97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 9. Design Mentorship Is a Lifelong Commitment

Kristian Delacruz

You’re a successful UX practitioner who has a few years under your belt. You’ve delivered features, led research efforts, and provided value to your team and company. After all of your work, you’re probably evaluating the next step in your career. Mentoring can be a fulfilling and valuable next step. Although it’s not for everyone, the benefits can ground you as a UX practitioner and sharpen your leadership skills, empathy, and shared values. Before diving into mentorship for the first time, consider some key moments you will face.

Remember that Past Experience Is Valuable

The design community thrives on people with diverse backgrounds and previous work experience. You might mentor an individual graduating from a UX boot camp with no design background, a fellow designer on your team, or a college graduate. To help your mentees, leverage their past experiences by encouraging them to find analogous past skills and determine how these can be applicable in design. For example, if they have past research skills, point them to ways they can increase their user research methodology knowledge. To help your mentees, consider the following tips:

• Precisely identify their key strengths and weaknesses.

• Guide them toward expanding their network to gather different perspectives on their skills.

Be a Cheerleader

When ...