Breaking in a new whiteboard

I recently got my hands on a new dry-erase whiteboard and couldn't wait to break it in. Whiteboards are my jam. There's something liberating about jotting down thoughts on a canvas only limited by the size of your wall.

As I was navigating through my semi-annual existential crisis, I found myself jotting down some of my core strengths. What I realized was that these strengths all culminated in a perspective closely tied to User Experience (UX).

Let's be clear: I'm not talking about User Interface design, but rather what makes a user experience truly effective.

I've recently delved into Joel Marsh's "UX Crash Course," which has reinforced some of my existing beliefs about what's crucial in aiding people’s work or learning experiences. I want to call out a few highlights:

Making Users Effective: The primary objective of a UX designer is to create "smarter things," making users not just satisfied, but effective.

Research is Key: You can't hope to solve your users' problems without first understanding them. This means diving into research to comprehend how your users operate, all while aligning solutions with business or organizational goals.

Data-Driven Design: UX is more science than art. Decisions must be rooted in data to ensure an experience that's not just beautiful, but functional and responsive to user needs.

Looking back, I can't help but wish I'd explored this field sooner. Yet here we are, armed with a new whiteboard and an invigorated sense of purpose.