A First-hand Look at CUNY TechWorks

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard about CUNY TechWorks and want to learn more. Dena Friedman is a recent graduate of the program. She wanted to tell her story about her time in CTW and how it changed her life. It’s a long article, but worth every word!

How I Learned to Redefine and Redesign My Future Through the CUNY TechWorks User Experience Design Program
By Dena H. Friedman

For those of us who are content within our comfort zones, professional change may seem daunting, so we don’t seek out new paths or even know that we need to. Sometimes, if we’re fortunate, an opportunity finds us – one that dares to whisk away the entanglements of risk-taking. Such was the case for me in early spring 2018. I was perusing Kingsborough Community College’s website in search of new career opportunities. What caught my eye first, though, was a colorful call-out promoting the CUNY TechWorks User Experience Design Program.

The Lightbulb Moment
I have spent my entire career as a writer and content manager, creating printed and digital materials, as well as website content for non-profit organizations. Words alone have served as the tools of my trade. Though a self-professed “non-techie,” I’ve always had an interest in design and the interplay between words and imagery, yet never seriously considered a career in the field – until recently. So, what exactly is User Experience Design, and what role could it play in my life? One click and a few scrolls later, I had my answers.

Have you ever felt frustrated when navigating a website or phone app, unsure of what to click to take you to the next page, or find the content and/or organization confusing and not suited to your needs? It’s like a door that you don’t know whether you’re supposed to push in or pull out.

Well, that’s where User Experience Design (UX) comes in. UX teams strategically and creatively improve the usability, accessibility, and pleasure felt by users who interact with a site or app (and even physical products, like doors). To do this, UX specialists figure out how to link user needs and intention with business objectives to create a more user-friendly experience.

I thought to myself, “I’ve at times been annoyed while using the web, I’m creative, and I like empowering people.” After reading that the program required no computer design experience, I decided to take a leap of faith, rise from my arm chair of status quo, and begin to embrace change.

The Program
The CUNY TechWorks User Experience Design Program, a free, 12-week evening course hosted at Kingsborough as part of its Workforce Development Department, prepares participants for careers as UX designers, information architects, prototypers, researchers, and writers. Classes include Human Centered Design, Visual Design, and Capstone Career/Portfolio Development, all of which are taught by industry experts that were selected by the Division’s team through online professional networks and other contacts. The scope of content and caliber of this “boot camp” are comparable to those offered by conventional mainstream educational institutions that can cost upwards of thousands of dollars.

The entire program is student-centered and professionally themed.  Fueled in large part by the boundless enthusiasm and infectious positivity of the Kingsborough team, led by Project Coordinator Bryan Sanchinell, the program encourages participation by students from all skill levels and backgrounds.  From day one, egos are checked at the door to enable us to work and learn from each and grow as a cohesive cohort (as the student groups are called).

The journey (and it is a journey) begins with information sessions, offering additional program details, along with insights into the UX industry.  Bryan used online employment sites Glassdoor.com and Indeed.com, to show the rising demand for UX design professionals in a variety of traditional and digital businesses and organizations, as well as expected average salaries and growth potential per city.  Several weeks later, an adult basic reading competency test followed, along with one-on-one personal interviews.

Those of us accepted into the program enjoyed a spirited and highly interactive five-day orientation-session. On our first day, we collectively created and signed a cohort “Community Agreement”, which was posted prominently in our classroom. This document (left) served as a code of conduct for us to follow throughout the course.

Training in ”soft skills” followed with a focus on empathy, effective communication, giving and accepting constructive criticism, collaboration, listening, and mutual respect, all of which were conveyed through a series of lively, hands-on group activities, using a host of surprising objects and tools. We quickly learned how important these skills are in most work environments and in everyday human interaction, though they often fall by the wayside.

Low-Tech Meets High-Tech
Next came time for me to embrace change…”by design.”

Husam Machlovi, our Human Centered Design instructor, is an engaging, affable, and quite patient (an added plus) self-taught UX professional who owns and operates his own design firm.  Over the next few weeks, we learned the essentials of UX design, the development of practical skills for designing human-centered user experiences, conducting meaningful consumer and user research (I do like talking with people), synthesizing research findings (that’s where my writing comes in), and creating personas, scenarios, wireframes, and prototypes (yes, these terms were foreign to me, too, at first).  We also learned how to generate ideas through ideation and sketching (who knew I could draw?!), to appreciate the process of UX design as a cyclical, iterative process.

We incorporated soft skills into class activities and individual and group design projects created with Adobe XD software, which was introduced in our weekly lab sessions. Although initially apprehensive, I surprised myself by how quickly I learned and actually enjoyed using Adobe XD, thanks in large part to Margarita, our skilled Computer Lab Technician and graduate of the first cohort.

Our projects included simple homepage redesigns of actual websites or apps to make them more user-centric, and the design and prototyping of our individual portfolio websites. Our final team projects tasked us to incorporate what we had learned into redesigning and prototyping multiple pages and/or features of real websites or apps. Toward that end, we were individually assigned the roles of Researcher, Information Architect, and Prototyper within our teams. We were required to lead, yet collaborate. 

