Visitor submit written by Monteé Ellis, Junior Designer with the Zooniverse workforce on the Adler Planetarium in Chicago from Could – July 2024. Earlier than becoming a member of the Zooniverse workforce, Monteé launched into an unbelievable journey as an intern with i.c.stars. This rigorous 4-month program wasn’t nearly studying IT and software program engineering abilities; it was a complete expertise designed to open doorways to financial mobility. Monteé gained invaluable job expertise and honed his management talents, setting the stage for his future success. After his position inside the Zooniverse, Monteé will be part of the United Airways Apprenticeship Program.
Beginning one thing new is all the time thrilling. The identical was true once I bought the chance to work for the Zooniverse at Adler Planetarium as a Junior Designer. I had some background in graphic design, having beforehand owned a clothes model, however UI/UX design was a wholly completely different ballgame. I discovered myself utilizing the identical artistic muscle groups however with a recent give attention to placing myself within the consumer’s sneakers. This expertise has actually broadened my perspective and deepened my ardour for creating significant, user-centered designs.
Rising up, I used to be fascinated by house. My frequent visits to the Adler Planetarium as a child fueled this ardour. So, when the chance arose to contribute to one thing as important as Zooniverse whereas working at one in every of my favourite childhood museums, it actually felt like a dream come true. I’m without end grateful for this unbelievable expertise and the possibility to provide again to a spot that impressed my love for the cosmos.
The Zooniverse workforce created an unbelievable setting the place I may study, develop, and actually be myself. Engaged on this venture has not solely enhanced my portfolio but additionally offered me with invaluable information and expertise. This chance has set me up for future success and opened doorways that I by no means thought attainable.
That is the second time the Zooniverse workforce has accepted interns from the i.c.stars group, and this yr, they welcomed two of us as a substitute of only one. This determination considerably impacted the success of our venture. Having my teammate and pal, Yumi Sato, by my aspect allowed us to bounce concepts off one another, enhancing our total creativity. Our shared expertise and numerous hours spent collectively at i.c.stars made the transition to the Zooniverse workforce seamless. Our robust repertoire and collaborative spirit had been instrumental within the easy execution of this venture.
The transition from i.c.stars to the Zooniverse workforce was completely different however extremely refreshing. Shifting from the front-end and back-end coding of our Pfizer venture to specializing in UI/UX design for Adler was precisely what I wanted for my profession. This alteration offered a brand new perspective and helped me develop in methods I hadn’t anticipated.
As I launched into this UI/UX design journey with Zooniverse, my thought course of was deeply rooted in empathy and consumer expertise. My objective was to create intuitive and fascinating interfaces that not solely meet the customers’ wants but additionally improve their interplay with the platform. I immersed myself in consumer analysis, gathering insights and suggestions to know the challenges and preferences of our viewers. This knowledgeable my design choices and allowed me to craft options which might be each useful and aesthetically pleasing. Collaborating with Yumi, I realized the significance of iterative design and the worth of constructive suggestions, which had been essential in refining our venture and delivering a cultured ultimate product.
I need to prolong my heartfelt due to Laura Trouille, Zooniverse Co-PI and Adler VP of Science Engagement, and Sean Miller, Senior Zooniverse Designer, for his or her unbelievable assist all through my time on the workforce. Laura created a unbelievable setting and assembled an excellent workforce that made day-after-day a pleasure. Sean, along with his distinctive mentorship, took us step-by-step by the intricacies of UI/UX design, guiding us by every side of the venture and serving to our concepts come to life. Their mixed efforts made this expertise actually unforgettable.