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[maitemendezs]

We're almost there...

And once again I can't believe how quick time goes by.

I don't feel that I've made it to the end with the expectations I had in mind, but I guess that's what happens with expectations!

I feel exhausted and relieved that this last sprint is coming to an end.

[maitemendezs]

My last solo project

The past 2 weeks have been equally intense and rewarding. I feel extremely happy with the result and feel very recognized and valued for my work.

During the bootcamp, I've received a lot of feedback, some more actionable than others. This helped me paint a good picture of how I was evolving as a junior designer. The cherry on top was speaking with someone external, who hasn't been part of my progression, and receiving similar feedback was very powerful for me.

I have a lot of impostor syndrome, so receiving this validation feels very reassuring.

I feel like I'm no longer risking it for deciding to change careers, but rather I now feel very confident that this is my path.

[maitemendezs]

The case study factory and how to escape it

If there's just one thing to mention about The case study factory article and that has stuck to my brain is to understand the need to keep it personal.

A case study is just a reflection of what the thought process of a designer looks like. And that can't be a template or a pre-defined step-by-step guide, because each of us thinks and solves problems in a different way.

There are thousands of theories and methodologies out there, which are all brilliant, but how we decide to use them and why is essentially what defines us as professionals.

I believe understanding this is fundamental to make good use of the case study as a resource and to further comprehend the job of a designer.

[maitemendezs]

The most neutral week so far

Week 6 is now officially over and so far it's been the most emotionally neutral of the Bootcamp.

I'm starting to feel quite confident in what I'm doing and the project I'm working on. I can't say I feel fully happy, because I was expecting to be able to choose what I wanted to work on for the final project, but at least I'm in a good shape.

What I've enjoyed the most this week was having more time for the discovery phase, as it allowed me to make deeper research than in previous projects.

I'm really looking forward to the presentation on Thursday and having the chance to get feedback from someone in the Design industry.

[maitemendezs]

How I plan to use Remote Contextual Inquiry in my upcoming project

Understanding how a user interacts with their current software will give me a lot of relevant information on how I can approach the needs they have, so I definitely plan to perform remote contextual inquiry for the B2B SaaS project.

My initial plan is to develop a SaaS for an HR team, so I believe it will be complicated to perform the recording due to confidentiality reasons.

Nevertheless, I will make my best to make it happen. If it's not possible, I plan to make the interviews deeply focused on how they perform their tasks "click by click" and to understand which blockers they have.

As always, this is the plan and it might change as the project begins. We'll see!

[maitemendezs]

The one when I redesigned a website

This week I had the opportunity to work on redesigning the website of an illustrator that I really like, so I felt very passionate about the project.

I learned that taking breaks is much needed, that most of the great ideas that came up were born when our mind was not focused on working and that it's okay to get stuck and feel frustrated.

The past two weeks have felt like this and it's frustrating to see how much it's coming in the way of me evolving.

[maitemendezs]

A brief, a high fidelity prototype and a lot of ego

This has been the week where my ego took over me.

Excuses apart (I did have a cold and my period), I don't believe the past week proves the learnings I'm acquiring and I feel dissatisfied with my delivery.

I had my project fully planned and I was on track at every moment, but I still felt like I didn't have enough time and I was obsessed with the idea of needing to move faster than what I had originally foreseen.

On top of that, I felt unsure about the design decisions I was making and with my overall project proposal. I felt I was in a spiral of procrastination and overthinking. I couldn't stop questioning my decisions but was also unable to find the energy to actually focus on how to make them better.

But there's a silver lining in every story and this one is very heartwarming. I feel very proud of the beautiful connections we're creating in class. We have a great network based on caring feedback and continuous support. We all show up for each other to lift us up and to sing I Want it That Way by Backstreet Boys. Which is a big enough win to compensate for this crazy week.

[maitemendezs]

Choosing an interaction design system for my eLearning app

Before moving forward with my project this week I need to make an important decision about which interaction design system I will choose.

The type of user I will design for is familiar with iOS, so it sounds reasonable to focus on this. Regardless of it, I do want to keep Android users happy when using the app, so I'm taking my decisions with them in mind as well.

The 5 main things I will incorporate in my app from Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, are:

1. Tab bar at the bottom of the screen

This will indicate to my user which are the main areas they can navigate through in the app. Although it's native to iOS, it's a very straightforward way of organizing information that can easily be interpreted by an Android user.

2. Back button at the top left + swipe from left-to-right gesture

The arrow will indicate any Android user how to return to a previous page and native iOS users will be familiar with the swiping motion.

3. San Franciso typography

It's a small detail, but because I aim to impact iOS users I believe that keeping the uniformity in the typography can go a long way, so I'm settled for San Francisco for my app.

