92. The Generalist’s Advantage with Scott Christensen

Could the pressure to specialize early in your UX career be limiting your potential?

How might embracing a generalist approach first lead to greater success and versatility in the long run?

In this enlightening episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Scott Christensen, lead growth designer at Mercury and co-founder of the growthdesigners.co community. Scott’s unique journey from a business degree to self-taught designer to growth design specialist offers a fresh perspective on UX career development.

Scott challenges the popular notion of niching down early in your career, introducing the concept of a “double diamond” for your career instead – going broad before going deep. This approach provides a more solid foundation and opens up more opportunities in the long run.

Whether you’re new to UX or thinking about changing your career, this episode has great advice. Scott’s practical ideas and focus on always learning can help you plan your career in UX design. Listen to learn how to create not just great user experiences but also a rewarding and flexible career in UX.

Topics:
• 13:38 – Scott’s story
• 16:31 – Why is niching down early bad?
• 19:43 – A framework for competence
• 21:53 – Unconscious incompetence
• 22:59 – UX Education vs Law or Medicine
• 25:50 – There are no gatekeepers – Gatekeep yourself
• 30:51 – Specialization IS critical to advance in your career later
• 32:11 – Advice to get the general skill set
• 39:21 – Do what feels right for you
• 41:48 – Take what you have in front of you and learn what you can
• 42:38 – What types of skills should a “well-rounded” UX designer have?
• 46:30 – How to know what to niche down on
• 47:34 – Three Heuristics to know if you’re a good growth designer

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
• GrowthDesigners.co/school
• GrowthDesigners.co

Scott Christensen
Lead Growth Designer & Co-Founder of GrowthDesigners.co

About Scott

Scott is the Lead Growth Designer at Mercury, the fintech startup bank. He co-founded the GrowthDesigners.co community in 2018, and has helped grow the community to nearly 3000 growth design practitioners, making it one of (if not the) largest community of practice in this niche design field. In his free time, he enjoys doing the “Dad life” with his toddler son and newborn daughter,  donning spandex for endurance sports 🏃 🚴,  exploring mountains 🏔️, and volunteering at a local youth group in his neighborhood in downtown Salt Lake City.

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

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