Advice for a UX/UI Transition
I have tried to find some good advice but some post either are designed-focused, or coding-focused. I have neither a background in tech nor arts. I recently separated from the military after just under 9 years with some operator and project manager roles. The main reason for leaving was how much better the UX (something I did not know was a term) and UI could be with better research. In my federal years, I have never seen someone studying to improve a system. The updates that would be pushed were never things that need to be improved. With no clear direction, I started working for an outdoor company that had salesforce applications. However, that was not paying the bills and now I am working as a PM but I still feel like this is a lack of direction. I do not like the responsibilities of my current job. I need to formulate a plan to transition into product development. I do have an aeronautical science bachelor’s degree in some human resources. I am learning some python, but I feel like is taking the time that needs to be repositioned. I am approaching 30 years old, so the pressure to find a way is building. I want to put my passion for product design to some good use. I enjoy using my teamwork and empathy natural skills to improve processes for end-users. I feel like this is a path to make a great difference. Does a boot camp make sense for me? (I have some education benefits to use) I have ideas for application improvements for my use case. I have drawn up user stories for other perspectives but I feel like it is "the blind leading the blind". The boot camp feels like will not get me a job to help me understand UX/UI processes better. It feels like that kind of structure will go far but is that enough? Should I consider leveraging my project management experience to get into a company with UX/UI process? I am used to starting from the bottom, so I am all ears for advice. #design #ui/ux #pm #ui #ux #bootcamp #productmanagement #interviews
You sound like you could be a ux researcher
It sounds to me like you actually want to be a product manager. Without a design background, it will be hard to break into UX - there is still an expectation that you can craft the final visual parts of the experience. I can’t tell from your post that you have experience with that or even want that as a focus.
Being a product manager is something I have thought about. I just have been curious to "pass over" the UX designer role to be a product manager. Is that something that people do with management skills vs having a design background? I think crafting the visual part is an intriguing piece of the product development cycle. I do want the majority of my effort to be improving people's experience while using a product.
Product Manager or UX Researcher would be the two closest matches to what you’re referring to. You said you have PM experience, so that along with wanting to define and solve user needs fits well into that Product Manager category. If you’re really set on being in UX, then a boot camp to get a foundation down for pursuing research wouldn’t be a bad idea (if you have some benefits to use, otherwise it’s not worth the money imo).
Would it make sense to go for a UX/UI boot camp or a product manager one?
That really depends on what interests you. Product management involves product thinking, planning, management, etc. UX research focuses on a small area of that, but goes much deeper into understanding user needs, pain points, validation, etc. Based on your background it sounds like product management is a logical next step, but if that doesn’t interest you then UX is always a good option.
Look into ux research career. You could consider branding yourself as UX PgM, design ops, or ux research ops to get started?