I often talk about how case study format and how it's not necessarily good for entry-level folks looking for their first jobs in product design. I received a few questions asking, "so what does an entry-level product designer typically do?"
I'll start with a short list of things that you won't typically be doing:
- Defining outcomes and what success looks like for projects
- Defining any standards for content or systems
- Doing any great deal of primary research during discovery phases
- Influencing product or design strategy
That's because your primary function as a new designer is to learn.
Learn and understand:
- Your organization's vision, strategy, and goals
- Your organization's processes and how they apply to your work
- Your product's vision and how it fits into the above
- How different teams work together with yours
And while you're learning all of that, you'll be:
- Exploring different ways to solve a problem and presenting them for feedback
- Following existing standards for content and learning how to use your org's design system
- Seeking feedback constantly and working with your peers to get unstuck
- Shipping design within that system, preparing assets for different sizes, formats, and resolutions; including redlining
- Starting to build relationships across teams and understanding how your work fits into the context of broader workflows
And out of this experience working within real boundaries with others is where those stories for case studies will stem from.