In the intricate terrain of user experience, a poor and lost soul has three distinct ways to find a place within the industry—each possessing its unique ethos. Having had the privilege to explore agency ecosystems, freelancing, and in-house positions, I’m here to share insights on the quirks, perks, and unexpected traits of each realm.
Agency Adventures: Where Chaos Meets Creativity
Within the thriving epicenters of agencies, creativity knows no bounds -apart from deadlines and client’s budget- and chaos is just another part of the process. Here, time is an elusive commodity, and client requests form a maze you navigate with the finesse of a UX ninja. Balancing your craft with agency requirements and client needs is a delicate dance, often requiring a compromise between differing interests.
Scene from the Trenches: The narrative unfolds amidst the frenetic pulse of agency life. Picture this—a high-profile client wants a complete website redesign in a two months. Challenge accepted? Absolutely. They are requiring from you a full UX process: general market research, competitors benchmark, user interviews, stakeholder workshops, 5 different user personas, user journeys, new site navigation designs and user testing sessions as well as low and high-fidelity wireframes. You have two weeks. Do they provide access to users? No. Why? They already know their users – a very big RED FLAG 🚩-.
Takeaway: In an agency setting, you are not alone; a whole team is supporting you all the steps of the way so you can solely focus on your craft. Yet that means tight deadlines and complex demands, sometimes at odds with the best interests of users.
Freelance Frontiers: The Lone Explorer
Now, let’s drift into the vastness of freelance freedom. The UX professional metamorphoses into whatever is required with the flexibility of a contortionist at a circus. As a lone explorer, you’re not just the designer; you’re the accountant, project manager, and the master of your own destiny. Here you have full control over your processes, but as a wise man once said ‘with great power, comes great responsability”. Hence you have to juggle constantly freedom and accountability in a never-ending battle that can have several damaging consecuences in your life/work balance.
And you have to directly deal with clients as well, which can be quite difficult when money is involved. Yes, clients can be kind and loving and understanding but they can also be stingy and not very keen on design nuances and paramount importance.
Also -and for me the most difficult part of being a freelancer- you have to constantly deal with uncertainity. I do personally really struggle with the fear of not having secured my next steps. These are some of my biggest concerns: how can I find new clients? How can I manage a fluctuating workload? What happens when this project finishes? How can I say no? How can I take a break without losing projects? How can I balance my work and my life?
Scene from the Trenches: With the freedom to not having a 9 to 17 job, I ended up doing 6 to 22. I once found myself crafting revolutionary AI app, building a solar energy brand identity as well as designing a christmas card. Talk about variety—a compendium of challenges that keeps the creative juices flowing but drain your energy at the same time.
Takeaway: Did I have a life back then? No. Did I love every single second of it? Yes. Having the freedom (and luck) to engage in such an amazing variety of projects is an extremely rich experience, yet a very exhausting one.
In-House Havens: Where Brands Become Homes
Touching down in the tranquil landscapes of in-house design, where you’re not just a designer; you’re a custodian of the digital product’s soul. The pace might be more like a scenic hike than a sprint, but the impact is profound. You live and breathe the brand, ensuring every pixel aligns with its essence.
Scene from the Trenches: Collaborating with cross-functional teams, I’ve seen firsthand how the careful integration of UX transforms a product. But also how the (miss)communication between teams can kill the potential of a project. For example, the fight of UXers versus developers is a well-known thing as sometimes our workflows really differe from each other as well as our perspectives and interests.
Takeaway: No more sprinting; it’s a marathon where every iteration is a step toward perfection. But repeating the same thing over and over may become tedious. Same colours, same guidelines, same people, same processes… Working in-house will fully depend on how comfortable you are in an monotonous ambience.
Common Threads in the UX Tapestry
While these realms might seem galaxies apart, they share common threads that weave the UX tapestry. Collaboration, adaptability, and a deep understanding of users are universal currencies. In agencies, you learn to dance with chaos. Freelancing teaches you the art of juggling and dealing with uncertinety. In-house gigs? That’s where you build a home for a product within your powerful actions.
So, which realm suits you? The agency thrill-seeker, the free spirit of freelancing, or the brand custodian in-house? As a UX Voyager, you have the cosmos at your fingertips. Choose wisely, and may your pixels be ever aligned and your users delighted!
PS: Whatever you choose, it is never too late to change! Do not feel restrain in navigating only one specific ambit, the world is your oyster.
