Virtual Press Conference: Launch of online certificate course for UX Design under Enderun Extension
With the coronavirus pandemic leading to a global lockdown, our lives outdoors have come to a pause, and most if not all of us have been forced to transition into an online setting. Now that it has been a “new normal” for us for about a year, interest in digital work and the call for User Experience Designers have come to arise. For further understanding of those that are not so familiar with the subject, UX Design focuses on creating meaningful, smooth, and pleasant experiences for users who often use technological devices such as laptops, phones, and other products. Seeing as this could benefit many, Enderun Extension has recently launched a course for UX Design, giving students the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in the industry. They held a virtual press conference last February 25, 2021, to introduce it to the campus and give an in-depth explanation as to what UX truly is and what it’s like to work under such.
To start off the webinar, the CEO of the UX Design Institute, Colman Walsh, spoke about its success, and the big role that it actually plays across all industries in the world. He explains that “UX is to teach what architecture is to construction.” It’s the backbone; it answers how things will look and plans out how it will be done. It takes ideas and forms them into something better, something that will better suit everyone. With statistics to back up how high the demand for UX is today, Walsh encouraged the audience to see its business potential through its benefits. The newly-launched course not only has a proprietary syllabus that is delivered through high-quality videos, but it is also accredited by the Glasgow Caledonian University in the United Kingdom with genuine certification, which has further improved the educational quality of it. To make it even better, they have made the course affordable for those who are interested.
Second speaker, Aldrich Tan, went over what it’s like to work at UXPH, an all volunteer-driven organization. It goes to show how User Experience has grown in our country and how many have chosen to take part in the job voluntarily. More and more Filipinos have come to realize how important it is to integrate UX into their products and services. He also mentioned the community and how great it is to work together as a team. The joy of working under UX was supported by Becca Finnegan, who works as a User Experience Researcher. To second Aldrich’s point, she mentioned that UX is truly a team sport. You are able to work with people and have a shared understanding of what problem there may be as well as work with them to solve it. Recalling the highlights of her career, she detailed the countries she has visited and the life-changing experiences she encountered while working in the industry up to where she is today as a Facebook employee. With being a UX(R) comes creativity and exploration, and Becca’s story shows how truly amazing it is to be able to truly immerse yourself in different places and cultures through researching for user experience.
To be a UX designer is to have the ability to think fast and suggest what could be made better out of something that may already seem fine to most. It’s to be able to constantly improve things. The hard work and positive attitude to work displayed by the past three speakers go to show just how exciting it can be to work as a User Experience Designer. It’s great that Enderun Extension has allowed us, students, to have the opportunity to learn more about such. It is truly something we shouldn’t miss out on, especially if you’re interested in it.
