UX Design
In this story you will get to know about the struggles of getting a job, the perks that the government provides, the benefits of being in Europe, the salaries, the taxes, the healthcare-costs, the work-life balance, retirement benefits and more…
Disclaimer: Every piece of information that I am sharing in this story, comes from my own personal experience and knowledge of being here since around one year.
I am working in Netherlands as a UX designer for over 7 months now, and there are some really big differences when I compare the work culture here with India (where I have worked previously).
Netherlands is a small, calm and peaceful country. It supports gender equality, it is a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community, and many people here identify themselves as atheists. …
Non-Fiction
Words. I feel they’re like music. Something that works like lyrics in your head. There’s always a little voice, that reads everything in your mind. And sentences act as notes. Sentences with same number of words, are read in same tone.
Like this sentence. Having three words. Exactly three words. And you will. Read it in. The same voice. Longer sentences are read with more patience, expectations, with a hope to find something at the end. Like a sunny day in peak winters, that you look forward to. Hoping to end the dread of the cold and loneliness.
While short…
Mental Health
A lot of new-age entrepreneurs and influencers might ask you to work your ass off to reach somewhere, they will tell you how much Elon Musk’s one minute is worth, or how much Jeff Bezos makes in a minute. You will compare it with your monthly salary, and that’s where it all begins.
If you are following any popular social media accounts, expecting to find some tips to make your life better, the one most common advise that you would’ve found in them, would be — unlimited hustle, grind, work and struggle. Be rich and all your problems will go away. Keep struggling. Keep hustling. Work 24/7. Work even on a Sunday. They will tell you to never stop.
Don’t take breaks, they’re not good for your productivity. Don’t sleep more than 7 hours, it will make you lethargic. Don’t even think about a vacation. …
Technology
When we talk about streaming platforms like Amazon Prime or Netflix, we talk about changing ways in which people have been consuming content. Has it all come to a saturation point, or is it just the start?
If you think about one of the best products that you use, everyday without fail, you will definitely have a handful of social media websites on your tips, and you will name some movie streaming services too, that you enjoy. Netflix might be one of the services that you would think about, when I say movies, or streaming shows online.
Netflix has completely changed the scenario of watching shows and movies, and believe me the saturation point is far away, even now. There is simply so much to be done in the field of online streaming. …
History
It is claimed that the way normal human birth happens right now, is strangely enough — not natural. Some historians claim that the birthing position that many new mothers are pushed into, is an act that developed out of a King’s fetish of seeing women, gives birth. But let’s find out how true this claim is?
It was an era where midwives were not popular or commonly hired, gynecology wasn’t as advanced, and a lot was still a mystery about women’s bodies. Childbirth was only considered to be a private, essential and painful experience that the women had to go through, without any aid. C-sections weren’t common, the death of mothers during childbirth was a norm, and a lot of other sicknesses were popular in the market, potent enough to simply kill you.
It was 17th century Europe, particularly France, where King Louis IV was ruling at the time. Also known by the name Louis The…
Design
The month of June marked three years of completion of my career, as a designer. And in this story, there are the most critical and important learnings of the last three years, summed up for everyone else in the field.
As a designer you will go through various challenges throughout your career, and mind you, more as a senior than a junior. As a junior you still have the freedom and liberty to do some mistakes, and have a senior cover them up for you, but when you climb up the ladder and become a senior yourself, that liberty goes away.
Now you are not only completely accountable for your decisions, but small mistakes from your end, are no longer ignored. If you’re working with some junior designers, maybe you also have to take up responsibility for their screw-ups. …
Love
A poem
When the dawn breaks, and the daylight hits the ground,
When the birds chirp and there is only a little sound,
I sit by the window, restless from the night,
Never slept, never ate, never did I lie down
How did we come so far? I wonder,
I asked myself staring into nothingness,
Was there an alternative path we could take?
Or was there another situation to witness?
I look at my hands, now wrinkled with wisdom,
I look into the window glass, staring at myself
I look into my eyes to see the past unfolding,
My thoughts, interrupted by a thud on…
Design
This story is about designers who joined a small start-up as the first designer, or who joined a company with low UX maturity. Let’s look at what they have to say about their experience.
From this story you will get to know about the following: While working in a company with low UX maturity, what did these designers do, how did they survive, and how did they educate their companies about design and research? What were the major challenges they faced? And finally…
What can you expect if you’re also going to join a company with low UX maturity in future?
Before I start, I want to talk briefly about UX maturity (in case the reader isn’t aware of the term).
If you know what UX maturity is, you can jump to the next section.
UX maturity is a term used to define the understanding, acceptance and the level of integration of design in a company.
When a company regards design with great importance and believes that it has the potential to make…
Culture and History
Pompeii was one of the richest, flourishing and modern cities of the Roman empire that got razed down by a volcano almost two millenia ago. But how was the culture, food and business like in Pompeii? What did they do that we do differently today? Let’s do an analysis on it.
History Of Pompeii
Pompeii is regarded as one of the most famous cities of history, especially when it comes to understanding European (primarily Roman or Italian) culture. Pompeii is that city, that got burnt and buried by a raging volcano called Mount Vesuvius, back in 79 AD.
The remains of the city still exist in Bay of Naples in modern day Italy. Where now, more than 3 million people are living in just around 10 km radius of Mount Vesuvius, which is still regarded as an active volcano.
But before we jump to the culture of Pompeii, let us look at some more…
Culture
Almost all Christmas celebrations include a Christmas tree, Santa Claus and some commonalities, but what do the Dutch do differently? Let’s look at that in this story...
Christmas is one of the few festivals during which you see joy and happiness across the entire world. This joy is also, equally felt and seen in the Netherlands. One thing that you will find in Europe is really short days and long nights during the winter.
And that is one of the distinctive things that makes Christmas here, even more special. The sunsets as early as 04:30 pm in peak winter sometimes, and you can see the streets and homes light up in golden festival lights.
While putting up lights might be one common thing with the rest of…
Mehek Kapoor
Product designer by profession 👩🎨, writer by heart. I write on various topics 💭 follow me for my opinion on life and other things.
