled along other interests while maintaining a full time job. Some have withered, some I realised were just a crush, some have morphed into other skills/interests.

A good rule of thumb would be trying out the new interest for a min of 6 months - 1year alongside your current role. It will be tough but if you get through the tough phase at the beginning, then you will have a clear idea when you get through. Plus the financial aspect needs to be kept in mind. You cannot be creative when you are stressing out about money always.

Hope it helps!

4 Likes

The thread is constructive during redesign if I face any problem related to compression or image conversion I use this compress-website.