I’ve had an interest in design for as long as I can remember, but UX and human-centered design wasn’t an area of design I was familiar with until I studied at Purdue.

 

When I was young, I thought I would become an architect. I was also extremely interested in interior design. I would sit in my room and draw floor plans of my house until my hand went numb. Once it came time to pick a major for college, I explored different options for design specializations. I had some experience with graphic design and building websites, so Visual Communication Design (VCD) sounded up my alley. I majored in VCD for a semester and realized I was missing something.

 

I never knew how to put into words why UX was more my fit than VCD until I came across an article by Sanders and Stappers that included the visual above. The article made it seem so simple, but it was something I couldn’t pinpoint for a year; all of the design specializations I had previously had an interest in focused on the designing of things or products. In human-centered design we design for purpose. I knew that if I stayed with VCD, I wouldn't feel fulfilled in my work.

 

By finding human-centered design, I’m able to uphold my values through the work I create and I'm grateful for the opportunity to practice this each and every day.