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Reflection on class- This class was about the tenders brief, which I think is a really good thing to be taught. As designers, we need to know how to protect ourselves, this is important to have an understanding of typically in a large company this will not be a necessary thing to do ourselves but if doing freelance it is really important to be confident in it. The brief itself self I like the idea of as we don't have to be limited in thinking about how the interface will be created or work, and we don't have to think practically as well.

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Freelancing

After the class about tenders, I realised I still don't really understand what freelancing is and what it involves. It has always been an area that seems really far away and I would have to work as a designer for years before feeling confident to do it. I started looking at how to become a UX freelance designer articles to get a better understanding of it. This article I found is about how to become a freelance UX designer and is by Stef Ivanov who has been in the industry for 15 years, he started freelance in 2015.

  1. Make sure you gain experience before going into it - As you don't have as much to sell yourself with, you won't have as many connections in the industry, and you will be very limited with the budget.
  2. You will not start properly earning money until you are a couple of years in - You have no past projects to advertise you and you will most likely have to do projects that you aren't inspired by.
  3. Make sure you have a really strong portfolio it will make the difference - Having old projects or not as polished will make people not want to work with you, you need to always be updating your portfolio.
  4. Making a great website will make you stand out - Spending time on something that represents you will make a difference, it will increase the foot traffic meaning more clients.
  5. Invest in your website SEO - as you want your website to be found easily as that is how clients find you.
  6. Social media - investing time in social media platforms for designers will get you seen and found.
  7. Don't undervalue yourself - You can always lower your price but you can not raise it as easily, making sure it is you understand how much you are worth will help you.
  8. Create a Tender - We learned about this class and I will fully learn about it in the tender project.
  9. Avoid quick projects - they are time-consuming projects to arrange for very little in return.
  10. Ask for recommendations - You will still always need feedback and recommendations and showing how you applied them will also make you stand out.
  11. Ask for referrals - word of mouth will be very important and if the client is happy with the results they will most likely be willing to give one.

https://stefivanov.com/how-to-become-a-freelance-ux-designer/

Benefits of Freelancing

I came across this article by Sevindy, that covers the benefits, challenges, and advice to be a successful UX freelancer. Becoming a freelancer allows you the freedom and flexibility over your own working life, you are in control of the projects you take on, you can work on it any time, and don't have to answer to anyone bar the client. Flexibility as you get to choose when to work and other opportunities include opening up different opportunities as you have a chance to work on lots of different projects that can really help you build up your portfolio and experience the benefit of becoming a freelancer.

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This type of setup can really work for some but it does come with risks. Lack of job security as you would not be getting a steady paycheque as projects will come and go over time, you are responsible for handling everything with the client which typically as a designer you would not be required to do, and it can be very isolating as designers tend to thrive on collaborative environments and when you are a freelancer you have to network in a different way. It can also cause a lot of stress and pressure as you would be finding your own clients having an irregular paycheque and balancing all the elements that are needed to be a good successful freelancer.