Elliot George: Being a User experience designer
Based in Brighton, Elliot is a Digital Designer at Sightsavers. His current predicament is trying to find a cycling route to the office that avoids the South Downs but still has spectacular views.
What’s the most straightforward way to explain who you are and what you do?
Digital designer; which as a term pretty much covers everything from research through to production. We're an internal agency who design for both the needs of people within our organisation and the 'general public,' although I don't necessarily see a bright dividing line between the two. I feel like my work boils down to asking innumerable questions and interrogating the 'why' of every project.
What does a normal day look like?
0.25 new Mural whiteboards.
1 strong cup of coffee.
5-10 average-at-best gifs.
Oodles and oodles of new XD artboards.
What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?
That's a toughy. We're lucky in that we get a wide variety of projects so there's always lots to learn and swot up on. The downside of this is that once a piece of work has been delivered you discover a zillion things you'd like to change, but might not get the chance to do so.
What did it take to get to where you are today?
It's been topsy turvy for sure. I think it would have been an easier journey if I'd been better at accepting help from others. My first salaried design job was sort of accidental in that a position only became available because someone saw some potential in me. I'd been grafting away in the shop below the head office and was asked if I'd like to move upstairs! Before all this I studied Product Design at the artier end of the spectrum (which wasn't my comfort zone) and found it both hugely eye opening and terrifying in that it asked more questions than it answered. I've always loved graphic and interaction design so 'returning' to digital made a lot of sense.
What are the main digital tools you could not do without?
You know I think we all get a bit too hung up on tools. I could name the ones that I use for the actual production work, but my workflow more generally uses all sorts of apps from note taking to planning to presenting. I'd recommend everyone take an afternoon one day to see how they can 'hack' or misuse or repurpose their digital tools. Just like the A2 sheets of paper I use to do a lot of my thinking can be folded up and turned into a paper aeroplane, so can your digital tools. Also, take time to decide which tools you actually need. This feeds into my previous point around 'misuse;' In a pinch, you can use Keynote + Google Meet + Text edit to test prototypes with people remotely. Fancy all-singing-all-dancing tools are great, but they can also act like a smoke screen distracting you from the problem in hand.
Any advice for people wanting to do a similar role to you?
Solve real problems. Ask lots of questions. Know that the answers are just the beginning.
I'm not good at 'advice,' but if anyone out there has questions and wants to chat I'm looking to be a better listener, so do say hello via my website or linkedin.
And finally, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
In my personal life I'm trying to do more 'thinking and learning by doing.' Whether that's learning to rollerblade, bikepacking or a new found interest in resin casting! I'm trying to be more open to making mistakes and making discoveries and putting the theory side of things on the back burner. Speaking of rollerblading, I just realised that I've been doing 'backwards crossovers' backwards for at least a whole year. I don't know whether to be delighted by this realisation or deeply troubled!
Links: Keep up to date with Elliot
Website - egeorge.me
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-george-640864a2/