4. Floating action button

I'm borrowing this one from Material Design, but I believe I could make good use of it in specific cases. I'm still debating if it's a good idea and will have to wait for usability testing to discover that.

5. Microinteractions

In iOS, these are very subtle, like a smooth transition between screens or a fluid change when the device changes orientation.

These are things that iOS users are expecting and that I will be paying a lot of attention to. Similar to swiping from left to right to go back, these interactions are key for an iOS user to feel comfortable.

* * *

I will be testing all of these ideas through usability testing to make sure that they're all understood by the users. So for now, I will say that this is my plan, my ideal scenario, but reality check will give me the final direction.

[maitemendezs]

33% of the bootcamp: complete

The third week came to an end and so far, it's been my favorite one.

Working in a group again felt great and it helped me unlock some of my past beliefs on what working hard really means.

I've had so much fun and laughed so much during the past 7 days, that I almost forgot I had caught a cold. Well, to be completely honest: my cold was very present, it was very frustrating and it made me feel miserable every day, but I want to emphasize how great this week was regardless of how much sneezing was involved.

In terms of the project itself, this week our prototypes progressed all the way to a high-fidelity version since we were briefed to add a feature to an already existing app.

My teammate and I chose to add a livestreaming feature to Soundcloud and we were able to design one of the shortest user flows I can think of. We were also able to explore Figma more and started to work with animations and overlays for this project.

Overall, I'm very proud of all the learnings this week and excited about the next challenge.

[maitemendezs]

Learning that the core of design is how things work

Learning to see is, in the author's own words, a love letter to the design profession.

Reading this inspiring article made me understand how important it is to discard the idea that design is only a synonym of aesthetics.

This is a common mistake that many of us have expressed with terms like "no design" to speak about a flawless design that needs no flourishes.

Good design is the one that needs no explanation, the one that allows a user to complete the goal they had targeted and to do so without frictions or doubts. It's a compund of elements that allos the mentioned product to become useful for the one using it. If it's pretty or not, ends up being a matter of personal taste - or a matter of how trained you are in taste, like the author explains through the term Fingerspitzengefühl (literally, “finger-tip-feeling”).

I have a long learning path in front of me, but remembering that the purpose of my work is to listen to deliver the most seemless experiences possible is the main lesson. Or in the words of the author: My job is "to see what others don't, to create what others can't see but only feel".

[maitemendezs]

Week two at Ironhack just flew by

This week I worked solo for the first time and, just like my colleagues, there were so many unexpected challenges that I did not foresee on Friday when we were given the assignment.

The task was to deliver a mid-fidelity prototype of a habit tracking app and we had to work through all the design staged by ourselves.

What was most complex for me was working on a habit that I was not interested in nor had any previous experience on... but that’s what happens with user research! Topics and pain points come to you as a magnet and you have to work your way through them to deliver something useful.

It was also challenging not to be able to pick on someone’s brain or bounce ideas with a colleague. At times I felt very stuck and didn’t really know how to move past the blocker.

Overall I’m very happy with the resulting prototype I delivered and although there are many improvements to make to it, I feel proud of what I designed.

I can’t believe I just marked the checkbox for my second week at Ironhack. They say time flies when you have fun!

[maitemendezs]

Feedback in the form of design crits

As part of a design team, you’re expected to be open to feedback and to use it in the favour of your work. And that’s exactly what we did this morning during the Design Crits session!

The purpose of the session was to get together in small groups and in 15min slots, receive feedback and insights on our designs.

It was extremely useful to hear what other designers who had no participation in our process thought about our work and which improvements they’d suggest. It helped me to hear insights and questions that I had not consider while drafting and it also gave me ideas on what modifications I could make.

I’m looking forward to continuing on this feedback-based path to better design!

[maitemendezs]

Week one at Ironhack

The first week at Ironhack just flew by and it’s crazy to think how much I’ve learned in just 7 days.

On Monday I knew nothing about design thinking, crazy 8′s, research-based interviewing, prototyping or usability testing; and by Friday I had already designed my first app!

The assignment for this Friday was to present a lo-fi prototype of a single feature app. Together with my team, and after doing some research, we tried to solve the frustration of planning and thinking of outdoor activities to do.

I feel extremely happy about all the things I’m adding to my learning backpack with this Bootcamp. 

Week two: I’m ready!

[maitemendezs]

My first day at Ironhack

I had been waiting for this for the past couple of months so naturally I had a lot of expectations of what my first day at Ironhack would look like.

I’ve had a lot of fun today and meeting new people was very exciting.

I’m super happy I made the decision to invest in myself and enroll in this bootcamp. This journey has just started!