Before UX Academy, Kevin Chang worked as a technology implementation consultant, helping clients transition from their legacy HR system to Workday (SaaS).
There were two big themes for his career switch to the world of UX design:
He wanted to directly impact and improve features that his clients and users interacted with on a daily basis, which is something he could not do as the middle man on the implementation side.
Secondly, he wanted to problem solve in a creative and human-centered way.
Kevin’s UX Academy Experience
Kevin chose the UX Academy bootcamp by Designlab for his career switching journey.
For Kevin, UX Academy stood out for four reasons:
1. Graduating with at least 3 capstone projects (where other bootcamp options only mentioned one or two)
2. Tuition cost is fair and affordable compared to other options he was considering
3. Remote education experience
4. A part-time & full-time track
He went on to share how valuable the UX Academy experience was in his journey, from mentor support to the curriculum format.
“I found the structured curriculum to be helpful, as it allowed me to learn and apply the design thinking process to my first project, receive feedback from my mentor, and participate in group critiques. This foundation helped me to become more confident and proficient in the process as I progressed through my three capstone projects” says Kevin.
While the demands of balancing a full-time job while taking UX Academy led to some long nights and moments of burnout, Kevin shares that the end result was worth the effort, as he was able to achieve the career transition he had been seeking …
Landing a Job as a Product Designer at Capital One
While browsing job openings on LinkedIn, Kevin came across a posting for a Product Design position at Capital One.
With the help of a referral from a friend of a friend, he was able to secure an interview for the role. The interview process consisted of several behavioral interviews, followed by a portfolio review, and a power day panel interview.
“Despite the challenging interview process, I found the team to be sincere and engaging, and it became clear to me why Capital One has consistently been ranked as one of LinkedIn's Top Companies,” says Kevin.
Since landing the role at Capital One, Kevin has learned a great deal about the challenges and rewards that come with the position—particularly in regard to improving the experiences of features that will have a direct impact on Capital One’s users. (One of his original reasons for switching careers!)
Kevin is currently part of a larger design organization within Capital One, broken up into smaller design sub-orgs. His team consists of himself (product designer), a product manager, and several tech colleagues. They are also supported by a data team, an analyst team, and a design research team. This team is focused on a common objective, and they work together to solve these problems for our users.
Kevin says, “I’m still learning the ins and outs of how to become a more effective Product Designer. Growth takes time and it’s something I’m excited for.”
Kevin works out of Capital One’s campus north of Dallas, Texas. Some of the fun perks of working in this office include:
- An indoor slide
- Multiple modern buildings
- Bikes to ride around campus
- Yummy subsidized cafeterias
- Lots of fun meeting rooms & spaces
While Kevin can’t go into too much detail about the exciting projects he’s working on, he can say it’s been nice getting to work on many different parts of the design process including:
- Registering research
- Conducting interviews
- Synthesizing notes into insights
- Wireframing
- Getting buy-in from co-creators
- And at its core, trying to solve user pain points in a creative and human-centered way!
He’s also collaborated on creating the journey map for Capital One’s line of business, helping to align their partners on the highs and lows of the experience and demonstrate areas of opportunity.
Advice for Future Product Designers
Now that Kevin has graduated from UX Academy and landed an amazing job that he loves, he has some advice for incoming, current, and graduating UX Academy students …
“The journey to transition into UX Design won’t come easy but it’s worth it. Looking back, there were occasions where I questioned my decision … feeling imposter syndrome coming from a Finance (and not design) background, feeling burnt out working and pursuing UX Academy, quitting my previous job outright, etc … But I kept at it. And today, I am in a career and position that is a lot more satisfying than where I was before, all because I bet on myself and took that chance.”
Life Beyond Working at Capital One
Kevin strives to live a balanced life—and a career as a Product Designer is allowing him to do just that.
When he’s not working, he spends as much time with his fiancée, friends, and family as he can. He loves to host cooking parties (recently he’s done dumplings, sushi, tamales, pupusas, pizza, parties and more!) He also enjoys playing and watching sports, traveling whenever he gets the chance (and making montage videos of his travels), and hanging out playing board games or watching a movie.
Kevin concludes: “I’m still exploring to be honest! I’m starting to figure out the parts of a design career I enjoy more (facilitation, design influence, strategy) and making it a priority to learn and grow. I would also love to build a startup or something of my own but that’s still to be determined!”
Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn and check out his portfolio.
Ready to make a career leap into the world of product design like Kevin? Explore UX Academy, an intensive online program that equips you with the UX/UI design skills you need to land your first product design role.
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