Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Little Things 263 : Decided to Formally Study UX

April 19, 2023
In conjunction with my depressive phase, I decided to put myself on a challenge to formally learn UX. I've taken a basic 1-semester course in UI/UX during my degree. I've done some UI projects with startups in my previous jobs but all based on learning by experience and current projects during those times. I mostly referred to all available products in the market (directly or indirectly), did comparisons, and used reverse engineering to design the products. 

Although it worked and was one of the fastest ways to create a product, I realized that I still have a lot of things that I don't know about especially the current trends, the latest UX rules, keeping up with the latest tools, etc. It is a field that is constantly changing, and I always have these working gaps that I didn't fill in with the 'latest' knowledge. So I'm not confident enough because there's so much that I still don't know. I didn't even put UI projects in my online portfolios even though I worked with these fintech companies and created several websites and apps for them from scratch.

It's always the imposter syndrome dilemma. 


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In the industry :

During most of the interviews that I had with companies when I apply for  UI/UX jobs, they usually ask whether I'm familiar with their choice of tool, and most of the time I'm not. In one of my previous projects, I worked on Sketch, and in the other next project, I worked on Adobe XD. The current hype is Figma (and most companies expect us to familiarize ourselves with the most latest tool). I am expected to keep up with the trend, and when I said that I can learn the next tool just like I learned the other previous tools used in the industry, they weren't convinced. But maybe I wasn't convincing enough la kan. 

Side note: Figma is acquired by Adobe in Sept last year and this could mean many things. Remember web designers used to use Dreamweaver to design websites and it is then replaced by Wordpress? Or people use to rely on Photoshop/Illustrator to design and illustrate, but now it is replaced by Canva/Procreate?

The industry is constantly changing and I think being able to adapt is one of the most important skills needed. Companies need to prepare to accept this learning period when they hire someone new. 

Wait, I'm not explaining why I choose to learn UX. Well, when working in a team, I realized that I don't know a lot of the 'terms', UX rules, and current trends, that are used in the industry. Although you can learn all these slowly by experience, UX still has a part that needed to be learned (I mean, we need to read/study and familiarize ourselves with) - it isn't like in design. The UI part is mostly the creative design part and the UX part is where we get to be a nerd, making sure there are reasons behind the design. 

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Before deciding on taking the cert, I was spending time taking classes on Skillshare :


Beginner's Class :


Intermediate :


But all were just a bit too basic. So I came across the Google cert and decided to enroll in the course. I finished 2 courses from my Google UX Design Professional Certificate and I am currently on my own cuti raya holiday from my studies, I will continue course 3 after raya next week. In the course, I am expected to spend around 10 hours per week and finish each course in a month. But, I finished 2 courses in the past 2 weeks because this is my coping mechanism in dealing with emotional breakdowns for now. Hahah.




Course 1 (I finished in 18 hours) and course 2 (in 28 hours) are basic on the fundamentals, briefing about UX, the UX types and work positions in the industry, design sprints, research part, and the ideation process. If you took IT in your previous lifetime, surely this is just a refreshment. I think this whole course is a refreshment from the semester I took in UNITEN. But the main difference is it is introducing Adobe XD in the ideation process and Figma in the prototyping process. 13 years ago we don't have these tools to play with.

Anyway, it's a good refreshment and a nice distraction for me.


So I hope it is useful in my resume if I want to apply for a UI/UX job in the future.


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Would I recommend this certificate to people?

Probably, especially if you want to work with bigger corporate companies. Most of the time, only bigger companies have a dedicated UX posting. I don't think smaller-size companies will care about Google certifications or even have a dedicated UX posting (UX analyst, UX researcher, UX designer, UX writer, UX architect, etc), they usually combine UI/UX and they care more about your portfolio, yes. Whether you can design or not.

So if for example, you want to work with Google, this would be a nice certificate to have because they have different job roles for UI/UX in the company. Also, if you want to work with larger-scale corporate fintech like Maybank/CIMB, the certificate would definitely help in your application too.

Oh, and if you don't have a background in UI/UX, or you are a self-taught UI designer, this would be fundamental knowledge as well. This is useful and you can learn about the important jargon in the industry.


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Is it hard?

If you are studying during the fasting season and you are hungry all the time, yes, it is hard to focus. If you are over 35 and you feel like your youthful brain is slowly disintegrating, perhaps yes, it is hard to change your mind. If you are a mom of a toddler that loves to crawl on your lap while you are completing an assignment, perhaps, yes, it is challenging.

But, it is just a state of mind. 
Go slow, crawl if you need. Instead of stalking people online, use your time to finish up the lecture, and endure the boring moment, answer the quiz, share your opinion, submit the assignment, eventually you'll be at the finish line. 


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Free Sharings on Youtube :

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