🎓 Co-op UX Designer

Overview

A new UX designer who supports UX design by following examples and shadowing senior designers. The primary task is to learn! This role involves observing and understanding the processes involved in UX design, gaining hands-on experience, and gradually developing the skills required to contribute meaningfully to projects.

Currently pursuing a degree, the individual is expected to absorb as much knowledge as possible during this time. The focus is on understanding foundational concepts, tools, and techniques, as well as building a solid base of UX principles. This role is a stepping stone to becoming a more independent and skilled designer in the future.

General Skills

The individual has relatively little understanding of UX design methodologies. They work with others to ensure correct and rigorous methodologies are used. While they are in the early stages of their career, they are encouraged to ask questions, seek guidance, and observe best practices to build a strong foundational knowledge of UX design.

Their work is guided by more experienced team members, and they are encouraged to participate actively in team discussions and activities. This involvement helps them understand the importance of collaboration, communication, and user-centered design principles in creating effective user experiences.

As they gain more exposure, they are expected to gradually contribute more to projects, applying their growing knowledge and skills to real-world scenarios. This learning process includes understanding user needs, creating user flows, wireframes, and prototypes, and conducting usability testing under supervision.

Specialties

At this stage, the focus is primarily on learning. The individual is expected to absorb knowledge from various sources, including senior designers, industry literature, and practical experiences. They are not yet expected to have specialized skills but should be open to exploring different areas of UX design.

Learning is an ongoing process, and they are encouraged to seek out opportunities to expand their knowledge. This includes understanding various design tools, methodologies, and industry trends. They should be proactive in asking questions and seeking clarification on unfamiliar topics.

As they continue to learn, they should start identifying areas of particular interest or strength. This could eventually lead to developing a specialization within UX design, such as user research, interaction design, or visual design.

Strategic Skills

Currently, the individual's strategic skills are focused on learning. They are not yet expected to contribute to high-level strategy but should be aware of the importance of strategic thinking in UX design. They should observe how experienced designers approach strategic decisions and consider the broader impact of design choices.

As they gain experience, they should start thinking about how design fits into the overall business strategy. This includes understanding the goals of the business, the needs of users, and how UX design can bridge the gap between the two. Developing strategic thinking skills is a gradual process that will come with experience and exposure to different projects.

Operational Skills

The individual is in the early stages of developing their operational skills. They should focus on understanding the basics of UX design processes, including research, design, and testing. This includes learning how to conduct user interviews, create wireframes, and run usability tests.

They are expected to express design comments and provide feedback based on their observations and learning. This is an important part of the learning process, as it helps them understand the rationale behind design decisions and how to critically evaluate design work.

As they gain more experience, they should become more comfortable with the day-to-day operations of UX design. This includes managing their time effectively, communicating with team members, and taking on more responsibilities within projects.

Organizational Leadership

In this role, the individual is primarily in a learning phase regarding organizational leadership. They should observe how experienced team members lead projects, make decisions, and manage teams. This observation will help them understand the qualities and skills needed for effective leadership in the future.

They should also learn about the organizational structure and how different teams collaborate to achieve common goals. Understanding the dynamics of teamwork and collaboration is crucial for future leadership roles.

As they gain more experience, they should start taking on small leadership tasks, such as leading a small aspect of a project or organizing a team meeting. These experiences will help them build confidence and develop their leadership skills over time.

People Management

In their current role, the individual observes and supports design research activities as instructed. This includes taking notes during user interviews, helping to organize research findings, and assisting with other research-related tasks. This exposure helps them understand the importance of research in UX design and how to conduct effective user research.

As they gain more experience, they should start contributing more actively to research activities. This includes helping to design research studies, conducting interviews, and analyzing data. Over time, they will develop the skills needed to manage people effectively, both within research projects and in broader team contexts.