The Essence of Design
My name is Damilare and I’m a designer who used to reject being a designer.
Not until recently did I truly embrace my prowess. As a Nigerian, the one thing my family never lacked was the demand from me and my siblings to be successful. In a family full of doctors, nurses and lawyers, growing up I believed I had to find my niche in these things and keep my natural aptitude to just being a hobby. Entering college with this belief, I majored in Information Systems. I wonder why I never questioned my decision, perhaps I never did because no one around me deviated from the set title we were supposed to pursue. I liked technology, the only profession in my family involving technology was my I.T consultant Uncle In Law, and he majored in Information Systems. It was that simple for my family. Involving your individuality in your career decision was something I had an understanding of at that point. I actually didn’t believe they could coexist. It was “Church” and “State” for me.
This would change when I took my first Introduction to Information Systems class. I immediately knew I couldn’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life. I felt dead because I knew deep down there was a part for me that I wasn’t feeding, a part of me that wanted something better. What that was I didn’t quite know. But what I did know was what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to major in Information Systems. Sure I was bright and I could obtain the skills needed to succeed in that field so what made it so distasteful to me? I kept asking myself. “What would I tell people when they ask me why”. This question was one that I knew the answer to for a long time. It was a truth that I had hoped would turn out to be false. A truth I was too nervous to face.
I did not have a love for it, I didn’t have a passion for it. I didn’t love it enough to want it for the rest of my life. Then I thought back to what I had always loved. I thought back to how I had this notebook of sketches and ideas of products that could be made for the betterment of people. I thought back to how I would draw sketches of a phone case you could wear on your phone from the side with a ziplock-type casing you could use underwater. I thought of all the little things I used to do when I was 13 that brought me joy. I’ve always critically analyzed the human experience to point out flaws and better optimize our current experience. This Epiphany was met with grief and guilt. Understanding that I had done myself a disservice by denying myself and the people around me who I really was. But now that I knew what I loved and accepted it, there wasn’t anything around me that it quite fit into. The view and knowledge I had of what a designer was then wasn’t one I was comfortable with. “There has to be something better,” I said to myself. Without quite knowing what that better thing was, I switched my major to graphic design and I started researching.
This was the scariest point in life. I switched to a major knowing I didn’t want to just be a graphic designer, hoping to find something that made sense to me or even someone that was like me. Amidst the anxiety and the uncertainty, I had found my purpose. My job in this world was to elevate the user experience with technology. To better optimize a person’s life with technology. To help make their life the most efficient, intelligent, and pleasing as it can and what made me happy was that it didn’t matter what the title was from now on, as long as I could do what I was meant to do in this world and working every day to be the very best at it, I was fine. Realizing this, I could not bear to betray myself again. so I kept going until I found UX design. The first time I looked it up, I remember having butterflies. I was finally home. This was my perfect spot. This was the craft. Not Law, or medicine, or banking, or engineering. But this, Design. This was my box and now it’s about being the best version of me that I can. I think I laughed a little because I was finally relieved that I wasn’t alone. During my discovery, I finally realized something that changed my life. It was never about the title. It could have been anything and I would still have had butterflies as long as it aligned with my purpose.
It’s not about the skill but your passion. Anyone can learn to wireframe, conduct usability testing, or write HTML and CSS. What people can’t learn is the love you have for it. The essence of design isn’t in our skill or experience but in our intrinsic nature. That which makes us who we are, our nature, our purpose. What pushes us to get up every day and continue to do the work, to learn new skills, to practice and refine our craft. That drive isn’t in the title nor the skill, it’s in us. So what do you have a love for? What is your job as a human being on this earth? What’s it that you know you were made to do? My job in this world is to elevate the user experience with technology. To better optimize a person’s life with technology. To help make their life as efficient, intelligent, and pleasing as it can and User Experience and Product Design is the craft in which I can do that job the best. What is your job?
