Starting Your UX Career With No Degree | Jeremy Gaston

Key Points

• The importance of staying current with technology to avoid becoming obsolete in the design field.
• Jeremy Gaston’s journey from self-taught designer to principal experience designer at Capital One, emphasizing observation, execution, and adding value.
• The transition from visual/abstract design to analytical, user-centered design driven by business needs and user psychology.
• The role of mentorship, representation, and self-learning in career development, especially for underrepresented groups in tech.
• Real-world applications of UX principles in companies like Match.com and Michaels, focusing on research, feedback, and intentional design.

Summary

The podcast episode features Jeremy Gaston, a principal experience designer at Capital One, discussing his career journey and insights into the design industry. The conversation begins with the host, Tolu Garcia, highlighting Jeremy’s role as a mentor and one of the few Black UX designers he has worked with, emphasizing the importance of representation. Jeremy shares how his early interest in design was sparked by his brother’s drawings, leading him to explore creativity from a young age.

Jeremy’s path into UX was largely self-taught, driven by a desire to add tangible value to businesses. He recalls a pivotal moment in 2007 when, while bidding for a major website project, he realized the need to move beyond abstract visual design to analytical design. This shift involved justifying design choices—such as color, layout, and typography—based on user behavior and business outcomes, rather than purely artistic expression. He emphasizes that designers must understand how their work impacts metrics like market share and user engagement.

A key theme is the necessity of staying updated with technology, as highlighted by a former instructor’s advice: “If you don’t stay up on technology, then you will get left behind.” Jeremy’s career evolved through freelancing, running his own agency, and working with companies like Verizon, Match.com, and Michaels. At Match.com, he engaged in early UX practices like A/B testing to optimize user profiles, while at Michaels, he focused on homepage design and ad placements, learning to balance business goals with user needs.

The discussion also touches on the challenges of imposter syndrome and the value of self-learning. Jeremy stresses that designers must identify their unique value propositions and learn continuously, whether through observation, mentorship, or hands-on experimentation. He advocates for a user-centered approach that prioritizes feedback and psychological insights to create effective, empathetic products. Overall, the episode underscores the blend of creativity, analysis, and adaptability required to succeed in UX design, while celebrating the impact of diversity and mentorship in the field.