Mandi Geiselman

Something I’m glad that I did do, was take the self-paced course first. I was able to really focus on the assignments during the certification course and not worry about having to understand the concepts (for the first time) at the same time. It’s what I advise everyone to do who I’ve talked to about the course.

Before I was introduced to OOUX, I honestly didn't think I wanted to practice UX design anymore. I didn't know what else I would do, but I was getting really burnt out trying to keep track of everything happening all at once and being the one person on a team that was thinking, "when we pull this string, what other things will unravel?" I was tired of all the re-work, re-prioritization, and miscommunication that is rampant in the UX field. I had small process that sort-of worked for me and the way my brain works, but nothing that I could communicate or share with my peers. I was drowning and OOUX and the ORCA process felt like a life preserver. I finally felt like I had a leg to stand on, that my concerns were not only valid but that I had a framework in which they could be addressed. I have a framework that I can point to that can help my peers not only understand my processes better, but can help improve theirs. My mentor told me recently, "It's very rare that we find something in UX that feels so close to a silver bullet," and I'd have to agree. Sometimes that does make me feel like I'm trying to sell people on a juice cleanse, but I'm starting to become comfortable with that feeling. This program helped introduce me to the niches of UX design that I didn't even know existed, and that they are FULL of people thinking like me. While this philosophy and process may feel niche now, I have no doubt that with enough time (and dedicated practitioners) UX will return to it's Object-Oriented roots and it won't be niche for too much longer.