Aliena Design LLC

If I started UX in 2025, I’d do this. 𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗜 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 Most people pursuing a UX design career don’t realize how important UI design is. If I could start over this year, the first thing I’d do is open *Figma* and practice tracing existing products’ wireframes and mockups. This would help me develop a sense of UI design and get fluent with Figma. I’d do this before taking a UX design course, as it takes longer to get familiar with the tool than with the UX process. 𝟮. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗨𝗫 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 The next thing I’d do is learn UX design. If I had an *accountability structure* set up with friends or connections, I’d opt for self-study. If not, I’d purchase a course to hold myself accountable. I’d focus on learning how to go through the double diamond process and research 1 to 3 commonly used tools for each step. However, I wouldn’t take any process as the absolute truth, as the real business world is much more flexible and complex. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 Product thinking, or business sense, is a must-have for landing top-tier roles in tech companies. It’s about designing features that not only solve user problems but also align with business goals and technical constraints. Mastering product thinking will not only elevate your designs but also help you communicate with stakeholders and secure a seat at the leadership table (where, frankly, not many designers are yet). 𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 In the age of AI, ChatGPT can be your ultimate study buddy. It can: Create personalized learning plans; Explain complex UX concepts; Help brainstorm portfolio project ideas; Provide feedback on resumes or case studies... That said, always double-check its advice with reliable sources. Think of it as a helpful assistant, not a flawless mentor. By using AI thoughtfully, you can accelerate your learning and keep up with the rapidly evolving UX field. There’s so much more to this topic! Discover all 13 things I’d do in my new YouTube video: https://lnkd.in/gjdXySZV

How to write *cold email* that 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬: I performed a small experiment on my email inbox and analyzed *100 cold emails* I received to find out the criteria that make a cold email impossible for me to ignore. Here’s what I discovered: 1️⃣ Content beats perfect writing. I assumed professionalism would matter most, but the number 1 reason I reply to an email is because I care about the content. If the content is compelling, even if the email has broken grammar and no punctuation, I’d still reply. 2️⃣ Show, don’t tell. If your goal is to sell your service (e.g., UX design), showing is far more important than telling. I’ve received countless emails claiming great success but providing no links or case studies. If you’re offering services, let your work speak for itself. 3️⃣ Add a custom signature. Emails with a custom signature feel more polished. These signatures often include links to LinkedIn or a personal website, which help me learn more about the sender's work. A profile picture also gives a sense of the person I’m communicating with. There are 11 other points I discovered. If you’re curious to learn more, check out my latest YouTube video: https://lnkd.in/di4Mg79A

🌊 Let’s vote for 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 today at https://lnkd.in/gB_2BBTp My friend Kexin Cha is the lead designer behind this amazing project, helping under-resourced students get *free biomedical education* in over 60 countries. I’m so proud of what she’s doing, and it would mean a lot if we can support their team Stanford Deep Data Research Center together! Just search “Stanford Data Ocean” and click “Celebrate” before October 31st. Let’s make sure their work gets the recognition it deserves! ✨ --- #designforgood #productdesign #uxdesign The Anthem Awards

14 UX design career secrets I wish I knew *earlier* 1. Brand yourself as a product designer. 2. Trace existing product first before designing anything on your own. 3. Don’t delete your old design, archive it. 4. Annotate your iteration before you close your laptop. 5. Most design challenges can be resolved through a creative break or a meeting. 6. Talk business. 7. Network early. 8. You don’t have to learn everything about design to start working. 9. Your dream job ≠ your dream life. 10. Celebrate the success of others. 11. Sometimes you don’t get what you want immediately because you're meant for better things. 12. Understand and use your strength. 13. If your body hurts, rest immediately. 14. When life keeps hitting you with failure, keep making stuff. Watch this to learn about what I mean : https://lnkd.in/gaYyECTa #ux #uiux #uxcareer

️⭐️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒? Today’s tutorial video takes you through my step-by-step process for designing and building a website using Figma and Wix Studio: https://lnkd.in/g4MP2U6w You will learn the following: 1. How to price your web design services 2. How to design a website that passes the 5-Second Test 3. How to create a website that works well and looks great 4. Responsive web design 5. Building and delivering your site on Wix Studio Get started with Wix Studio today: https://www.wix.com/studio Thanks to Wix Studio for making this tutorial possible. Hope you find it helpful! #webdesign #figmatowixstudio #wixstudio

