It is hard to imagine life beyond the classroom. Towards the end of their studies, students turn their focus to applications but are unsure about what type of companies would be a good fit. I have worked at a few companies of different sizes, and currently, I am product design lead and UX researcher at IBM. To help get a better idea of life designing for a large enterprise company, here is a peek into my day at IBM design.
Starting out my day early
Waking up at 4 AM. Picture of the sunrise after my run.
- Get up insanely early
- Workout
- Journal and draw>
- Go to work and listen to audio book
Read more about my experiment of getting up at 4 am.
First 60 minutes of my day
Checking email and calendar for urgencies
- Check calendar, email, and Slack for anything urgent
- Review Zenhub boards
- Morning check-ins or stand ups
For the rest of the morning
Checking on progress with Zen Hub
- Meet with designers on current work
Productive lunches
Productive lunches and team bonding
- Discuss pressing work with an upcoming deadline
- Take team out for team bonding
- Reconnect with designers outside of the IBM
For the rest of the afternoon
Design Reviews with the team
Planning an upcoming workshop
- Check-in and guide designers on current projects
- Plan a workshop or research session
- Do 1×1 with my designers to discuss work and career goals
- Jump in and design screens if needed
- Prank a coworker who out on vacation
The subtle art of destroying your coworker’s desk
This peak into my day at IBM is one of many possible scenarios. Designers should expect to encounter different challenges. My hope is that this post communicates the complexities and nuances of working as a UX designer.
