New Skills to Reexplore

By: Nia Braccidiferro

Not everything made by a designer has to be created on the computer. I’ve learned that recently. Designers can create absolutely anything imaginable. They can even use their skills to visualize and design tangible prototypes for their company.

In Martina Perez’s article for Envatotuts+, entitled, “10 Actions to Strengthen Your Core UX Design Skills in 2019”, she explains that “It’s good to take a look at trending topics, new design tools, and cutting-edge technologies, but we should be asking ourselves what we like the most in the UX field, whether it is research, interaction design or data analysis.

We should feel lucky to work on such a vast field, full of opportunities to keep learning and become better over time. 2019 is the year to shine. Just take your pick and go for it!”

The field and community we work in are so diverse. Anyone is welcome to bring their skills and passions to the table. No matter what we create, we should be proud that we brought it to life from a tiny idea bubble in our minds. As designers, we take in inspiration from everything in our daily lives.

With that inspiration at our disposal, we have the ability to turn it into anything we desire. Sometimes in life, it’s okay to take a step back from our usual routines and try something that’s out of our comfort zones. This is how we gain experience in different mediums that are unfamiliar to us.

I recently had the opportunity to take a chance and use my skills in a new light. I was asked to revisit an old pastime that I used to love as a child. I haven’t drawn or made a collage in years and because of that, my skills are less than subpar. With this practice, I regained a talent that I had forgotten long ago.

From now on, I am going to tap into new mediums every once in a while, so I can be a well-rounded designer and see through other people’s eyes and experience their perspective.