Why I Quit UI/UX Design.

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their decision to quit professional UI/UX design after six years to pursue a different career path that aligns with their personal interests. Despite stepping back from UI/UX, they continue to take on design jobs out of passion. They explain their growth as a team lead, the stagnation they felt in their design career, and the importance of having a diverse skill set in the tech industry. The speaker now works as a front-end developer, leveraging their previous experience and expressing excitement about building their own designs. They also hint at upcoming content on tools like Framer and Webflow for non-coders and a course on Framer.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker has been a UI/UX designer for about 6 years and has recently decided to quit this profession.
• 🔄 They informed their head of technology about this decision, which was met with questions to ensure they were certain about it.
• 🤔 The decision was not made hastily; it was the result of careful thought and self-analysis over time.
• 📉 The speaker's reduced activity on their channel over the past 6 to 8 months is attributed to this decision-making process.
• 🛠️ They have shifted their focus to a different career path, which they had been involved in before becoming a UI/UX designer.
• 🔄 The speaker is not abandoning UI/UX design but rather making it a secondary skill set to their new primary career path.
• 💡 They believe in not limiting oneself to a single career path or skill set and have explored various interests such as backend development and digital marketing.
• 📈 The speaker felt they had stopped growing as a designer, partly due to their role as a team lead which involved more management than hands-on design work.
• 🧩 They value having a variety of skills, especially within the same niche, as it broadens knowledge and increases opportunities.
• 💼 Despite quitting professional UI/UX design work, they still take on design jobs and find more fulfillment and purpose in doing so now.
• 💻 The speaker has transitioned into front-end development, leveraging skills from UI/UX design and prior experience as a front-end developer.
• 🛠️ They find joy in being able to both design and build out their own designs, which is one of the perks of being a front-end developer.
• 🔑 The speaker plans to share more about front-end development and other tools like Framer and Webflow in upcoming videos.

Q & A

Why did the speaker decide to quit UI/UX design?

The speaker decided to quit UI/UX design because they became interested in a different career path and wanted to invest their energy there. This decision was not due to a lack of validation in UI/UX design but a personal interest in another field.

What was the speaker's previous role before becoming a UI/UX designer?

The speaker used to work in the same career path they are returning to, which they had been involved in before becoming a UI/UX designer.

How has the speaker's decision affected their activity on their channel?

The decision has led to a decrease in the speaker's activity on their channel over the past 6 to 8 months, as they were less active than they should have been.

What is the speaker's view on limiting oneself to a single career path or skill set?

The speaker believes in not limiting oneself to a single career path or skill set, and encourages exploring various interests and learning new skills that catch one's attention.

How does the speaker describe their experience as a team lead?

As a team lead, the speaker was involved in managing people, time, and resources, as well as reviewing team members' designs, which led to a decrease in hands-on design work and a feeling of stagnation in their growth as a designer.

What is the speaker's perspective on having a variety of skills within the same niche?

The speaker believes that having a variety of skills within the same niche can increase one's chances of success and provide a broader understanding of their work.

Did the speaker completely stop doing UI/UX design after quitting their professional role?

No, the speaker still takes up UI/UX design jobs occasionally, but they took a break initially after making the decision to quit their professional role.

What career path did the speaker switch to after quitting UI/UX design?

The speaker switched to front-end development as their primary career path after quitting UI/UX design.

How does the speaker's previous experience as a front-end developer help in their new career?

The speaker's previous experience as a front-end developer, along with the transferable skills from UI/UX design, helps them in their new career as it allows them to build designs themselves.

What are the speaker's plans regarding their channel and front-end development?

The speaker plans to continue taking on UI/UX design jobs and also share more about front-end development on their channel, including tools like Framer and Webflow, and possibly a course on Framer.

What is the speaker's opinion on the importance of being able to do more than one thing well in the tech ecosystem?

The speaker believes that while it's good to be excellent at one thing, it's also important to be able to do more than one thing well, especially if they are within the same niche, as it broadens one's knowledge and understanding.