Pep Talk to Self

I'm at the halfway point toward earning the Google UX Design Professional Certificate. In addition to completing the required coursework (videos, readings, quizzes, tests) I've crafted user personas and user journeys, conducted research, created this website, drawn paper wireframes, and created digital wireframes and a prototype in Figma. I'm learning a lot and enjoying every aspect of the courses. Well... nearly every aspect... I had a setback with the paper wireframes.

I know this is the first time I've designed an app and of course I'm not going to get everything right. But darn it, I managed to miss the point of the paper wireframes--to create a user flow for a particular task. The prompt I'd selected for the class read, "Teach users how to save and budget their funds." Instead of thoughtfully mapping out that particular journey, I created the structure for a whole new budgeting app. When I realized my mistake, I spent a few anxious hours recrafting the paper wireframes to better resemble the prompt. Then I put the wireframes into Figma and continued to mess with the flow (see the screenshot below with my frames and their squiggly connections).

Now we're learning how to build a research plan in preparation for conducting a usability study. I'm feeling like my Figma prototype is not worthy of a usability study. Hence, the Pep Talk to Self: Don't despair! This is all new, I'm really enjoying the material, the point is to learn, and there will be many more opportunities to improve my skills. And most importantly, the process is all about iteration. You don't get it right the first time. You make a first pass, do some more research, take it for a test drive. Learn more about your users and their needs and pain points. Iterate on your design. Repeat as necessary. We'll get there. :o)

Figma Ca$hFlow app prototype, version 2 of n