Act ONE: My sad story


In the summer of 2015, I was working as an ergonomic consultant in an agricultural company in a remote place. I remember looking at Facebook at my desk and all I could think was, “Oh, great, more and more exciting pictures from my friends in San Francisco who make four times my salary and get free beer at work.”


At work, I am excited by the endless opportunities in life.


As I was driving to the gym that night (because there was nothing else to do in that backwater), I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app you could use to meet other people?”


I don’t know what possessed me at the time, but I’m pretty sure it was a million dollar idea.



Act two: A challenge presents itself


I called my idea “Joinmi” (meetup.com was the second one). This is a mobile app for planning get-togethers with friends and strangers. (Similar to SMS, Messenger, Whatsapp)


What I need now is a team of developers to build it.


To better communicate my ideas, I used the online design tool Moqups to refine my requirements.


Moqups website links: https://moqups.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAwrbEBRDqxqzMsrTGmogBEiQAeSE6ZejG1rCFFCQEcjLftzDvkTX8GNCl-U01ohRhWv6jif8aAsqM8P8HAQ



It is not “detailed”. Notice how I used the rewind button instead of the back button.


After completing the wireframes, I sent a spam email to all the programmers on my contact list. “I have a great idea, and these” passionate “designs help me make it happen, and then we split the profits 50-50.” Yes, I am.


After a series of unexplained deadlocks, a friend of mine decided to indulge me (🙏 Jay). “It’s a good idea, but I need more than wireframes,” he says. Build some prototypes and I’ll see what I can do.”


I figured out what prototyping was, and then tried to find the best software for prototyping, and I decided to start with Sketch.


I didn’t know what a user interface was at the time, and the concept of a prototype seemed like a foreign language to me. I had to read embarrassingly simple articles to understand the difference between sketches, wireframes, and prototypes.


Nevertheless, after studying 4-6 hours a day, I completed the first iteration for the rest of my internship.


It proves that you don’t need talent or color sense to be a designer.



Scene three: The stakes


Fast forward to the end of my internship and I had to move back to Waterloo to continue my education. I left Joinmi on the back burner until I figured out how much work it would take to launch an application. At this point, I’m a junior in an unrelated major (kinesiology), planning to pursue my dream of being an “Asian parent” on the doctor’s path.


Every Asian kid knows that…


One day while browsing for my next internship, I came across several UX internship opportunities. I fully understand that I am far from qualified for a real job after a few weeks of Sketch learning. So I decided to stick with my old “safe” job, thinking I wouldn’t have a chance to make my mark in tech.


Forty-eight hours before the deadline for job applications, I had another kind of quarter-life crisis. My girlfriend and another close friend at the time encouraged me to apply for design internships anyway, because I had nothing to lose by trying.


I’m much more comfortable with Sketch than I was before, and you can communicate through this penguin.


For the next few weeks, I used Sketch instead of steam engine, I read design articles instead of Reddit, and I chose to give the opportunity a try.


By mixing coffee, insomnia and love. I chose to give up 48 hours of sleep and spend time with a bunch of Sketch files. I just managed to meet the deadline.


The use of 3D templates in the design must have given the recruiter the illusion that I have many skills.



Scene four: My first big break


After nervously waiting for several weeks, I somehow got nine interviews. This gave me renewed hope, and I decided to forgo classes and extracurricular activities and spend every waking hour preparing for interviews.


I looked back at a few main things:


  • Definition of user experience

  • The design process

  • Common design principles and user experience tools such as personas and interface flow planning


It’s a real 3D model


Another thing I do that’s been very helpful is pay special attention to every user interface THAT I interact with on a daily basis. I focused on questioning their design decisions and thinking about potential ways to improve the user experience.


It’s no exaggeration to say that I studied in between classes, during meals, during bathroom breaks, and until 2 a.m.


A little obsession is part of the recipe for success


Of course, once I found out THAT I only had 3 weeks of design experience, I was immediately rejected by most companies. But something different happened during the interview for SONY Network Entertainment.


