18-19
01/02/2020
At 0186's house.
01/11/2020
01/28/2020
02/10/2020
Celebrating 0350's birthday during our lunch break.
02/14/2020
My application to OCAD.
02/15/2020
0351 and I took a break from hacking to draw Babu Frik and Baby Yoda.
02/16/2020
04/2020
04/03/2020
04/06/2020
04/14/2020
05/22/2020
05/31/2020
06/2020
06/03/2020
Any questions?
What are the best degrees to get for UX design? Yeah, I was thinking about this too, when I dropped out of school. I feel like a lot of people in the US, they do Information Systems or Computer Science with a minor in Human-Computer Interaction, or Psychology, or Graphic Design... It depends on what you're interested in, because UX design is so broad. There are people who are UX researchers, and people who are UI designers.
Also in Canada, there are some programs called Interaction Design. Oh, I didn't even say the program I'm going to. It's not really a UX program, it's called Digital Futures at OCAD. I feel like it's more like 3D stuff, AR, VR, and game design, but yeah.
Do you have to be good at coding to attend hackathons? No! When I went to my first hackathon, I was very bad at coding. Actually, that was how I first found out about UX design. I expected to go there and do coding stuff, but I was so bad. And then I learned about design, and I was like, hey, this is kind of fun.
Do all hackathons require you to join a team? What if none of them want me? Aww, don't worry. Most of the time I go to hackathons without a team, and there's usually team forming events. I think one of the values of going to hackathons is, you get to work with people that have diverse ages and skillsets. I've been on a team where we had both a high school student and a person who was like thirty. And it was really fun.
There's also a lot of beginners at hackathons who are like hey, let's all do something together 'cause we're all beginners. So I'm sure that people will want you. Also, some people do solo hackathons, like they're their own team. I've never done it before, 'cause I need other people to carry me. But that's also an option.
Did you find your UX bootcamp useful? Yes, but... I feel like I'm pretty late to UX design. I only got into it last year, I didn't really know about it before I went to university. So it was useful for me, because I didn't really know anything about it, and then I just spent like 40 hours a week just doing UX for three months. I got connections and stuff, but it's heavily targeted towards people who already have a degree or career, who are trying to make a career change. Also it's kind of expensive, I think that you could learn a lot of stuff yourself. But it was definitely useful, I don't think I would be where I am today without going there.
Any common mistakes you see people make when designing? Let me think about it... OK, this is kind of specific, but not following a grid. A lot of times, you see something and the spacing is not that good, you can't put your eye on it, but something doesn't look right. Using a spacing system also makes it easier to handoff your designs to developers.
Oh! I know. Not focusing on accessibility. There's accessibility requirements, such as, if you're designing for a mobile phone, you want the touch targets to be a at least a minimum dimension. And there's WCAG, which include like the amount of colour contrast, for things you need to read.
Another thing is, designing things as part of a whole. You might design one screen, and some people get really focused on making this one screen so good, but it's important to consider how it interacts with the rest of the product.
06/07/2020
I had a dream I was getting ready for a MyPalate party, when I hit my head. When I woke up, I was 21 years old. I had missed two years of my life. They told me my brother had passed from cancer. My mom made me pasta, and we put it in a container. I started making my way to the MyPalate party.
I realized I was so behind on life now, but I was determined to make the most of it. Still had three years of university left to go. Opened my phone. Somehow it updated, all my apps looked different. Went on the CryptoGateways group. Saw lots of new names. Typed, sooo sorry i was unconscious for 2 years. Started messaging my friends to catch up.
06/15/2020
06/18/2020
06/24/2020
08/2020
08/01/2020
With 0025.
08/03/2020
08/06/2020
08/07/2020
08/14/2020
At 0013's cottage.
08/16/2020
08/17/2020
Imagine you're inside a painting, and then the painting starts yelling at you.
08/24/2020
08/28/2020
Questions?
Any tips for getting into this industry from a non-design background? Previously, my work experience was not related to design, either. I found that I was still able to talk about it in job interviews and stuff. I know a lot of people here have experience in the customer service industry, like I used to be a Food & Beverage supervisor. So a lot of that was improving the experience of customers inside our restaurant, problem solving and things like that.
Any tips, um, some general tips, doesn't matter what background you're in – I used to read a lot of books and Medium articles. And keeping inspiration of common UI design patterns, and apps that you like.
And hackathons? Yeah true! And going to hackathons.
08/30/2020
09/09/2020
09/14/2020
09/17/2020
There were a bunch of black spots in my vision. I couldn't see, and then I couldn't move, so I fell down. And then when I woke up, there was a cut on my face, and it was really hard to breathe. I felt like throwing up, and it was hard to move. Now I'm a bit better though, just like very dizzy.
09/21/2020
10/06/2020
10/12/2020
10/28/2020
I'm great at making lists of things to do, and not doing them.
10/31/2020
11/05/2020
0345: How was it?
Me: I have no idea, 'cause they were so chill. My friend interviewed right before me, and she said today's the last day of interviews. So I think I was their last interview, because mine was in the afternoon. We mostly talked about my project. They also asked me like, how would you explain something complex to someone who has no knowledge of it? And, if you worked here and had a really good idea, how would you pitch it to RBC?
I think it was a good conversation, but I also think they're just nice. And I'm not good at talking, so I don't know if I was that clear. It was good, but I feel like there are other people who are better, you know what I mean? Anyways, it was good interview practice.
11/06/2020
11/13/2020
In my dream, I saw Devon Aoki. A schoolgirl faked her death due to a pregnancy, and she had a replacement. What to do with the baby? People were talking about the Messiah. There were flames, and a broken highway that left a chasm over a body of water, where a black van was attempting to cross. Inside, men in suits. At a funeral, guests whisper about a conspiracy.
11/14/2020
0353: How have you found UX so far?
Me: I really like UX, 'cause I'm still a student in university, right? So I think it's really normal to not know exactly what I want to do yet. But in UX, there's so many different avenues, like visual design, or something more on the coding side, like design systems and prototyping. Also research, and product stuff. So I like that there's a lot to explore.
11/18/2020
11/20/2020
11/23/2020
When I left Wonderland in January, people asked me if I was going to come back next season, which would start around March. I said no, because I wanted to focus on a career in my field. Some people were really encouraging, and others were skeptical – which was reasonable, since most of them were older than me, and expected me to return.
Anyways, this January, I'll be starting an internship, and making almost $10 more per hour, compared to what I was making in that position! It's a small step, but I feel like my hard work paid off.
11/27/2020
12/01/2020
12/11/2020
12/16/2020
