Design Mentoring

I serve actively as a UX design mentor online for aspiring designers trying out their first taste of design work, as well as for recent bootcamp graduates setting about their first job search. It’s one of the most rewarding things my experience in the field has given me; seeing fledgling designers discover a passion for the craft, and seeing the incredible growth of graduates in their portfolio work constantly helps inspire me in my own work.

Guiding others in design

There’s a flood of information online about UX design. So much so that it’s both easy to get an entire education in the field online, informally, and yet at the same time, it’s intensely difficult and intimidating to know where to start.

I’ve been mentoring for nearly my entire design career; within my first two years on the job at a digital marketing agency, I was handed the reins to the design team and trusted to lead the interns and any future design staff I hired in.

It’s one thing to be skilled at the craft of design; it’s quite another to be able to guide someone else to become skilled and confident in their skill.

My mentoring approach: guide with honesty and empathy

I believe in building others up and being honest about their work. In my own experiences as a design student, we were warned how ruthless creative directors would be toward our work and instructed to get ready to “toughen up” before we got out there. We got fed the facilitators’ own horror stories about their terrible experiences within the industry.

Regrettably, I discovered that was all too true at times. Years in advertising dealing with creative leadership very much like this led to anxiety and doubts in my own capabilities. Was I pushed to grow? Maybe, but it came from a place of fear and very quickly began to burn me out. More than once I considered leaving design altogether.

Clearly I’m still here. As both design manager and mentor, I strive to do exactly the opposite of this “tough” approach.

As I see it, new designers don’t need their designs torn apart to see the flaws; they invariably know they’re there to learn and are seeking help seeing those things more clearly. The “critique sandwich” of good thing - bad thing - good thing is a little polarizing, but I find it a helpful framework to remember you can’t simply rip into a student’s work indiscriminately and expect them to want to keep learning.

A critique of a student’s work from me typically looks like this:

• Find their strengths - I find something I believe they did well, or show a particular strength for, and I tell them so. I talk to them about ways they can really leverage that skill more.

• Spot their struggles - I note areas where they could improve, and offer them suggestions as to how they could do so, or provide them some resources to dive a little deeper. Most importantly, I explain to them why these areas need to be improved.

• Ask their thoughts - It can be before or after critique, but I always check in with them to see if they have any additional areas they felt I missed or what to ensure I review. As designers we’re often already deeply critical of ourselves; this is an easy way to spot areas of flagging confidence that may need a bit of validation.

Instead of insisting designers toughen up and get ready to deal with terrible work experiences as a matter of course, I remind them of their worth and the importance of the work they’ve chosen to do. In UX especially, I remind students that empathy doesn’t need to be reserved solely for the user, but belongs with their future coworkers and others too. The value of empathy and honest, open communication as part of a designer’s toolkit can never be understated.

Guiding new design career-seekers

My approach to guide with honesty and empathy applies equally well when I’m counseling graduates toward finding their first job. Many UX designers are career-changers who are mature in a completely different field, so the fear of diving into a new job pool is intense.

The fear of diving into the job pool at any stage is intense, isn’t it? We’ve all been there.

My job as mentor to career-seekers becomes less instructive and much more that of a guidance counselor and cheerleader toward their efforts.

Everyone has different goals and needs as they enter the job market, so I begin by listening and asking for their expectations:

• What design specialty do they enjoy most? UX, UI, research?

• Do they want to be freelance? Contract? Work for an agency, or go in-house?

• What industries or companies interest them?

• Do they want to work onsite or remote?

• What’s important to them in a workplace?

• What are their salary expectations?

I use this first conversation to help guide their search efforts. It colors the way I’ll have them focus their time over future sessions. I’ll usually have them keep this info somewhere so they can occasionally remind themselves of these criteria during their hunt.

As the search goes on, I’ll answer questions they have and guide them through the process. I will be brutally honest about things like response rates and the grind of the UX interview process; they deserve to know and understand that this stage of things is very real work they need to prepare for. But I will encourage them; it’s hard work but I have rarely met a new designer who I thought didn’t feel up to the challenge.

When they feel a bit lost, I’ll provide them tools. I show them a snapshot into my own process and explain why it works for me—it’s important to allow them to find their own process, but I believe in at least providing some templates or first steps to help make the process easier starting out. There’s never any pressure to do things my way, but the approach is there for them to give a try and modify if they find it useful.

The most important thing for me is to never give up on them. The job hunt is bumpy, tedious, and filled with baked-in opportunities for discouragement and anxiety. If I can do just one thing for these new designers, it’s to believe that they will find their space in the industry and remind them that they belong here. Especially on the days they don’t hear back from postings. Or on interview declines.

And when they get that job, we celebrate. It doesn’t end there; I give them some of the things to keep in mind on their first 90 days, things to ask and think about to quality check their new gig, and most of all, I let them know they can reach out any time if they still have questions or they just want to tell me how it’s going.

Whether it’s a new student looking to try design for the first time, or a graduate about to get their first job, I’ve chosen to take my own rough experiences and actively push back against them with kindness and encouragement. I see so much skill in these upcoming designers; I want to make damn sure they have the space to grow and shine.