Tyler Darbonne, a user interface/user experience (UI/UX) designer, was an information technology major before transferring to UL Lafayette.
小蝌蚪APP淚 was going to be a front-end web developer,小蝌蚪APP he explained. 小蝌蚪APP淚 really just wanted to design websites.小蝌蚪APP
After realizing he was far more interested in art and design rather than informatics, Tyler began reviewing the concentrations in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Department of Visual Arts.
小蝌蚪APP淚 think what I had originally been searching for was UX (user experience) design,小蝌蚪APP he said, 小蝌蚪APP渆ven if I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 know it as a concept at that time. After becoming a visual arts major, I realized I really enjoyed all the core classes I was taking and the rest is history.小蝌蚪APP
Shifting Design Roles
After earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design in 2016, Tyler took a position with a small startup design and advertising agency. During his first month with the agency, the contacted him with an interview offer.
小蝌蚪APP淚n retrospect, that first contact at Stuller was a life-saver,小蝌蚪APP Tyler said. 小蝌蚪APP淚n August of 2016, we experienced the catastrophic flood that destroyed homes, businesses, and wounded the local economy. Over the next few months, our (the agency小蝌蚪APP檚) revenue stream dried up, so we had to shut our doors for good.小蝌蚪APP
Tyler contacted Stuller Inc. and was hired as a digital designer shortly after.
小蝌蚪APP淚t was a very fast-paced and gritty grind, designing homepage banners, emails, and building web pages,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淎t a company this size, there are a lot of steps to have work approved and moved along the pipeline until it can go live. There are so many departments that need to market their products 小蝌蚪APP diamonds, gemstones, tools, findings, software 小蝌蚪APP it小蝌蚪APP檚 like 15 companies under one roof.小蝌蚪APP
In April 2018, Tyler was promoted to his position as a UI/UX (user interface/user experience) Designer.
小蝌蚪APP淚n my case, the 小蝌蚪APP榚xperience小蝌蚪APP I小蝌蚪APP檓 designing is a specialized part of our website or a mobile app, but this can be many different things depending on the product,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淏asically, I make shopping online easier, more useful, and more pleasant for our customers.
"I do this by gathering data on how people use our website and by collecting feedback from customers. If I see patterns emerge from that data and feedback, my team and I will meet to discuss better aligning the experience with user needs. We小蝌蚪APP檙e always improving our online experiences.小蝌蚪APP
When asked if he ever imagined himself working for such a large company, Tyler responded 小蝌蚪APP淎bsolutely not!小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淲hen I finished college, I wanted to work at a small agency with maybe a dozen people because I thought we小蝌蚪APP檇 have more creative freedom,小蝌蚪APP he explained. 小蝌蚪APP淭he idea of working at a large corporation was very unambitious to me. Those things I originally thought about large companies were not true at all.
"As for creative freedom, it小蝌蚪APP檚 our job as designers to solve problems in creative ways, and I think that can be a very satisfying form of creative freedom.小蝌蚪APP
Building His Foundation at UL Lafayette
During his time at UL Lafayette, Tyler said his favorite part of the visual arts program was the community of professors and classmates.
小蝌蚪APP淎s designers, my classmates and I were constantly working in the studio,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淵ou really get to know your classmates when you spend 10 hours a day in the same room with them.小蝌蚪APP
This interaction with his classmates and fellow artists increased Tyler小蝌蚪APP檚 passion for visual arts.
小蝌蚪APP淎t Fletcher Hall, you are constantly surrounded by artists and their work,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淚 think that has a strong positive effect on growing that passion for the arts.小蝌蚪APP
After being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stuller rehired him to continue his work as a user experience designer.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e made 1, 3, 5, and 10-year plans in the past, but as we all know, especially now, life is very fickle,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淚 loved working in-house at Stuller as a UX designer and I think it小蝌蚪APP檚 boosted my career, but I小蝌蚪APP檓 currently longing for the agency life of rotating projects and clients. I小蝌蚪APP檓 very open to exploring different opportunities.小蝌蚪APP