I’m super excited to be writing this as it’s the first official issue of Visual Q’s! If you don’t already know, this will be a monthly advice column for designers. If you join the newsletter, you’ll receive this before it goes out on Medium, and get some additional resources & inspiration!

我很高興能寫這篇文章，因為這是Visual Q的第一本正式發行！ 如果您還不知道，這將是設計師的每月建議專欄。 如果您加入時事通訊 ，則在Medium上發布之前，您會收到它，并獲得一些其他資源和啟發！

In honor of graduation month, I’m answering a great Q from a recent-grad looking for her first design job.

為了紀念畢業月，我正在回答應屆畢業生的一個很好的問題，她正在尋找她的第一份設計工作。

Dear Maddy,

親愛的媽媽，

[I have] a degree in graphic design and a minor in illustration. I am about to move to [a new city] and am in that job search hustle. It’s been a fun journey and I’ve been working so hard to decide what path in design I want to take. One of the paths I’m heavily considering is UX/UI design.

我擁有平面設計學位和插圖輔修學位。 我即將搬到[新城市]，忙著找工作。 這是一個有趣的旅程，我一直在努力決定我要走的設計道路。 我正在認真考慮的方法之一是UX / UI設計。

How did you know UX/UI design was right for you and how do you think I can know it’s right for me? I am currently in the application process for a [job in print design.] I’m trying to decide if this is the best decision for me or not. I could see it as a great job that I could learn and refine my skills in. Then after work hours I can work on UX/UI on my own. Or if it’s best to stick it out and work to get into a UX/UI job first?

您怎么知道UX / UI設計適合您，您如何認為我知道它適合我？ 我目前正在[印刷設計工作]的申請過程中。我正在嘗試確定這是否對我來說是最好的決定。 我可以認為這是一項很棒的工作，可以學習和完善自己的技能。然后下班后，我可以自己進行UX / UI的工作。 還是最好堅持下去，然后首先著手進行UX / UI工作？

— Soul-searching recent grad

－搜尋靈魂的應屆畢業生

親愛的靈魂搜尋， (Dear Soul-searching,)

First of all, HUGE congrats!! To you and everyone else who just graduated. Man, it must have been a weird senior year. But I hope you enjoyed it as much as possible.

首先，巨大的祝賀！ 對于您和剛剛畢業的其他所有人。 伙計，那一定是一個奇怪的高年級。 但我希望您盡可能喜歡它。

To answer your question, I first want to give some background on how I got started in UI/UX. Like you, I got my degree in Graphic Design. I didn’t learn UI/UX in school — I barely dipped my toes into digital design at all. A lot of my school projects were branding, print, editorial & packaging.

為了回答您的問題，我首先想對UI / UX的入門背景有所了解。 像您一樣，我獲得了平面設計學位。 我在學校沒有學習過UI / UX，我幾乎完全沒有涉足數字設計。 我在學校的很多項目都是品牌，印刷，社論和包裝。

I had a few internships at branding & marketing agencies before graduation, but none of them really felt like a good fit. During my job search, I came across a tech company in my hometown that works with some big brands on their e-commerce mobile apps. I loved the idea that something I designed would be used (not just seen) by thousands of people.

畢業之前，我曾在品牌和行銷公司實習過，但沒有一個真的很合適。 在求職期間，我遇到了家鄉的一家科技公司，該公司與一些大品牌合作開發了他們的電子商務移動應用程序。 我喜歡這樣的想法，即我設計的東西將被成千上萬的人使用 (不僅僅是看到)。

I applied, interviewed, and ended up working there for about a year. Since I had no experience, I was kind of thrown right in to learn on the job. I learned SO much about UI/UX, mobile apps, design systems, working with clients, working with developers, etc. Way more than I could have learned in a course, reading books, or watching tutorials. And that brings me to my first piece of advice.

我申請，面試，最后在那里工作了大約一年。 由于我沒有經驗，所以我很想學習這份工作。 我從UI / UX，移動應用程序，設計系統，與客戶合作，與開發人員合作等方面學到了很多東西。這比我在課程，閱讀書籍或觀看教程中學到的東西要多得多。 這使我有了第一條建議。

Don’t interview for the jobs you’re confident you can do perfectly. Interview for the jobs that scare & excite you. Prioritize learning, especially at your first job.

