He loves collaborating with others, working remotely and his super cool doggo named Charly. Meet our latest Slider, Ian Herst.
In this Meet-a-Slider series, freelance photographer turned UX Designer Ian talks about the importance of time management, overcoming the feelings of imposter syndrome and universal truths in the professional world. He’s also not apologizing for his favorite hot dog toppings.
Name: Ian Herbst
Title: UX Designer
Start Date: July 2021
What drew you to this field?
As a freelance photographer specializing in weddings and restaurants, my small business took a hard hit during the COVID Pandemic of 2020.
After I took some time to gain perspective on the situation, I decided to pivot my career into UX/UI because I knew it would still satisfy my need to be creative, but also provide me with stability and the option to work from home full-time, if I so wished. Being in business for myself for nearly 3 years had also left me craving opportunities to collaborate closely with others, which I knew pursuing a career in UX/UI would allow me to do, even in a remote capacity. These are the primary motivations that drew me to the UX/UI field in the beginning!
What is one piece of advice would you want to give to aspiring UX designers?
I was able to successfully pivot my career into this field in less than 6 months because I understood that I had to heavily invest in my own education. So my advice would be — don’t be afraid to do the same!
Possessing a background in digital media helped ease my learning curve, but investing in the right UX/UI bootcamp saved me an immense amount of time in transitioning my career.
I can’t emphasize enough how important soft skills are in this industry. Being able to effectively communicate your ideas is just as important as knowing how to navigate and pilot technical programs like Figma. The more comfortable you are at public speaking and collaborating with others, the better.
What's the biggest challenge we face as an industry?
I would say our greatest duty as an industry is to ensure that our designs are accessible to all parties, or at least as many as they possibly can be. Even today, when inclusive design is starting to emerge as a trend in UX/UI, I often see examples across the internet where accessibility is entirely ignored, which is disappointing. However, I’m happy to be a part of a team that champions the importance of accessibility in design. It’s made me not only a better designer, but also a more empathetic person overall.
What's new in the industry that's catching your eye?
Having gone to school for film and worked professionally as a freelance photographer, it’s obvious that I’ve always been a visually-oriented person. That being the case, I enjoy keeping tabs on what the trends are in visual design around the internet and out in the world. These days, designs utilizing creative animation, virtual reality, and 3D elements are really captivating to me.
Working at Slide UX
What are the most challenging parts of your job?
Working at an agency means time management is paramount. Perhaps this is a universal truth in the professional world, but I’ve found balancing multiple clients with differing needs requires being an expert at time management. Additionally, having only a finite number of hours to devote to each task within a project means the work needs to be done with maximum efficiency. It’s a constant balancing act!
What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your job, and how did you learn it?
I often think about how a year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to define what UX/UI work entailed. That, coupled with the fact that I am a fresh bootcamp graduate, means feelings of being an imposter creep into my mind quite regularly. I’ve always known that, in a logical sense, I couldn’t be alone in this experience.
That said, people don’t often talk about these matters, which makes it very easy to slip into that dreaded “I’m an imposter” mindset. Thankfully, something I learned my first week at Slide while talking with a far-more-experienced colleague was that, regardless of how many years you’ve been in this industry, symptoms of imposter syndrome don’t disappear. It’s something we all experience to varying degrees. Hearing this from a senior staff member at Slide was a major “Aha!” moment for me. I immediately felt less alone and more at peace with my place in this industry as an associate-level designer.
Did it erase any and all feelings of being an imposter? No, it did not. But understanding that these feelings are natural and that no one here expects me to be perfect was an epiphany of sorts for me in my young career as a UX/UI designer.
Ian’s favorite hike in the state, taken on the Rough Ridge Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.
What makes Slide UX different?
It sounds cliche, but the thing that makes Slide UX different from other employers in this field is the people. The team here is made up of such genuinely kind, talented, and supportive individuals and it blows my mind quite regularly how incredibly fortunate I am for landing here straight out of bootcamp. Starting your career surrounded by people that care about your individual success just as much as they care about their clients’ success is precisely what you want as an entry-level designer. And in my experience the last several months, that kind of support is a key pillar of Slide UX’s company culture.
Describe the ideal client or project?
My ideal client is someone who comes in with a willingness to set aside their assumptions in order to objectively solve a problem their business is experiencing.
Ideally, our engagement together would begin with researching the problem by connecting with real users of the client’s product in order to collect comprehensive data that can be used to accurately guide our design solutions thereafter. Those designs would then be tested with real users before going to market, to ensure our designs effectively address the original problem.
At the end of our engagement, the problem will have been sufficiently solved and the client and I will have developed a close connection through our collaboration that can carry over into subsequent projects.
What's the most powerful part of our design process?
Knowing that our work will be interacted with by thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people over time is always a good reminder of the power we as designers possess day-to-day.
Charly would prefer it if Ian paid more attention to her and less attention to at-home workouts.
What's your typical day look like?
Typically, I’ll start my day off with some sort of movement to get the blood flowing and clear my mind. It might be jump roping, going for a brisk walk, or a quick HIIT workout.
After that, I’ll pour myself a tall cold brew and begin scheduling my day out. In general, I’ll prioritize tasks that are more time-sensitive first and leave less important tasks for the afternoon. Throughout the day, I might join a variety of Zoom meetings, sometimes client-facing, to gather the facts I need to do my job properly. As I carry on, I’ll regularly seek feedback from my co-workers to ensure my design work remains on-target and comprehensive.
At the end of the day, I’ll review the schedule I made for myself that morning to determine whether or not I set reasonable expectations for myself. Once I feel comfortable with the work I’ve done that day, I’ll tell my teammates I’m signing off and take an evening walk with my dog, Charly, before making dinner. Then it’s time to say goodnight and do it all over again!
What tools do you use for your job that you could not live without?
Figma and Miro, without a doubt. That said, Figjam might be sneaking up on Miro!
How do you stay inspired and creative?
I get outside and move! Mother nature is a massive source of inspiration for me. Getting outside, moving my body and breathing fresh air is how I clear my mind best.
Lightning Round
• Do you have any hidden talents?
Landscape Photography.
• Cat or Dog?
Dog, always and forever.
• BBQ: sauce or no sauce
The sauce is the boss.
• Hot Dog Toppings
Ketchup, mustard, chopped onion, coleslaw, cheddar cheese. I’m not going to apologize.
• Favorite coffee shop
Anywhere that doesn’t mistake iced coffee for real cold brew.
• How do you like your coffee?
Cold brew. Black and on ice. Please!
• Who on the team would you want to be stuck on an island with and why?
Jeff Schanzer has been a mentor of sorts to me at Slide since day one. We’ve bonded heavily over our shared love of trash television. Now, the amount of trash television we’d get to enjoy while stranded on a desert island is debatable, but he’d still be my choice. You da man, Jeff!