#19 Some Thoughts from Game to Design
Hello my friend! đ
I had a great time gaming recently. Continued with Rise of the Tomb Raider. The last time I saved, I was about to enter a BOSS battle against a witch named Baba Gaya. This time, I spent a focused hour and managed to defeat her. Felt really accomplished receiving the in-game items and rewards.
Wouldnât it be great if gaming sessions were always like this? Having a specific task every day and calling it a day once itâs completed. This not only prevents addiction but also serves as a great way to relax. Plus, the expensive games we buy wonât lose their appeal after just a day or two of playing.
This approach isnât just for game design, but can also be applied to UX/product design. Understand the userâs flow first, then consider the pace of use, and think about ways to reward or elicit emotions at the right moments.
Hereâre a few things Iâd like to share with you today đ
42nd Birthday Reflection
Thoughts on Coaching Students Transitioning into UX Design
Communicate Better with an AI Assistant: Hereâs How You Can Build One
You canât tackle 2 complicated problems at the same time
42nd Birthday Reflection
A few months ago, I celebrated my 42nd birthday. Every year I have a habit of writing something for myself, and this year when I looked back, a lot of the feelings I wrote about last year still apply. I might as well copy them here and then add a few points:
At 41
I think that before turning thirty, people, especially their mindset, operate in âplayer modeâ. But after hitting forty, the mindset slowly transitions into a âcoach modeâ. When youâre in player mode, you focus on improving your own abilities, striving, and scrambling. But once youâre in the coach state, youâve already recognized the chaos and complexity of the world, and you need your own models to deal with and respond to it, creating relatively higher value with limited resources.
Life is like a roller coaster ride. Emotions, state, creativity, physical strength - they all have their highs and lows. Recognize this fact, and accept it.
Chaos, disorder, and imperfection are the truth of the world and our ways of thinking. Get used to them and embrace them, while learning how to face them.
After developing physically, your mind wonât stay simple.
Time spent on exercise and sleep is always a good investment in terms of input-output ratio.
Donât try to control the external world, instead, strive to observe and control your own heart and behavior. It was only when I realized this that I understood I was a Stoic.
Donât try to persuade others, donât waste time arguing, unless the argument can create value.
Be an ordinary yet confident person. Be aware of your limitations, but have confidence in yourself. You donât need to prove yourself through looks, physique, money, position, or even knowledge and views (which is hard) or other peopleâs recognition (which is the hardest).
Be wild yet profound. Know your true self, and donât deliberately pretend to be someone youâre not. Donât design your persona, but design your life.
At 42
Donât give advice to others, donât act like a know-it-all. Have requirements for yourself, but no expectations of others.
Everyone has their own worldview, and in most cases, other peopleâs worldviews have nothing to do with me.
Accept your uniqueness, and more importantly, your mediocrity.
Having understood the complexity of the world, or say, understanding that the world is complex and humans can never exhaust its possibilities - and thatâs okay. Having deeply understood this, I respect my perspectives and views even more. The world has a bias according to my understanding, and thatâs okay and good.
Suddenly I began to understand the philosophy of moderation.
Mammals need touch, and humans are no exception. In the absence of misunderstanding, use your sense of touch more.
Language becomes less and less important, while experience and intuition become more and more important.
âTo do oneâs best and leave the rest to fateâ might be the most realistic idealistic view on life.
Thoughts on Coaching Students Transitioning into UX Design
I recently tutored two American students who graduated and transitioned into design. One with an extremely high level of design, but she lacks self-confidence and always feels that her work is not good enough. The other, has average design work, but he is very confident, or frank, during presentations: âI did an extremely poor job at this step, I donât even know what I was doing.â
As a tutor, my task is to help boost the formerâs self-confidence and enhance the latterâs design skills while trying to make them see the strengths they already possess - those are the diamonds in the sand that they often overlook.
Improving skills and making advancements isnât difficult: provide observations, ask for reasons, then offer suggestions and demonstrate a few examples, thatâs all. They usually get the hang of it. But making them see their strengths is challenging. It requires designing some communication strategies that will allow them to discover it on their own, instead of me telling them directly. This is even more challenging than expressing disagreement (debate) or persuasion.
When considering such issues, the grammar and vocabulary used in English communication will no longer be the focus for me because there is simply no time to ponder over these. The emphasis should be placed on designing your communication strategy and verifying whether the other party can understand my message. Another crucial point: in the design process, an imperfect conversation is always better than a perfect monologue.
You canât tackle 2 complicated problems at the same time
I have been serving as a mentor to around 18 students, helping them to learn UX design. A few of them have successfully landed jobs, while some are still searching. Interestingly, three students decided to unmatch with me as their mentor, and two of them are Chinese students. According to their feedback, communication appeared to be an issue in our mentorship. This might seem confusing since we share a common native language, making communication potentially easier compared to with non-native speakers.
As a non-native English speaker myself, I used to struggle with the language. I would often worry that people couldnât understand me due to my accent, or that I wasnât fully understanding their point. Similar struggles seem to be present for these two students, whose English could use some improvement.
At the outset of our mentorship, I had encouraged them to use English as our primary mode of communication, given its prevalence in the job market. However, this became a barrier for them, and so they decided to unmatch with me. Interestingly, other native English speakers have provided positive feedback regarding our communication, indicating no language-related issues.
My takeaway from this experience is the realization that tackling two complex problems simultaneously can be challenging. Learning UX design is a multifaceted endeavor, involving various sub-projects and a wide range of skills to improve upon. Similarly, learning a new language is a complex journey with numerous steps and directions.
It seems our mental capacity, time, and resources might not be sufficient to handle two such demanding projects at once. If you find yourself in a similar situation, it is crucial to decide and prioritize which issue to tackle first. Set clear expectations, define a timeline, and establish how progress will be measured. By being clear about your scope, you can effectively allocate extra time to resolve other problems.
Starting from today, Iâve begun utilizing my walking time, specifically during my evening walks, to practice writing a daily English essay. This could be posted on a blog, included in a newsletter, or simply serve as a diary entry. The important thing is to start taking action. With voice input significantly lowering operational barriers, thereâs no reason not to get moving.
Communicate Better with an AI Assistant: Hereâs How You Can Build One
Have a great one and see you soon!
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