My interviewer was Jesse, who later became my manager and mentor. Unlike other companies I interviewed with, he focused more on practical user experience than visual design.


Even though most of my work looked terrible, he probably gave me the internship based on my answers to questions in the design review section. I don’t know how I passed the technical interview test, despite exaggerating my “Photoshop proficiency.” I will leave in two months, and I know I must cherish this hard-won opportunity.


Just to show you my photoshop skills back then



Act five: Fighting impostor syndrome


I continued my demon training for the next few months, even thinking about reading and designing while I slept. On the day of my internship, I was so nervous that I walked 10 times around the block outside before I walked into the office. I spent the first month on the edge of my seat, thinking every now and then THAT I would be fired for being an impostor.


My main project in the first week was designing channel tags for the PlayStation™ Vue membership website. Just the tag, that’s all. Yes, this is what I did in the first week, a UI element, and I even chose my own color.


This thing got me a week’s pay


I felt like crap and didn’t think I was making much of a contribution. This pushed me to work harder and surpass every project. I had doubts about my ability to enter the design field.


I have reached an agreement with my mother that I will concentrate on design in the following year. If I don’t get any meaningful results at the end of the internship, I will give up and continue to study in the massage school.



Scene six: The Grind


In my previous life, I didn’t understand what “love” was. I have always believed that love is the fuel of nature, the nature of those who are successful. I think I have a “passion” for biomechanics. As a human being, my love of science is defined by the occasional reading of scientific papers and the discovery of interesting courses.


However, when IMMERSED in design, I found that I lost track of time. Love must be found. Love is when you’re willing to skip sleep, skip meals, and skip friends in order to have more design time in your day.


I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve had an idea, opened Sketch and, in the blink of an eye, heard my alarm clock go off at 8am.


I’ve set myself a pretty tough schedule. It’s not sustainable and it’s not healthy. Don’t do this:


  • Read 10 articles a day

  • Create at least one new user interface every day

  • I go to a hackathon every weekend

  • Work at least 10 hours a day

  • Seize all possible design opportunities


This is probably the tenth iteration of Joinmi, my first hackathon at Hack the 6ix


Some things I think are helpful:


  • Download the SketchUI toolkit (starting with native iOS and Android) and create from scratch


  • Re-create the current popular application interface in Sketch


  • Review common apps like Yelp, Uber, Facebook, and think of other design options


  • Design case studies, such as User Onboard

    http://www.useronboard.com/onboarding-teardowns/


  • 100 days UI Challenge

    http://www.dailyui.co/



Post-it notes can make you seem more believable


I also took several online courses. I had to pay for some of it, but because I stopped going out, I had plenty of money.


  • Udacity’s Google product design course

    https://www.udacity.com/course/product-design–ud509


  • Meng To design + code

    https://designcode.io/


  • Coursera’s immersive interaction

    https://www.coursera.org/specializations/interaction-design


  • Fundamentals of Interaction design

    https://www.interaction-design.org/


Another special recommendation is the hackathon, which is invaluable for new designers. Not only can they teach you how to work with other developers (skills like specs and design communication), but they can also introduce you to a network of web developers.


Having friends in the tech world can be very helpful in your future, and one of them could be a partner in your future startup.


Tip: When it comes to conveying design specifications to developers, instead of dictating them as I did, use tools like Invision Inspect, Simpli, etc.



Act seven: Luck


I think my efforts have been noticed in the office. My manager started giving me bigger projects, including an important new feature for the PlayStation™ Video Android app. This is a relatively complex project, perhaps too complex for interns. So I knew the project would have to go through quite a few iterations.


Each Sketch file was too large (over 300MB) and I had to create new files to avoid delays.


Like this, if you name your Sketch files the same way I do


Design managers look here: Putting a promising intern in charge of a project or feature on his own is a great way to double his productivity and job satisfaction.


After understanding the scope of the project, I had a strong desire to stay at SONY. I talked to my manager and area manager about extending my internship to 8 months and it was approved!


