When I first started learning about UX again, the amount of topics I wanted to learn overwhelmed me. Fortunately, the booming education technology industry has led to plenty of courses available online and for free. However, that same plethora made my head want to explode. Where would I start? How many could I have going on simultaneously? Should I dedicate time to reading up supplementary materials?
It was basically the breadth versus depth conundrum. Do I learn a lot but little about each, or build one first and slowly add in others? For beginners, both make sense. The former allows us to see the large picture while the latter lets us really get our hands dirty and actually create something of value.
Through my recent brief Coursera course on typography from CalArts, I relearned an old lesson. We should learn deeply about what we need to produce, and add in other skills as needed. In that way, I am truly exercising each skill I’m folding in.
For example, it would be an unwise use of time to focus weeks on typography while neglecting user research. However, now that it’s time to produce customer journey maps, while I put it on the backburner for processing, I can spend some time on typography to help me layout the information on the map easier through visual hierarchy and placement.
It’s a mix of depth and breadth. I will go deep first into one subject first, the one that will help me deliver soon. Then, as soon as I get enough to make a minimum viable product, I can spend a little time looking into other subjects that can enhance this product, before deciding on digging deeper into the first subject or shifting to another.