Announcements

(<—continued)

At the peak of the pandemic, photoshoots and video shoots were paused or extremely restricted. This new reality hit during my first year as a full-time freelancer. My business went through the stress test of being recession-proof. I pushed myself to create at a time when “content creation” was on the rise and I could see the world was turning to remote and digital platforms and technology as a necessity to stay connected and up to date.

I have always been intrigued by using creativity and digital media to evoke change and communicate messages visually. I was thrilled to learn that user experience is a field where communication and creativity blend to create influential messaging. I enrolled in the User Experience (UX) Design and Development Skills Certificate to learn to create digital platforms and tools that help people when gathering in person was not an option. The School of Continuing Studies offered virtual asynchronous learning that I could take at my own pace, this worked perfectly with my schedule. I was also pleased to earn micro-credentials for specific courses offering a wide range of knowledge such as the Empathy + Social Insight for Human-Centred Design and the Ideation + Prototyping for Human-Centred Design micro-credentials.

_{When Women Gather. Digital Photograph, 2024  ©Jillian Fernandes  Client: HERSpace Women’s Community}

What were your favourite courses and why?

My favourite courses were Empathy + Social Insight for Human-Centred Design and Intermediate User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design.

I enjoyed Empathy + Social Insight because it taught me the importance of understanding the people you are designing for. Through observation, empathy and social research, I learned to prioritize the diversity of users by creating user identities. I did qualitative and quantitative research about the pain points and produced user journey maps unique to each person in physical and digital space. I took particular interest in the experience of the aging population and those with restricted access to technology due to social or economic factors. Although our society focuses on the convenience and accessibility of web-based solutions, this does not translate seamlessly to everyone.

These subjects are also explored in the course Designing Inclusive and Accessible Content, which introduced me to the AODA Act. I learned about the guidelines for websites and digital platforms to make information accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. I appreciate the perspectives and have transferred these practices to my projects.

Finally, the Intermediate IU/UX course taught me valuable technical skills such as prototyping and creating aesthetically pleasing designs on platforms such as Adobe XD and Miro.

_{Ancestral Gifts, Digital Photograph, 2019  ©Jillian Fernandes  For: BrownTown Girls Collective}

(continues—>)