A recipient of the 2023 U40 Alumni Leader Award, Patrick Puckett has been a longstanding advocate for the University of Minnesota, the College of Design, and the important connections design students make that lead to future career success. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Puckett carved out a path in user experience (UX) design. In this interview, Puckett talks about his current work as an experience designer, the skills it takes to be successful in the field, and shares advice for current design students.
Tell us a little bit about what you do as a UX designer.
As a UX or experience designer, I work on design projects in a variety of ways. In my most recent positions, my work has included building wireframes (low-fidelity schematics of how the design needs to be structured), adding visual design (what the design should look like), and conducting research at various stages. In my current role as Assistant Vice President and Senior Experience Architect at U.S. Bank, I have the opportunity to lead a team of folks who design solutions for different areas of one interface. I spend time talking about ideas and helping to solve wider-reaching problems before they impact the day-to-day activities of our teams.
What was your journey to becoming an experience designer at U.S. Bank?
I needed my network when I was searching for a role and landed at U.S. Bank. I had been working at Discover Financial Services (DFS) as a principal user experience designer in Chicago and was moving back to the Twin Cities to be with my husband. Unfortunately, I was unable to secure support from DFS to work remotely. I applied for roles and worked with talent agencies, but it was hard to line up interviews when I was home in the Twin Cities. I eventually left DFS without a new job secured. Oddly, though, a recruiter I'd met through my husband put me in front of the right person at U.S. Bank the day I put in my resignation, and I started within three weeks of moving home.
What skills does an individual need to be successful as a user experience designer?
I always start with empathy. No matter what kind of experience you're designing, a fellow human being will experience something. As a designer you need to ask yourself, 'Is this the experience that I wanted someone to have? Is this experience what I intended?'. Being vulnerable to and interested in the honest answers to these and questions like them is key to the success of the things we create.
I usually follow empathy with critical thinking and problem-solving. Designers need to be given enough time to discover the right answers to the right questions, not only to create the right solution but to convey to stakeholders why the solution is the best one.
What have been your favorite projects in your career?
My favorite projects have been the ones where I’ve felt that I’ve achieved something significant for people. I once conducted a design thinking exercise that generated a lot of new ideas for how we might assist customers experiencing financial hardship navigate that situation and the various help options available. I also convinced a government agency to abandon old, outdated, gendered legal terminology in favor of modern vocabulary that better matched the spectrum of gender expression.
How did your experiences in the graphic design program impact your career path?
What comes to mind immediately is how I was taught to think. I believe the program taught me how to leverage my curiosity and critical thinking skills to solve complex problems.
What advice do you have for design students?
Two things: study abroad and it's never too soon to start networking. I really thought I'd get my first job by just applying. The truth is the job market is extremely competitive, and having a contact at a place you're interested in working at can be the difference between getting the job and being one of the other 250 applicants who didn't even get a phone call.
For the second year in a row, an alumnus from the College of Design will receive the University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s U40 Award.
The University of Minnesota’s Alumni Association Awards are presented each fall to recognize outstanding alumni and alumni networks across the University of Minnesota.
The College of Design is thrilled to have three award recipients featured in the 2021 Alumni Award Affair presented by the University and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA). All three recipients will be recognized during the UMAA Alumni Awards Affair on Thursday, September 23.
