Hello, fellow creative! 

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This newsletter comes out a bit earlier than usual because I’ll be in Europe visiting family & friends for two weeks at the end of the month. I haven’t been back to Europe since I left for New Zealand…it’s been nearly ten years now. I look forward to seeing what has changed since.

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New job in a couple of weeks!

Yes, it’s official now; I got a new design position. I’m pretty stoked about starting with a new company. I’ll share more in the future. All I can say for now is it’s a Lead UX designer position in Toronto, Canada. The interview process was fairly fast because the company knew I was interviewing with other potential employers. I was happy to close all my interviews in just a few weeks.

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I can tell I’m pretty tired after job searching. It takes lots of time and energy to find the right fit. Looking for a job is a full-time job. Mainly because I write tailored cover letters for each position I apply for. I research the company on Glassdoor and LinkedIn as well. Preparing for interviews also takes a lot out of people (at least me). Sometimes I had two panel interviews scheduled for the same day, which I realized not to do it ever again.

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September was also bittersweet for me. I had to take a few days off from interviewing and social situations. My sweet little pet dog of more than 11 years passed away. It really took a toll on me. And all I could think about it just writing about her. I wrote so many pages in my journal…it’s how I process things, the good and the bad. You can see one of my articles here. It’s not design related; however, dealing with loss can be devastating to our mental health. So I’d just encourage everyone to take time off and give themselves time to heal. It’s ok to not be ok.

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Design on YouTube

Possibly the news related to Figma was the design news of the year. I talked about it on YouTube, in case you haven’t seen the video yet. Link to video

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I don’t think we need to shop around for another design tool just yet…however, if you’d like to check out a few alternatives, here are my suggestions in video format, or click the links below:

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Design resources to check out

#1. In preparation for my next role, I’m re-reading my favourite UX and user research books and resources and trying out tools I haven’t used before. I have a collection of design resources on Notion. Check it out if you’d like to learn more about research.

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#2. One of my favourite research books has to be Just enough research by Erika Hall. If you don’t read anything else, just read this one. It’s worth the money! 

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#3. If you’re still deciding if the UX design field is the right fit for you, I wrote an article about it. It’s a free questionnaire that can help you answer the question. Read the article on Medium.

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#4. Why does research matter? 

It matters because:

  • Every interface we design is based on a series of decisions
  • It lets us move quickly and confidently in a product direction that is proven
  • We design & build experiences for people who are not like us, so we can never assume we understand what they need without engaging them

These are not only my words, but it’s what the UXR Field Guide says. Take a look at the resource here by Q Carlson.

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Closing

If there's anything you'd like to see me cover in future newsletters, don't hesitate to let me know. You can always message me. I read all of my emails and messages, and I reply to them myself.

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I'd love to hear from you!

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Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in October.

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If you haven’t heard it yet, my UX book is out! 🙌 Get your FREE copy from Gumroad: Link to book Just put $0 for free checkout to get the book. 

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