First Professional Experience
I started working at Organized Living in May 2020 as a UX/UI Designer. This was my professional UX job after graduating from Miami University.
I worked closely along with the CEO, who was the "visionary" of the company, to see that his ideas come to life in interactive prototypes. I also worked with multiple Development teams, one based locally and one in Vietnam. Here I will be going over the specifics of what I worked on and all of the learning opportunities.
Background
Organized Living is a storage solution company that provides builders all the tools they need to complete projects. We worked with large scale builders that would complete projects such as apartment renovations. Also there were builders who worked along with families to renovate garages, bedrooms closets, etc. These different types of projects were classified as Multifamily (large scale) and Singlefamily (small scale).
Beginning Phase
All projects began with something similar to this; a document filled with important information that would be essential to the design. Typically it would be explained to me by the Project Manager or the CEO, since they are the ones who would be typing up these requirements. My job would be to take the information and narrow it down to specific requirements that the shareholders would be looking for. Once the requirements were clear, we would then move on to the iteration phases.
Sketching Phase
The first step in the iteration phases would be creating rough sketches. The purpose of these sketches were to get as many ideas out as possible. The sketches would then be presented to whoever the shareholders may be. The presentation would last quite a while going over every detail and iterating the sketches on the spot. Iterations that were fairly large scale would be worked on after the meeting. After the sketches have been iterated and accepted by the shareholders, we would move on to bringing them to life as a digital wireframe.
Wireframing Phase
The Wireframing phase would take up most of the time during each project. It would begin with me designing each page as they were approved in the sketches. Adobe XD was the design program used, which allowed a quick transition from wireframe to prototype. While creating these wireframes I would be paying very close attention to the brand guidelines and past projects to make sure that it keeps consistent with the brand. Every 4-5 days there would be a check-in with either the Project Manager or shareholders to give an update on how the wireframes are coming along. These meetings would be a great opportunity for more iteration. There would be about 3-4 meetings before the project would be turned into a polished prototype.
Prototyping Phase
The Wireframing phase would take up most of the time during each project. It would begin with me designing each page as they were approved in the sketches. Adobe XD was the design program used, which allowed a quick transition from wireframe to prototype. While creating these wireframes I would be paying very close attention to the brand guidelines and past projects to make sure that it keeps consistent with the brand. Every 4-5 days there would be a check-in with either the Project Manager or shareholders to give an update on how the wireframes are coming along. These meetings would be a great opportunity for more iteration. There would be about 3-4 meetings before the project would be turned into a polished prototype.
Learning Opportunities at Organized Living
This being my first professional position as a UX/UI Designer, I was able to learn and grow skills that are essential.
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How to work in an Agile environment, keeping the Project Manager updated with how my projects are coming along.
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How to keep up with large scale projects while creating rapid mockups for multiple development teams.
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How to create professional-grade prototypes that would be clear to shareholders and developers.
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How to communicate designs to development teams in a clear, concise manner.
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How to take in a plethora of information and breaking it down to specific design requirements.
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How to work in a remote environment, providing the same level of quality as if we were in-person.