13 UX design career secrets I wish I knew *earlier* 1. You can't become a UX designer in three months. 2. Don't try to do it all by yourself. Find accountability partners. 3. Make your design functional first, then make it pretty. 4. Focus on the happy path. 5. If you are unemployed, work as if you’re running an agency. 6. Get rid of the 'Open to Work' badge on LinkedIn. 7. Don’t compete on price. 8. Intern and junior positions are gone. Become a senior designer on your own. 9. Junior designers have the longest portfolios; senior designers pitch. 10. Real money is in B2B products. 11. Constraints make a project interesting. 12. Your design ≠ you. 13. A great landing page cannot sell a bad product. What do I mean? Watch my new video: https://lnkd.in/gZhHbuEt

TL;DR: The price of my Fast Track UX Course will increase from $149 to $300 USD on September 10, 2024. If you’re interested in advancing your UX design skills, now is a great time to enroll at the current rate: https://fasttrackux.com --- After dedicating over a year to developing Fast Track UX, I decided to adjust the price from $149 to $300 USD for several reasons: 1. Reflecting the Course's Value 👑 Many of our 700+ students have shared that this course has provided more value than some $4,000+ bootcamps. Several students have successfully moved into senior and lead design positions at Fortune 500 companies, earning between $100K to $300K USD. Based on the course’s results, it’s clear that the course is currently undervalued. 2. Capturing the Value of Mentorship & Feedback 💬 While mentorship and design feedback from me are not guaranteed with enrollment, I have been able to respond to all students' design work and questions so far. If you reach out through the course comments or direct messages, there's a high likelihood I’ll be able to provide feedback. 3. Encouraging Committed Learners 🚀 The course aims to help serious learners advance to mid-level design positions, bypassing entry-level roles that are becoming increasingly limited. I encourage signups from people who are committed to their long-term career development. --- I'd also like to clarify two points: 1. This course is not best suited for complete beginners. Although I initially designed it to be beginner-friendly, the most successful students have some background, such as experience with the Google UX Certificates. If you are a complete beginner, I suggest taking this free course of mine before enrolling in Fast Track UX. 2. This course is not best suited for aspiring web designers. While web design is a common type of UX client work, this course focuses on the most valuable UX roles in the market: designing for B2C and B2B tech products. You can still apply the knowledge to your web design projects, but designing websites won’t be the focus of the course. Thanks for reading. Cheers!

𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 🥹 I donated $11,500 to GiveInternet.org, a charity that helps high school students gain access to the internet and laptops 🫶🏼 This donation is a significant portion of my business income and marks Aliena Design LLC’s first charitable contribution 🎉 When I launched my company, I dreamt of giving back one day —but I never thought it would happen this soon. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. A voice inside often says, "Are you really ready? Don’t you have so many other places to use money? What if your company goes broke after this?"... I continuously battle with this voice. But I’m glad that the other voice won this time: 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 "𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲" 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. Whether it’s sharing a link, donating a small amount, or just speaking up for a cause —we can make a difference. 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞. Doing good is empowering and rewarding. Doing good is a requirement for long-term success, whether for a business or an individual. If you’d like to help 1.1 billion students gain access to the internet and laptops for their education, you can donate here: https://lnkd.in/gRvStvWC You can also watch my reaction here 😆: https://lnkd.in/gdAU8_kG Thank you! #GivingBack #Empowerment #WomenInBusiness #EducationForAll

My YouTube channel, Aliena Cai, just hit 100K subscribers today! I hosted a red-themed design party in downtown Toronto and met some amazing designers 🎈 𝗜’𝗺 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. In the digital world, you can see 100K everywhere. But 100K supportive lifelong learners just hits differently. You continuously inspires me to learn more, create more, and be myself. 𝗜’𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. When I made my first YouTube video three years ago, I was rejected by my dream jobs and dream schools. I almost lost hope about my career and seriously thought about being a full-time housewife (not by choice). I’m glad I started this channel and provided an opportunity for myself when others didn’t have one for me. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. As a designer who runs a one-person business, there are endless things to learn, try, and conquer. I will keep sharing my learning and journey with you, one step at a time 👣 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 ✨ —my inner child is very happy. --- (Due to a 20-guest limit in my building, I couldn't invite everyone. I hope to do something similar in Toronto this year again!) #productdesign #alienacai #100K