Why the Transition to Product Design?

It is my impression that most creatives realize their gift at an early age. This was the case for me and ultimately and obtained a Bachelors and Masters of Fine Art. This hurled me into teaching where I landed in higher education, teaching at a community college. Many of my students had that kindred knack for art, but they also had varied journeys. They ranged from working parents to learners with disabilities, retirees, and high school grads with varying levels of college readiness. I taught fundamental courses such as 2D and 3D Design. To best teach these concepts most of the projects I assigned were to be done as abstract compositions. This way, learners couldn’t lean on imagery to communicate to the viewer. It was challenging for many as they had little experience thinking in this way. I had to develop language to communicate abstract concepts into comprehendible explanations. Often finding real-life experiences as an analogy for what we were doing. I also determined how to break down this body of knowledge into building-block chunks so that learners could master them in increments to prepare them for the next phase. At times, I would see that they weren’t understanding, so I would have to iterate in real-time on how to work through a process. I buttressed this career with second jobs, often ones that were in a creative vein.

I applied my teaching mindset to these secondary jobs, identifying opportunities to reduce errors and improve efficiencies across a variety of workflows. I worked as a photography sales specialist meaning that I the portraits and sold them. This job only paid commission. Some days I got as few as 7 sessions, so it was important that I executed each one well. I learned quickly that people buy with their emotions. I observed how families interacted with each other in the waiting area and used this information to direct them to pose in a way that conveyed this energy. I knew I was going to make a sale when I would hear one of the parents say, “That is so us!”

At times, the client’s needs were more sensitive. There were a handful of instances in which I took portraits of elderly people, and their adult children bought many copies because they presumed it would likely be the “last one.” I addressed accessibility issues and would seat them on more stable furnishings. Often, they were too frail to move out of their wheelchair, so I had to modify poses to minimize the view of the chair in the portrait. I knew to be mentally prepared as clients at this age can struggle with sitting up tall for long periods of time, cutting down the number of chances I had to get that shot. In essence, I was intentional with my clients physically, verbally, and experientially.

In teaching, you want every learner to successfully complete the challenge. In photography, you want every client to have a flattering picture. In both scenarios, I wanted the same outcome for everyone, but everyone was different. Even though I am one and they were many, to get what I need out of them, I had to adjust to each person. I was building a library of customizations while also streamlining my communication to be clear and thorough.

Portrait photography was fun, however it brought challenges in my work schedule. So, I obtained work with an interior design firm. We designed full interiors for model homes in alignment with the target audience’s stage of life, professions, and interests. We were once designing homes in a 55+ community, so some the targeted customers were empty nesters and retirees. In one house, I was surprised to learn that we purposely chose furniture that was the maximum size the space would allow. This size was chosen to inform “downsizing” customers that they could still fit their larger furniture in the space. I realized that model homes weren’t only used as samples of the product, but as marketing materials that tell a story for the customer to connect with.

I worked with multiple designers; completing houses take about a year, so we worked on different phases at different times. But every project undergoes a consistent set of procedures. So, with the design brief and the floor plan, we would lay out general furniture dimensions to ensure that the spacing would allow for proper flow while telling the story of the targeted customer. Once that was proofed, we would then move into high fidelity and pick furniture that would fit our layout and bring consistency in style and color scheme for the house. The preparation was an iterative process that would change for various reasons such as client requests, shifting deadlines, and the overall refinement of the design.

I did not work directly with the clients or end users in this role, instead a set of requirements that I had to extrapolate the desired outcome from. I had to make effective decisions within tight constraints as well as adhere to design systems and jump into different phases in the design process. It was exciting to see my hand in the product. This experience showed me the behind-the-scenes churn and troubleshooting that delivers the beautiful presentation customers see. I did this churning solo in my other roles, but this experience was much more dynamic.

After several years of working two jobs, I had a lot of valuable experience. I knew what to look for in what I was doing, and I knew why it mattered. As valuable as this was, I could not help but acknowledge that my way up was limited. I knew that I could bring more value than my roles allowed me to.

Moving up in professorship meant continuing my own art practice but at this point I had to ask, “Is teaching art how I want to practice my creativity? Designing for the classroom was different. I made challenging assignments, but I had to design problems that could yield a successful outcome. In my other jobs, I would have to solve problems and I didn’t know what success would look like. In these other roles, I got to be the one active in the process. I enjoyed solving problems and thinking deeply and knew why designing effective experiences mattered.

Since I was reflecting on my path, it made sense to also diversify my skillset. I took a computer illustration course where the professor touted about UX and UI design. I kept it in the back of my head. I left teaching before the pandemic hit but when it hit, I was ready to trail blazer a new path!

It has been about a year since that decision, and I have worked with small businesses as clients. I enjoy hearing their goals and helping them think of their business as a product and creating solutions to better serve their clients. I am still able to be that creative person I was born to be, and I get to be the person my experiences have made me.