Crossfield Education and User Experience Design

Have you ever come across the online quizzes like - what shape is your face? Is it round, square or rectangle? Or are you an extrovert or an introvert? The answer to such questions is generally not any one single of the given categories. You may act like an introvert in one group and a lousy extrovert in another. Sometimes, you may look in the mirror and find your face is oval and maybe some fine day even a triangle! The point is we, humans are complex. We sometimes cannot fit into one single definition. Then why limit ourselves to one typical plane in our careers? What if, one degree is not able to define your fields of passion? Go cross field!

My name is Palak Jadhav. I am an IT engineer of CHARUSAT University and a UI/UX design intern(!) at Lemon Yellow design agency & let me tell you, I feel the potential like never before. India stands second in the world for her population. Now, that we have quantity, let's talk about the quality. More than 50% of our population are young guns, below the age of 25! Think of the possibilities! What in the world can we not accomplish! Then there is one more figure to throw right in the face of the hopes. Over 80% of the graduates in India are not employable. Not employable?! What are we doing wrong? Simply blaming the education system is not enough.

Let us see in this way - An algorithm gives similar output when input is similar. Let's say our graduation is an algorithm. When we all are so different - each of a kind, all the inputs to the system are so varied then why does our graduation spits out a batch of incompetent graduates every year who are not employable. Even if they land jobs, we haven't even started with job satisfaction and passion. User Experience Design is one such field. It comes to picture anytime there is any product, anywhere in the frame. Designing User Experience includes challenges like:

1. Knowing the user in the first place.
2. Deciding the product's objectives, features and scope.
3. Technological possibilities and limitations.
4. Understanding the human behaviour.
5. Knowing your competition.
6. Design principles.
7. Add value to the product.
8. Make a collaboration with the development team.
9. Consistent system of UI elements.
10. Highly functional and Serene to eyes.

When there are so many dimensions to User Experience Design, there is no fixed path or education degree to set your course to the coast of complete product designing. There sure are new degrees emerging with the realization of the significance of User Experience Design of products. You sure must have a design thinking, as Sameer sir and Amit sir of Lemon Yellow Design Agency always say. That's the foundation. You should have a seed to grow a plant. Similarly, thought is important. There must be a thought and strong ideas to execute a good product. Well, then the execution can be polished over a period of time and skills can be developed.

The design principles are very important to User Interface and in turn User Experience. Creating a good User Interface is challenging because the human eye is used to seeing the perfection in nature around him. You may not be a good visual designer, because maybe you're a psychologist working as a User Experience Designer but you sure can develop your design skills with reading, practising, good mentoring and a pinch of passion. Education should take you places and not build boundaries for you. Our education system has this tendency of putting us in labelled boxes but who set this trend? The question is - Are you going to go with the flow? Let us not forget that a dead fish goes with the flow. Have you ever thought what would you do with your life if you were not scared?

Stand up for yourself. It is time for skill-based education. It is time for crossfield expertise. It is time for competent graduates who can drive the industries with innovation and not just by merely being “workable”. You may be a marketing person, a fine arts student, a writer, a psychologist or even an engineer like me, this makes you capable of bringing a new and different dimension to User Experience Design. What can stop you from being a good User Experience Designer? Don't blame your degree. It is just a category. You can always choose more than one of those. Don't blame the industry. If you are passionate enough, it will always have a place for you. I found mine. So, now what can stop you is you.