Just as I was getting on the right foot, my manager called me into his office and told me he was leaving. Although it was a bit of a mixed bag, I was grateful to him for spending a lot of time cultivating me. (He even helped me create Richard’s LifePlan.docx for the next 12 weeks.)


I’m an unknown intern working for the manager of the Waterloo office. Most of the design team was in San Francisco, and my manager put me in touch with Alicia, the design director of the PlayStation™ video and mobile team. She became my new mentor and helped pave the way for my career at SONY.


Being an intern in the Waterloo office has its perks. My manager took all the meetings and gave me time to focus on developing my design skills. With this new development, I knew I had the opportunity to become even more valuable to the company.


I took a big step forward. I started getting more than 50 emails a day, tripled the number of meetings I attended, and took on more administrative tasks. On the other hand, I got the chance to develop my communication skills and learned how to work with different teams in a bigger picture.


Design communication is very difficult. Defending your choices in front of a room full of stakeholders can be daunting, especially if you’re the junior one.


The first time I presented my design to stakeholders, I stuttered a million times. My back was soaked with sweat by the end of the meeting.



Scene eight: Getting an Offer


By the end of my eight-month internship, I had become a more qualified member of the design team. The design director thought I did some good work, so she introduced me to Reena, senior Design Director for PlayStation™ Video. Reena was very helpful in making me feel like I was part of the design team, even though I was working away from the design team in Waterloo. When my internship officially ended, she helped me secure a position where I could continue “part-time” at school.


I work in my spare time between my five courses, about 20 hours a week. One of the things I discovered was that I could no longer concentrate in class. A ten-minute lecture was like pulling a tooth.


You couldn’t have a more irrelevant major than mine


SONY, meanwhile, is doing well. I put in my time and got all the work done. During this time, I started several projects and had some steady freelance income.


I’m sure I want nothing more than to be a designer. But I still wondered if I could get a full-time design job. I was nervous that my unrelated major would make me an uncompetitive applicant. I talked to the hiring manager about joining the team, but didn’t get into specifics. Hearing that I should apply for a full-time job four to six months in advance made me anxious.


So I did the perfectly logical thing and applied for 100 jobs in one weekend. When you apply for jobs, take every referral you can. In my case, for some reason, only one of the 12 interviews I got was a referral.


My interview process was not smooth sailing. Most of the 100 applications I sent out turned me down. One thing I did was print out all the rejections and pin them on the wall to remind me to keep going. This idea was inspired by the philosophy of Stephen King in writing:


The nails in my wall will no longer support the weight of rejected papers. I’ll replace it with a spike and keep writing.

– Stephen King


Some rejection letters on nails


Finally, after several weeks of interviews, I was offered a position with 85K base salary and stock options at a top Toronto startup.


I was ecstatic, like a mountain had been lifted from my shoulders. When I went to work the next day, I called the SONY manager and told her I was going to take the job.


I got an offer from SONY in about two days.


It was a tough choice, but I chose SONY. Because they put so much into me, and I love the team I work with.


This may not apply to me, but I would say that every new graduate, no matter what their experience or level, should try to negotiate their salary. Companies need to expend enormous resources to get a suitable candidate. If you negotiate, the company will not withdraw the offer. You have nothing to lose.


The lesson of this story is to try to accomplish something beyond the intern level. During the internship, I played an important role in the eye-catching project. And make sure you have at least one solid offer in your pocket before you start working full-time.


If you’re moving into design or another field, don’t have the “I’ve spent a lot of time learning and I’m good enough” mentality, but compare yourself to the best of your peers in the field.


If you’re going through something like this and want to talk about it, send me an email at [email protected].


My personal website: http://www.richardux.design/


LinkedIn：https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardyangux/


Dribbble：https://dribbble.com/RichardYang



Original link: https://medium.freecodecamp.com/0-100-from-no-experience-to-a-6-figure-sf-design-job-in-12-months-cd7546034077#.76xo9va9 x

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