Week 5 - Review

Reviewing My Research so Far:

Discuss what you have found during your self reflection and job/ career company research so far:

• By looking at my self reflection I have been able to highlight areas that need to be improved to help myself get into the job's that interest me the most.  Also by addressing these it will give me the best opportunities to get jobs I believe I will find interesting and will be happiest in the future. The tools that were mostly helped gain an understanding in was my personal SWOT analysis where I looked at Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses & Threats. Also my personal Skills analysis where I rated my current level of  Knowledge and Skills. Both of theses gave me a personal insight to areas where I am weak and need to be improved. I plan to improve  my skills and knowledge by doing more personal projects. Especially on areas where I am interested in and want/need to improve. Watch videos and tutorials on places like Lynda.com and YouTube. Also finally read up more around areas I'm interested in which I need to develop my understanding. As well as to help follow the trends of the industry and find the leading people currently in specific areas.  

• From looking at specific jobs and careers I have found that not all requirements are software based. Other main factors include time management, teamwork skills and also the need to fit in to a company's general social aspect. ( Will you fit in/ work well with other team members). This has now also been confirmed by two speakers who have visited us for lectures, explaining that depending on the job the relevant software may not even be available for anyone use and relevant training will be given once joining the company ( MCLAREN COMPANY DASH DESIGNERS). Ive also learned that skills aren't all that's necessary to get a job in many businesses. A big part of landing a job is fitting in with the current business, I learned this through  ........ from Fusebox games. This is a lesson i will take into every interview or job opportunity in the future. Looking at the best way to present myself and understanding what is needed to fit in to specific businesses depending on their current staff and work ethics.     

Questions you might like to ask of yourself: 

• Do I want to work for a big or small company ?
• Will I be happy in the area of work I'm going for ?
• Is the industry growing / will their be lots of opportunity's?
• How will I achieve a good job ?
• Do i want to specialise in one are or try to stay multidisciplinary?
• What industry area do I want to pursue ?  

What themes or interesting touch points you have found:

• From thinking about what I want to do in my future and the career path I want to follow I feel it is very important to be in an industry area that I am happy with. From looking back at projects I have completed and my current interests I feel that Industry areas I would be happy working in would include: The health and fitness / Sports industry and Technology Industry. How can i apply my design skill and aspiration of UX / UI / Mobile programming skills to these types of industry's.        
• I feel that my interest in UX & UI design will become in high demand as more high tech apps and programs become available, especially as technology continues to develop rapidly the problem becomes creating a way that it is accessible and usable to every user.     

What will my next steps be:

• Start creating things on the side as well as class projects.  This will help me develop my skills across a series of programs and create things that I find interesting or relevant to my interests or skills development.
• Creating will also help me to create a portfolio of work outside of University projects. Letting employers know this is what i'm interested in and do it for fun as well as just for my degree. 
• Learn new skill and discover new software. Can do this through Lynda.com or YouTube and use these new skills to create new content.
• Keep up to date on Industry changes or trends through relevant books, magazines and blog posts. 
• Find work that interests and inspired me. research about it and have ready to discuss in interviews.   

Interesting Website Links

LINKS :

• https://blog.prototypr.io/how-to-become-ux-designer-step-by-step-guide-5a49e9e17318
• https://moon.ly/
• https://www.creativebloq.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUxn67eJCsk
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0m2hLaQnqeO0UJwb68h6tQ (YT CHANNEL)
Future Proofing - will you lose your job to automation as a UX designer


https://uxstudioteam.com/ux-blog/screen-design/
Screen DESign UX

Inspiration Page

https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/students/make-it-with-creative-cloud.html#x

Week 14 - Portfolio Link

Online portfolio link:

https://lewiscs.myportfolio.com/


https://lewiscs.myportfolio.com/

Week 11 - Networking

Networking 

Over the winter break, I have been continually promoting myself, this has been through family and friends and has opened some opportunities into businesses that would satisfy my interest and suit my skill set to be able to help the companies in mind. I will continually be in conversation with companies to give myself the best possible chance of gaining a high standard graduation job.

I plan to keep improving my social media perspective as this semester develops and have the goal of leaving university with a well-rounded series of content, experience, and references. Each displayed across social media, linked in and my own portfolio website.

Some upcoming events I plan to attend include:



New Designers:

                                                                                     
     

New Designers provides a unique platform for fresh design talent to connect with design educators, professionals and consumers, for creative exchange and collaboration. 

