I’m going to be honest. I put off writing this because I didn’t feel qualified. Even as I write this now, I’m overcome with feelings of imposter syndrome.

The truth is, I do feel like an imposter much of the time. Friends often have to remind me of my previous successes to reassure me that I am, in fact good enough, and that I do belong, even when I’m really uncomfortable in my skin.

Throughout my entire childhood, I had this recurring dream where I’d wake up in a math class that was for students two or three grades above…

Finding the right person for every role we advertise is one of the most important contributions I can make as a hiring manager. A company’s success hinges on the skills and abilities of a team, in combination with the way team members interact with one another.

Here at Designlab, we look for people with the potential to add immediate value, but who will also learn and grow quickly. Each team member needs to add constructively to our team culture and strongly represent our company values.

Recently we advertised a role in our internal team and within five days had over…

Listening is so much more than what you do with your ears. It’s also about your eye contact, the mental (or physical) notes you take, and your body language. A great thing to note is that when you improve your listening skills, you will enhance relationships not only on a professional level, but also with friends and family :) Here we’ve put together a list of eight key ways to improve your ability to be an effective listener. As you read through each step, reflect back on recent conversations you’ve had and think about how well you did (or didn’t!)…

A portfolio site is a place to display your work online. So far, pretty straightforward. But if you’ve ever tried updating your design portfolio, you know that the decisions involved can quickly get overwhelming. What’s more, the stakes are high — get those decisions right, and they can land you a job. Get them wrong, and you might be passed by.

Based on our experience of guiding students through the UX portfolio process at Designlab, in this post we’re sharing some common mistakes found in junior design portfolios. …

At their core, designers are problem solvers. And while we’re arguably living in the most empathetic time in history, as a world we still have an urgent need for creative solutions to some big problems.

These problems have many different dimensions, many of which are often not visible at first.

Designers can help us discover the full scope of a problem, and bring all of its aspects into view. And by empowering designers to tackle big problems, we have the best chance of finding creative and collaborative solutions.

Former US President John F. Kennedy once said, “One person can make…

If the mere thought of networking makes you want to cringe, roll your eyes, or break out in a cold sweat, know that you’re not alone.

When it comes to networking, most of us have a stereotypical image of a person in a suit and tie, shaking hands and fast-talking at a business conference. A Harvard Business School study found that, “Even when people know networking is beneficial to their careers, they often don’t do it,” according to co-author and Professor Francesca Gino.

Read on to learn how to network successfully and make the most of it!

What is Networking?

Let’s start with…

As a UX design mentor, students often ask me, “What tool should I use to build my portfolio?” Having been a UX Academy student myself, and then having been both an interviewer and interviewee, I have learned a lot about the best UX design portfolio website builders out there.

To start, you need to consider why you’re making your portfolio in the first place, and you should know your user (hint: we’re talking recruiters, design managers, hiring managers, etc.). Your portfolio is a UX project in itself. It’s very meta. …

We employ 500+ UX design mentors here at Designlab — and each one is full of unique knowledge and experience, together covering many different specializations within the industry. As we’ve progressed on our mission to highlight each member of our mentor community through our mentor spotlight series, we’ve gathered a wealth of inspiring advice and top tips for anyone looking to start out in the UX design industry.

Here we’ve listed that compilation so you can benefit from the gems of advice and knowledge from the amazingly talented UX design mentors within our community.

Marina Krutchinsky, Senior UX Designer at American Express:

Don’t be afraid to stand out…