How to Get the Most Out of any Design Mentorship

To make the most out of a mentorship program, you must be proactive, communicate clearly, and be dedicated to their growth. Here are some tips to help you maximize your mentorship experience:

Set Clear Goals

Determine what you intend to achieve through the mentorship program. Whether you’re honing specific skills, learning about the industry, or overcoming professional challenges, establishing defined goals will help guide your interactions with your mentor.

Come Prepared 

Before each mentorship meeting, create an agenda and identify what topics you want to explore. Share this agenda with your mentor ahead of time to facilitate productive and focused meetings.

Be proactive

Be proactive in scheduling meetings, and leading discussions. 

Do not wait for your mentor to contact you; instead, actively seek opportunities to interact with them and seek their advice.

Be Flexible

Be flexible and versatile in your approach to mentoring. Your mentor’s opinions and approaches may differ from your own, so be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

Ask Questions

Don’t hesitate to ask questions and get clarification on things you’re interested in. Your mentor is there to guide you and share their knowledge, so make use of it by asking insightful questions.

Active Listening

Actively listen to your mentor’s ideas, experiences, and advice. Be receptive to feedback and constructive criticism, and use it to learn and improve.

Show gratitude

Thank your mentor for their time, insights, and support. A simple thank you can go a long way toward establishing a friendly and mutually productive mentorship relationship.

Reflect and Evaluate

Regularly reflect on your mentorship experiences and assess your progress toward your goals. Highlight areas where you’ve made progress and where you still have room for improvement, and use this feedback to drive your future interactions with your mentor.

By following these guidelines while continuously engaging with your mentor, you may maximize the benefits of your mentorship program and speed up your professional growth and development.

Design Meetup: ULEVUS Creative Evening

I had the privilege of attending the ULEVUS creative evening, a design meetup attended by entrepreneurs, freelancers, and in-house designers. Held at Womba Furniture Mile 17 Buea, on April 6th, 2024, the event organized by ULEVUS was an incredible knowledge-filled interactive design meet-up that promised networking opportunities, and inspiration. As I reflect on my experience, I am compelled to share some of the key takeaways from this enriching event.

The host, Arnold Sigala, the Creative Director of ULEVUS started the event with an opening remark on design and introduced the audience to the two main speakers of the night: Mr Aboubakar Sidiki, Business Operations Designer, Sales Operations Senior Manager at MTN Cameroon, and Mme Ngumih Fien, User Experience Designer.

They introduced the audience to their interpretation of design, the various design principles, the skills required to succeed as a professional designer, the Mindset of a good designer, human-centered design, and the possible career paths/opportunities for existing and future design enthusiasts. 

They were able to inspire the community by sharing their experiences and every point raised was in one way linked to their professional journeys. 

Here are some highlights of the event:

 

What makes a good design/designer

  • Human-Centered Design: When providing a design solution focus on human needs
  • Iterative mindset: Your design will never be perfect. Design should always be open to improvements,
  • Use creative problem-solving techniques to solve problems.
  • Collaboration: A designer is always ready to collaborate. Collaboration

Design is not about perfection but about improvements

The Right Skillset for Designers

  • A good designer should have the right skillset
  • Creativity. You don’t have to be a born creative, creativity can be learned.
  • Visual communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Collaboration
  • Master digital tools

Factors Influencing a Good Designer (mainly drawn from User Experience Design)

  • Proper Feedback 
  • Affordances
  • Prioritize Usability
  • Mental Models
  • Constraints  
  • Mapping. Mapping action and consequences such that the user’s expected outcome should be what they get.

What do designers do? (possible career paths)

  • Graphic Designer
  • UX Designer
  • Service Design
  • Business Design
  • Game Design
  • Architectural Design
  • Interior Design
  • Fashion Designer 

Resources 

Principles of Beautiful Web Design by Jason Beard

Business Model Generation 

The Design of Everyday Things

Creative Confidence by Tom & David Kelley

Steal like an artist by Austin Kleon

Drawing to Win by Dan Roam

Podcast

Design Thinking 101

Ulevus Creatives Evening was a truly enriching experience. The insights gained, connections made, and experiences shared have enriched my perspective and inspired me to strive for excellence in my endeavors. Thanks to the Ulevus team, for organizing such a transformative event. I look forward to future Design Community hangouts.