I feel this event would provide me access to interesting individuals and businesses providing a good opportunity for networking.




meetup: UX for change | London:



Hold regular events on the rapidly changing sector of UX and UI design, by attending these it will keep me up to date and in the loop of developing design changes in this industry.




Fintech Design Summit 2019:     

 


Fintech is financial technology and this event is the worlds first fintech design conference.

Week 10 - Work Experience

Blog post: Work experience

During the holidays I was successful in gaining work experience through a job opportunity for the student enterprise, the jobs role I have achieved is as a design consultant for London based company ANI connects.

This is for the EU backed government scheme of the Dek growth programme, I was one of 6 students selected for this role. 

ANI Connects is a London based company with the aim to improve and create efficient public engagement.   

This role will give me vast amounts of experience in the design industry which I plan to enter once I’ve finished my degree at LSBU.

ANI was my first choice out of the 6 possible job roles as I felt this was most suited to my skills and interests, as they focus on networking and providing a good user experience to improve public engagement and create better connections with users for business benefits.

I will also be gaining training to help me interact with the company and plan my actions and process of completing the set tasks for them to the highest standard I can.

Week 9 - Portfolio Inspiration

Here look at some existing portfolios where I plan to take inspiration from to convert into my own portfolio website.

Im looking more at the layout and the way the site is navigated rather than the content within. 


Example 1:

http://merijnhos.com/

First I found Merijn Hos's portfolio. I felt this very simple layout helped to show off and put all the emphasis on his work while displaying a large amounts of his projects. Which you can select to show a more in-depth page which shows a description and more images within that project.

I feel a main reason that this layout works very well is that Merijn has a very distinct style of art work and this is relatable through most of his projects. In my own portfolio it may benefit me to have a larger initial image size, helping to show the detail and helping specific project stand out. 













Example 2:



http://www.leslie-david.com/


Next I look at Leslie David's portfolio. In her portfolio the main attraction is the side navigation bar which is static to the page scrolling, but also she has implemented responsive text that changes slightly when mouse-overed, this gives users decisive feedback to let them know where they are on the page.

The images are all individual project and when these are mouse-overed they change to the name of the project, this is useful to help users understand what they are looking at and if they want further information they can click this which will bring up a more detailed and in depth series of images on that particular project. 


Another feature i like on her website is the custom logo she has in the top left of the page. I feel it would be nice to have something of my own to differentiate myself from other portfolios.













HOW CAN I MAKE MY PORTFOLIO RELEVANT TO UX DESIGN OR MY FINAL CHOSEN DISCIPLINE ?




Example 3:


http://www.husamelfaki.net/


Here I look at Husamel Faki's portfolio, here he has created a very clear and easy on the eye landing page. He displays a number of project on the home page each with a striking first visual images that gives the viewer an insight to what that specific project contains. 

Each project can be expanded through clicking the initial sample image on the landing page, these reveal a detailed description and more images. The thing i like about how Husamel has displayed his work is that he has implemented the App design work inside the iPhone shell and also implemented lots of reactive / moving clips of how the apps he has designed would flow through. This shows the audience of his skills of a UX and UI designer. 

Week 6 - Working on 5 year career plan

This is a preparation page for my formative assessment on the 5 year career plan :

For the assessment i will briefly run through the entirety of the document, Highlighting the main areas that i have focused on, These include:

• SWOT Analysis
• Quick Self Assessment
• Skills Analysis and peer review 
• Conclusion of self analysis & next steps 
• Career aspiration 1, 3 & 5 Years
• Class exercises (brainstorms & mind maps)

For each of these sections, I plan to briefly explain how I have approached each individual task and what it has helped me understand or develop my knowledge regarding to the job area it will help me develop skills or understanding around the subject. 

Also explaining how each task is relevant to my interests and helping me discover what i want to do. By doing this i feel it is the best way i can help my self discover what i will be able to enjoy as a digital career.   

Week 8 - Finding design jobs for me

Design jobs:

Exploring jobs and the suitability to myself through interest and skill requirements.

Job 1:

Graduate User Interface Designer 

From Dorset Software

• Explain very briefly how well they match

I believe this job wold be a good match for me due to my interest in UI design but also working as part of a team to create bespoke IT systems for a range of clients. 

• what does each job involve/ what they do?

Dorset software create and maintain bespoke IT systems. 

• what responsibilities?