After barely a breath, we moved on to the Visual Design class, also taught by Husam, who guided us in the transition toward the aesthetics (the look and feel) of a website or app by incorporating hierarchy, color, typography, and other visual elements into design.

I developed an appreciation for User Interface (UI) Design, how to write cohesive visual design briefs, sketch/construct more detailed wireframes, and create style guides. My classmates and I were encouraged to include our personal creative visions into each project.

For our final assignment, we presented the design and prototypes of our individual online portfolio websites.  These sites featured a sampling of our projects, description of our process, and background and contact information, along with other pages complete with text and images, and functioning connections showing the flow from one page to another.

While the learning process continues, I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished in such a short time. Investing in personal and professional development pays off in multiple and unexpected ways.

A Feather in Our Cap(stone)
Running concurrently with the Human and Visual Design segments, the Capstone Portfolio Development class reinforced best practices and introduced us to additional ideation, research, testing, and design methods in preparation for our team projects that we would develop for, and present to, real-world business clients near the end of the program.

Taught by Michael Suen, a former copywriter with his own design firm and an unusual sense of humor, the Capstone Program was an opportunity for us to articulate our thought processes in all phases of our projects.  This class underscored the importance of individual leadership and collaboration with teammates, as well as all stakeholders involved.  We learned about ideation techniques, such as “Crazy Eights,” where everyone quickly sketched out eight possible design ideas on one folded sheet of paper – in about five minutes. Also on the menu, in-depth research techniques, mapping user journeys and flows, organizing design sprints, presentation skills – and more!

Our final team projects involved multiple steps. Once Michael secured three clients through his professional network, we were asked to submit our preferences for a company and for available roles: Project Manager/Strategist, Researcher, and Prototyper.  Each client would ultimately be served by two teams of three members each.  Michael then scheduled video conferences with each client, an opportunity for us to get acquainted and for the clients to address their problems, business objectives, users’ needs, and desired outcomes, along with any potential constraints.  We submitted proposals to them, which summarized their problems and goals, and suggested a plan of action.

Over the next several weeks, through research, synthesis, persona creation, ideation and sketching, teams worked toward the design of an MVP (Minimally Viable Product) or prototype that would potentially meet our clients’ desired outcomes.  During a practice run-through held two weeks in advance of our presentations, CUNY Central staff and UX industry experts, provided constructive feedback and suggested refinements.

On presentation day, held at CUNY Central in Downtown Brooklyn, clients enthusiastically received their respective teams’ visions for solutions to their previously defined problems and objectives. They asked questions about process, methodology, resources, and viability of our proposed designs, and provided feedback, as well. It was an inspiring culmination of the fruits of our labor.

The takeaway? While there were some struggles along the way, we demonstrated that individual skill coupled with collaborative effort and persistence makes for some really good design work. We now have a professional-looking portfolio case study to share with prospective employers.

Together, Again
With classes ended and our final projects presented, we readied ourselves for the celebration of our achievements – graduation!  On September 28th, we reconvened in the room where orientation was held and our journey officially began.  It was like going home, replete with food and music, along with a video loop of photographs highlighting our time in the program. Skills learned. Friends made. Lives changed – for better and for good. 

That’s Not All, Folks
Another gift of the UX Design program is the ongoing and consistent encouragement, professional support, and mentoring provided by the team at Kingsborough, our instructors, and by experts outside the CUNY family. One in particular, Terri Rodriguez-Hong, a UX/UI Designer from the Bay Area, provides insight and coaching all the way from the West Coast (via email and Google Docs).  Together, and as part of teams, they shared an unyielding commitment to helping us believe in ourselves, seize opportunities, and strive for greatness.

This invaluable, thoughtful, and high- caliber of support continues after graduation. Zulaica Montas-Lee, Kingsborough’s User Experience Design Industry Liaison/Specialist and a UX Designer, keeps us abreast of every opportunity: coaching for live portfolio site development, resume and cover letter creation, and methods for establishing our professional social media presence.

Zulaica, her colleagues, and our instructors share relevant industry news and resources including: articles, workshops, webinars, “hackathons,” meet ups, and other networking events, along with information on additional free training, career counseling, and job openings. Cohort members are also encouraged to share news, as well.

The many practical, professional, and personal rewards of enrolling in the CUNY TechWorks User Experience Design Program are invaluable. I’m proud to be a part of this family who continues to support and challenge me. Another plus, I now look at the world differently and see ways to incorporate User Experience Design principles into aspects of everyday life.

Your Future Can Start Today!
Design is a work in progress. So is life. So are we.

You need only one reason to move forward: to acquire new skills, enhance existing ones, explore new career paths, or to leave your comfort zone and invest in yourself as I’ve learned to do. You’ll thank yourself down the road.

To begin your journey toward the next iteration of your career through the CUNY TechWorks User Experience Design Program, please visit our home on the web, or contact Program Director, Bryan Sanchinell at Bryan.Sanchinell@kbcc.cuny.edu.

The UX Experience Design Program, is an initiative of CUNY’s Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Programs (CEWP), and is funded through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.