Websites, branding, usability… oh my!
After a decade of making websites, branding, and marketing, I went back to school. This June, I graduated with a master’s in library and information science with a 4.0. This minty-fresh degree will prepare me for my goals of digital librarianship, digital archiving, user experiences (UX), and other community engaged work.
With many transitions in virtual and physical spaces, crossroads await: I am making new by beginning stages of consulting work, this time focused on usability. It’s a wonderful bridge between careers, and so needed in this ever-changing tech and information landscape. I believe knowing tools and knowing people are essential. UX is more than digital designs, it’s making environments fun, friendly, usable, and useful.
So, with play and purpose in mind, I enter the sandbox.
A sandbox, you say? In tech-land, a sandbox is a place to play, experiment with different tools, and test environments in high-fidelity mode. Without breaking what already exists.
My skills mastery is not just a solo endeavor. I am fortunate to stay connected with mentors, and I am still connecting with fellow info pros. We’re a friendly, nerdy bunch. Just last week, during a coffee talk with a web developer, I gained another tool, Pantheon. This space sandboxes and develops websites, and I can learn a new-to-me platform, Drupal, where many libraries manage their sites.
I can’t wait to tinker with Drupal on my own time this week. Then, next week, I’ll be proposing a step-by-step site relaunch for an organization close to me.
It’s incredibly gratifying to combine skills, passions, and people-work, sometimes working on my own time through consulting. This is all part of a bigger plan, too, of developing ReStory, a space for promoting and preserving stories.
In all of these experiences, I am grounded by my values of access and social justice, and I am so excited for what’s ahead. I am staying grounded in my pursuit of lifelong learning and connecting with others, so stay tuned for more notes on ReStory, consulting, and calls for content.
Over to you. How do you keep practicing/grounded while also exploring new ideas? Do you honor your experiences through creativity, dedication, introspection, or something else? What about coffee talks or other outlets for community?