Designing adverts and marketing material alongside the Digital Marketing team, 

Creating engaging and self-intuitive user interfaces across a variety of digital and non-digital platforms

Contributing to our marketing strategy and raising brand awareness through new and adventurous ideas

Providing consultancy at clients’ premises across the UK as required

• skills required (hard and soft) for the job:

A minimum 2:1 degree in a relevant, creative subject

An excellent academic background

Exceptional creative design skills

Knowledge of current and appropriate software tools

Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills

• where do they work?

Bournemouth, Dorset & Providing consultancy across the UK

• hours?

Unknown
But state: Excellent work/life balance with flexible working hours

• salary range?

£23000 - £24000 dependent on experience

• A role with a future?

I believe this job had potential to have leads to move up to a more senior UI designer, as i would be working in a team the graduate job would start off at the lower end of the team. Allowing room for growth. 

• how would you get this job?

Need to have a minimum of a 2:1 Degree, what i believe i will be able to achieve.
Exceptional creative design skills, what i will be able to showcase through a strong portfolio at the end of my course. Also strong understanding of current industry software what i will continue to develop as it is in my interest.

• Would this be a good career for you? A good match to your skills and strengths and interests?

Yes i believe this would be a good starting job from leaving university, due to the good pay, it falls within my interest, seems to have room for promotion within the workplace and will help me develop industry standards and experience on a range of projects.  

Job 2:

• Explain very briefly how well they match

Match well, look to be an interesting company who continuously adapt to the newly adapted technologies/software. also work work with large clients.

• what does each job involve/ what they do?

Use of Axure Pro for interactive wire framing
Applying usability principles and best practice to design work – across devices and channels
Delivering and supporting research with end users
Creation of corporate identities for medium to large organisations
Photography and video steer
Digital brand translation
Animation/3D/Video experience
Passion for content and attention to detail
Experience platform learning and client support in this area

• what responsibilities?

?

• skills required (hard and soft) for the job

Industry knowledge and experience.  

• where do they work?

Bournemouth, Dorset 

• hours?

Unknown

• salary range?

£20,000 - £25,000 - subject to experience

• A role with a future?

Yes 

• how would you get this job?

Would need to create a very good portfolio with relevant work of industry standards.

• Would this be a good career for you? A good match to your skills and strengths and interests?

Yes i believe that this role could be very interesting as i would be able to work on a range of project not limited to focusing on one particular skill of field.

Job 3:

Thought this process of looking for job posts I don't feel like this would be the right process for me, instead I would contact smaller creative agencies and see weather the would want to take me on. This way I believe I would be happier in finding a location/ business where I feel i would fit in and they wold have the kind of environment that i would want to work under.  

Some Companies that i would consider Includes:

• Candy Black

           https://www.candyblack.com/

•  Rolling Rouges 

           https://www.rollingrogues.com/

• Salad Creative 

          https://saladcreative.com/

• Thinking Juice 

           https://www.thinkingjuice.co.uk/

• Explain very briefly how well they match
• what does each job involve/ what they do?
• what responsibilities?
• skills required (hard and soft) for the job
• where do they work?
• hours?
• salary range?
• A role with a future?
• how would you get this job?
• Would this be a good career for you? A good match to your skills and strengths and interests?

Candy Black - Example of a company id like to work for:

Links:

https://www.candyblack.com/contact/

https://ifyoucouldjobs.com/

https://www.hexstud.io/

http://www.uxconnections.com/wp-content/uploads/UX_Connections_UX_Consultant.pdf

https://www.underwaterpistol.com/

Week 7 - Feedback on 5 year career plan

Week 7 

Following on from presenting my 5 year career plan in class, I was given feedback from Dave and the class. This gave me some points to address, change and adapt to make a better, more relevant 5 year carer plan.

Areas to improve:

• SWOT analysis, could add more points in all areas. Maybe complete another as the process goes on to give some contrast and see if i have turned and weaknesses into strengths or what i still need to address.  

• Redo Quick self assessment as document has corrupted.

• Regrade my personal skills analysis, may have been harsh on myself ?

• On conclusion and next step stage i need to look more in-depth at the kinds of jobs that will suit me. UX / UI what jobs inside would suit me best. Need to narrow down and understand the job roles in more detail. This will help me develop relevant skills depending on my area of interest.

• Need to add current CV, its fine that its not relevant.

• Start developing promotional tools. Ideas of what i can do.

