What does design and psychology have in common? Quite a lot as Rajvi Rangrej realised when she found herself drawn to a career in UX Design.
“UX design brings out my creativity but also utilises my psychological skills. It helps me use my creativity to make things simpler for users through communication but also - by understanding how individuals live their lives – psychology helps me design good experiences that solve user problems.”
When someone suggested that Rajvi Rangrej look at UX Design as a potential career, she was surprised but curious. A criminology and psychology student, Rajvi received a lot of positive feedback when she posted a logo she created for the Indian Student Association club on LinkedIn.
Design and art had always been a hobby for Rajvi – however she chose to study criminology and psychology with the aim of a job in Immigration or Customs. She never considered making a career out of her art and design interests
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“When I was looking at tertiary education, I got interested in psychology and criminology because I wanted to learn how people think, and to be honest, I also wanted to find a job with security. I didn’t think about design at all.”
However she was intrigued with the positive interest in her logo (right) and joined some LinkedIn forums where people discussed design. This then led to meeting up with designers for coffee; a major move for shy Rajvi. While exciting and stimulating, she was still surprised when the idea of a career in User Experience (UX) design was suggested by someone, even though she could see the connection with her psychology study.
“I was a bit sceptical at first to be honest, but I did a lot of research using LinkedIn and saw how much potential there was in UX and realised it would be a great career option for me because I would combine my psychology study with my creative skills. The more I thought about it, the more the idea fitted for me.”
User experience refers to how someone feels and behaves when using a certain product, system or service. Due to this, it is important for the UX designer to understand the person to create a great user experience for them. UX designers apply their understanding of psychology to understand and satisfy their user or customer needs and requirements.”
Rajvi has now completed her criminology and psychology degree and continues to work part time at The Design House where she learned Adobe Suite programmes such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and Indesign. This year she has also started a Master of Design.
Rajvi encourages students to research and connect with people in areas they are curious about and find out people’s career paths into their roles. “Go with your feelings about what seems right because that will really sustain you as you find a way to follow that career path.”
Written by AUT career writer Angela McCarthy