Like many, the 'opportunity' of a demo assignment/ trial run/ pro bono collaboration used to invoke a sense of challenge in me. To prove my worth, show my thought process, build credibility. But, I've come to the conclusion, that if this is a hard-requirement for a gig, then one of the following is likely:
- Standard procedure (I should know, I've built a few for teams of various sizes) and they don't really need them, it's just a requirement. Conclusion: Wasted effort. As long as you're not exceptionally bad or exceptionally good, it's not going to make a dent.
- Someone wants free work done. *Narrows eyes* I'm looking at you, Startups and Boutique firms. Ask nicely, and I'll be happy to lend my time and energy to a cause, respect people if you can.
- They don't know how to say 'No', and need a cop-out to wiggle out of the conversation.
I've come to the conclusion, that if a team is convinced of your abilities or needs your experience, they'll show that in actions and not through 'oh such a diverse experience you possess' type of language.
So here is a collection of Mottanai (Japanese phrase : Don't waste what is valuable) just for YOU!
Don't listen to those
Innovation Consultants...
An Electronic Health Record that charts maternal health of expecting mothers and provides Case-Based Reasoning Support using Predictive Algorithms.
Even though it was a lot of sleepless nights of research by a one-woman team that didn't pan out, I gotta say: I learnt a lot about
- how rural healthcare systems in India operate,
-how low-resource settings develop their makeshift processes,
-how damn risky pregnancies are if you don't have the right ecosystem around you
-Most IMPORTANTLY, how do you innovate for something that's behavioral and systemic, and not easily solved with some tech magic dust.
Sectoral Analysis on Productivity & the Digital Workforce
I'm not proud of this one.
Long story on how reading-the-room is an important skill.
This Analysis document could have been
-Better presented/formatted
-Better understood as a problem. Rule of thumb: Don't assume you've understood what the client needs on the basis of a verbal communication. Write that shit down and get a confirmation. In this case, it would have saved me a bunch of time and in turn created a better deliverable.
UX Research Study on Online Grocery Delivery
The Behavioral Design Firm I was interviewing for was pretty neat. Again, I was mad keen on the gig. They kept vacillating on the final decision for months, even with multiple interviews and a 'dire' need for a UX Researcher. This one didn't hurt as much, but did turn me cynical eventually.
Learnings:
-Don't hope too much (or at all), most lingo translates to: NO. No matter how well phrased.
-If your questions to the interviewer (even the technical ones) result in the 'Lorem Ipsum...' answers, you're unlikely to learn from the peers/colleagues.
-Spend time in differentiating between people who are proficient in Faffing vs Knowledgeably Conversing.
-The online Grocery market is on fire, at least in Urban India. A lot of money is riding on it.
A Case Study on Neo-natal BiPAP Machines Feature Design
This one turned out amazing as a deliverable, especially given how anxious I was. But, once again didn't work out, even after extremely positive feedback.
Remind me to tell you about the Usability Engineer Role that disappeared over-night. Hahaha.
Not gonna lie, this one hurt. A lot. It was the perfect role. I had the design sensibilities, experience with med-tech product development and above all it was for a cause that I could see myself work extremely hard for, to counter any shortcomings.
Retrospection gave me two things:
-I wasn't confident/suave enough to convince them of my abilities
-Terminology Elitism is a very real barrier-to-entry. I'm better at it now, but prefer simpler words
-I loved the challenge of designing for extreme constraints, where deductive reasoning and lateral thinking was more useful than by-the-book approach.
Here's to more such opportunities! Ganbatte Ojasvi!