Keen to dive right into both the practical and theoretical world of UX, Ryunosuke decided to complete the UX Design Course at the UX Academy in London. I managed to catch Ryunosuke just before he started the course – we talked about his background, which part of the course he was most excited about, and his inspirations within the industry.
Q: Tell me a bit about your background and how you got into UX design?
I am a 25-year-old Japanese native, working as a researcher at a Tech company in London, and I’m keen to jump into UX design. My background is in business, with a focus on marketing, but I always wanted at some point to do something that merged business and creativity. I take some of my inspiration from my great-grandfather, who was a famous Japanese traditional craftsman. His legacy gave me an understanding of how designed products and services can be beautiful and ultimately this led me towards UX design.
I believe that having a business mindset as well as a creative mindset is a crucial key to solving some of the problems we are facing now, and I also feel it would be a valuable asset to many different industries.
Q: What made you decide to sign-up for the course?
I wanted to start from scratch, not only by studying theory, but also by developing practical skills using design tools such as Adobe XD, Sketch and Figma. I also wanted to work alongside others in a similar position. When I found out that The UX Academy UX Design Course option is open to anyone, with or without a background in creative design, I thought it was a good fit for me. Additionally, I like that it teaches the theory of UX and practical skills with different UX professionals.
Q: What part of the course are you the most excited about?
Of course, as a beginner of UX, I want to learn how the UX process works, but also want to know how I, as a business professional, can apply UX design to actual business. Most of all, I am hoping to hear how UX designers actually work with marketing, sales, or development teams in an actual business situation by being taught by different UX professionals.
Q: What challenges do you expect to face as you learn more about the world of design? Is there a certain part of UX that you are most interested in?
I think UX is a never-ending process. As technology advances and as users’ needs and wants become diversified, it is a challenge to adapt and to learn. As someone who is always keen to study something new, I am intrigued by what I might face.
From my work experience in a Japanese company over several years, I feel that a lot of Japanese companies are lacking a user-centered design, which leads me to believe that my challenge is to pioneer a more user-focused design in Japanese business, which I hope would lead to a revitalising of Japan in general.
Q: Who or what inspires you the most within the industry?
I do not have a specific person, but if I had to choose, I would say Tom Kelly, who I believe is one of the most innovative leaders in the creative and business industry.
I always enjoy his books, videos and articles because his insights help me to tackle, or reconsider a problem from a different angle, or by using a different approach.
In one of his books I learned the saying “Like a muscle, your creative abilities will grow and strengthen with practice.” which made me realize that even if I’m not the best at design or creativity, with my own effort and practice, I will be able to go beyond my capabilities and eventually acquire the skills I need.
Conclusion
For Ryunosuke, learning about the world of UX was the perfect way to allow his two great interests of business and creativity to collide and understand how the two can work together. It’s clear that Ryunosuke is very passionate about creating something that is a joy to use, he appreciates that it is necessary to take the time to learn new skills, and is inspired by the beautiful craftsmanship of his great-grandfather. I have a feeling that this will not be the last we’ll hear of him in the sphere of UX!
Tempted to make the jump into UX yourself? You can sign-up or just gain some more information about the UX Design Course.