不要為您有信心可以完美完成的工作而面試。 面試讓您感到恐懼和興奮的工作。 優先學習 特別 在你的第一份工作。

So how did I know UI/UX was right for me? The honest answer is that UI/UX is not my only passion in design. In the past several years I’ve worked in branding, packaging, web design, and UI/UX. And I love them all! I think the reason that product design excites me so much though is because I’m crafting an experience that helps people accomplish a goal. I can use my knack for graphic design to make the screens look great, but also use my knowledge of cognitive psychology & best practices to make the product easy to use and fit seamlessly into users’ lives.

那么我怎么知道UI / UX適合我呢？ 誠實的答案是UI / UX并不是我對設計的唯一熱情。 在過去的幾年中，我從事品牌，包裝，網頁設計和UI / UX的工作。 我愛他們所有人！ 我認為產品設計之所以如此令我興奮，是因為我正在設計一種可以幫助人們實現目標的體驗。 我可以使用圖形設計的訣竅來使屏幕看起來很棒，還可以使用我的認知心理學知識和最佳實踐來使產品易于使用并無縫地融入用戶的生活。

The best way to learn what you like and what you’re good at is by ‘doing.’

了解自己喜歡和擅長的最佳方法是“做事”。

So if you think this job in print that you’re applying for is something you want to learn more about, then I say absolutely go for it!

因此，如果您認為您要申請的這份印刷工作是您想了解的更多信息，那么我絕對贊成！

But if you’re super curious about UI/UX, then I’d recommend applying to a few companies that do product design. Even if you’re applying to a graphic design position for now, you want to surround yourself with the people and opportunities that can teach you what you’re interested in learning.

但是，如果您對UI / UX超級好奇，那么我建議您向一些從事產品設計的公司提出申請。 即使您現在正在申請平面設計職位，您也希望與能夠教給您學習興趣的人和機會相伴。

And, like I mentioned before, I got hired as a junior UI/UX designer right out of school without any relevant experience. It’s totally possible to find a team that’s looking for someone new to the field! So while that probably seems scary, don’t rule it out if it excites you.

而且，就像我之前提到的那樣，我剛從學校出來就被聘為初級UI / UX設計師，沒有任何相關經驗。 完全有可能找到一支正在尋找該領域新手的團隊！ 因此，盡管這似乎令人恐懼，但如果它激發您的話，請不要排除它。

The other thing you want to make sure you look out for is that you’re joining a collaborative team.

您要確保注意的另一件事是您正在加入協作團隊。

For your first design job, you DO NOT want to feel like you’re totally on your own. Like I’ve said a million times, you want to learn! So when you’re interviewing, try to get a feel for the team you’ll be working on. Ask how often they meet during the week, see where people sit in relation to each other, make sure you meet your immediate boss and gauge whether they’d make a good mentor. I can’t stress enough how much you’ll learn from your team if you have a good one. So definitely keep that in mind when you’re going through the interview process.

對于您的第一個設計工作，您不想感到自己完全是一個人。 就像我說過一百萬遍一樣，您想學習！ 因此，在面試時，請嘗試去熟悉您將要工作的團隊。 詢問他們一周內見面的頻率，查看人們彼此之間坐在一起的位置，確保您與直屬上司見面，并評估他們是否會成為一名好導師。 如果您擁有一支優秀的團隊，我無法從團隊中學到多少東西。 因此，在面試過程中一定要牢記這一點。

One more little tip/warning: You’ll realize when you enter your first job how little you really know about anything. Don’t let that freak you out! Everyone feels that way and it’s a good thing — it will make you open to learning and growing.

另一個小技巧/警告：當您開始第一份工作時，您會意識到您對任何事情一無所知。 不要讓那嚇到你了！ 每個人都有這種感覺，這是一件好事–它會讓您開放學習和成長。

With love,Maddy

有了愛， 媽媽

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