• Add to appendix 

• Add to bibliography

Overall:

From this feedback I have found areas that I must improve to develop my 5 year career plan, this is to help me understand the job areas I am most interested in through more research and developing understanding around the possible skills and knowledge in that subject area. As well as developing areas like my current CV, personal skills and developing self promotion to show off my best current skill set. 

Week 4 - LSBU Clarence Centre Businesses

LSBU Clarence Center For Enteprise & Innovation 

What have they done: 

Since opening in 2013, the Clarence Centre has helped support 1,450 external London based start-ups, 27 Student start-ups and engaged with 5,000 students a year who have an interest in starting a company.

Clarence Center Infographic:

What Companies Operate In The Centre:

Looking at what some of these companies specialise in:

Naked Creativity:

https://nakedcreativity.co.uk/

Who are they:

• Naked Creativity is a Central London design consultancy with a six-strong team of creative and technical individuals all passionate about good design. 

• Naked Creative believe that good design should be accessible and are always keen to help customers explore cost effective ways that help get the most from their website, print or app.

Services Include:

• They design intelligent websites, engaging mobile and web applications, imaginative identities and accomplished print.
• Naked Creative believe that its important for the designers and developers to work directly with the clients. 

Work Examples: 

https://www.behance.net/nakedcreativity - More interesting work from Naked Creativity.

Could I use my skills in this company & Would i like to work here:

Skills i could put to use in this company would include UX deign, UI design, Coding, Website Design, Graphic Design, Layout design.

I feel this would be an interesting company for me to work in as it seems they take on a variation of different website, application and graphic design jobs from all different types of company's. Keeping new and interesting work going on all the time.    

Stoke & Dagger:

https://www.stokeanddagger.com/

Who are they:

• Emerging from a TV and advertising background Stoke and Dagger has been formed to create with pride, friendliness and speed at its core. Striving to create distinctive video with passionate people.     

Services Include:

• Concepts, Animation, Production, Audio & Editing, Visual Effects, Consulting.
• 
  

Work Examples: 

Could I use my skills in this company & Would I like to work here:

• Stoke and Dagger look to be a very interesting video and advertising brand, Working with companies like RedBull they create some very exciting videos. I feel this brand would be great for my interests especially with the sort of clients they are working with. Keeping the work inside my interest ares.

• Although I have limited skills in the filming and editing process i feel i could put my creative design skills to use across a range of videos and animations they produce. Helping produce new concepts and help push the limits of video advertising with digital concepts applied.  

& Special Guests:

https://andspecialguests.com/

What does this company do:

& Special Guests is a a design studio and online shop, Creating a collection that is an ongoing exploration in to a style that embodies contradictions and has an inimitable sense of novelty.  

Services Include:

• Designing products such as: Bags, Shoes, T-Shirts, Nail Polish 

Work Examples:

 

Could I use my skills in this company & Would I like to work here:

•  Although I do not feel I would be suited to working in this company i feel it is interesting nevertheless, designing products in a playful manor with highly imaginative styles seems like a very interesting business venture.   

• Skills I could put to use her would be my creative mindset, implementing digital aspects into the products and accessories in style and actual digital implementation. 

Captain Cyan:

https://captaincyan.com/

What does this company do:

• Captain Cyan is a printing company based in central London. The company is London's fastest same day large format printers.  

• They also offer an in house design team to quickly and professionally product high quality work. 

Services Include:

• Captain Cyan services are mostly anything to do with printing, from business cards to outdoor banners.

Work Examples: 

Could I use my skills in this company & Would I like to work here:

• Digital printing services will always have a need from other businesses in printing promotional material. I would be interested in learning the techniques and process used by printing companies to achieve a high level of final production.

• Skills I could put to use here would be my eye for good layout design and also colour theory. Helping companies promote their products/ services while keeping to their brand specifications.       

Images & CO:

http://www.images.co.uk/

What does this company do:

Images & Co is an innovation consultancy and design practice specialising in cities, public spaces, culture, education, technology and communications.

Service Areas Include:

• Cities and spaces 
• Communications 
• Culture 
• Education 
• Technology 

Work Examples: 

Could I use my skills in this company & Would I like to work here:

• Overall Images and Co work on some very large scale projects, I feel this would be a great company to work for, especially on parts of the large scale projects. Optimising transport with new technology seems very interesting and also some of their other projects including Internet of technology.

• My skills going forward to this company would be limited but I plan to develop these thought my third year of university.