Meet Our Team - Interview With A UX Designer - Aldo Calitz

Make an IIIMPACT - The User Inexperience Podcast

Welcome to another episode of Make an IiIMPACT! This is a mini-series to our podcast where we want to showcase our valuable team members and hear more about them and their stories about being a UX Product designer on the IIIMPACT team.

Aldo Calitz takes center stage as we explore his unique journey from a background rich in performing arts, graphic design, and psychology, to becoming a pivotal UX designer. You'll hear a compelling client success story where Aldo's expertise led to remarkable improvements in an ecommerce platform in South Africa, transforming delivery times and boosting customer trust despite the challenges of being the sole UX designer amidst a large team of developers and finance experts.
We also dive into the significance of a user-centric approach in UX design, the evolving role of AI in the industry, and Aldo’s dream project involving diverse cultures and languages.

The conversation touches on cognitive bias in design preferences, the benefits of collaborative teamwork, and advice for aspiring UX designers. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a newcomer to UX, this episode promises valuable insights and practical tips to refine your craft.

Stay tuned as we make an impact together!

Keywords

UX design, personal journey, client success story, collaboration, UX team, AI, future

Takeaways

• Personal journey: Aldo's background in performing arts and graphic design led him to UX design, where he focuses on user-centric solutions.
• Client success story: Aldo helped a dev agency improve their e-commerce platform's delivery time from an hour to 15 minutes, gaining new customer trust and becoming a strong competitor.
• Challenges of being a UX team of one: Aldo discusses the frustrations of being the sole designer and the need to do everything, highlighting the importance of collaboration and support within a design team.
• Impact of AI on UX design: Aldo believes that AI will make UX designers' jobs easier and more efficient, but designers need to learn how to design with AI in mind.
• Future of UX design: Aldo envisions a future where UX design is valued more and companies prioritize user-centric experiences over short-term gains.

Sound Bites

• "I love bringing in the research and the validation behind what I do rather than, oh, this is pretty. Let's put it out there and see what the user thinks."
• "Being a UX team of one, it could be very challenging and frustrating. You're the gatekeeper of all the information and what comes in and out."
• "There's a misconception regarding UX in proper product design. There's a dribble ization when it comes to UX."

Timestamps

00:00 Performing arts, graphic design, psychology influence UX.
05:27 Efficient delivery service for South African ecommerce.
08:25 Solo UX design brings frustration and isolation.
12:29 Efficient UX team solves problems with ease.
14:29 Teams collaborate to showcase combined effort. Clients benefit.
17:38 Focusing on specialization leads to success.
20:50 UX design offers diverse knowledge, impactful career.
25:58 AI as tool, making jobs easier, requiring learning.
27:16 Passionate about travel, cultures, and languages.
31:19 Encouraging interaction and seeking feedback for improvement.

BIOs

Aldo Calitz - Sr. UX Designer @ IIIMACT - His journey into UX design is as eclectic as it is inspiring. Originally hailing from a performing arts background, Aldo's first academic pursuit was in drama, where he honed the skill of stepping into various characters' shoes by crafting detailed user personas. This intriguing blend of performance and human behavioral studies in psychology laid the groundwork for his empathetic approach to design.

Transitioning into the creative realm, Aldo explored graphic design, a field in which he had a brief yet impactful stint, including one notable branding project. However, it was his pivot to web design that truly melded his diverse interests. His first web design assignment required the creation of user personas, a task that felt remarkably intuitive given his drama training.

With a unique combination of skills in the arts, psychology, and design, Aldo seamlessly integrated these disciplines to carve out a successful career in UX design, where understanding the user is paramount. His multidisciplinary background continues to shape his innovative approach in the UX field.

Makoto Kern - Founder and UX Principal at IIIMPACT - a UX Product Design and Development Consulting agency. IIIMPACT has been on the Inc 5000 for the past 3 consecutive years and is one of the fastest-growing privately-owned companies. His team has successively launched 100s of digital products over the past +20 years in almost every industry vertical. IIIMPACT helps clients get from the 'Boardroom concept to Code' faster by reducing risk and prioritizing the best UX processes through their clients' teams.

Visit our website - www.iiimpact.io