John had years of work as a Civil Servant under his belt, but as the internet became more and more prominent in his role, he felt he didn’t know how to contribute. So John learned UX design, becoming a champion of usability. Here’s how he made it happen.
Meet John: A civil servant with a passion for better public services
Not everyone is looking to change careers, however they need to enhance their skills so they can be more confident in their roles. This was the case with John McFarlane, a Civil Servant working with South Africa’s equivalent of the Department for Home Affairs. He needed to learn new skills, especially digital and usability skills, to bring more value to his current career.
Why UX design? Bringing a more human-centric mindset to the job
John was especially motivated to learn UX design by the fact that his job included building SharePoint and web pages that need to be effective and useful.
In government and enterprise settings, SharePoint is often used as a data repository, but without thoughtful design, these pages can become overwhelming and difficult to navigate.
He needed to be able to advise senior managers and subject matter experts on how to make these pages as useful as they could be, and he required UX knowledge to do it. This included learning to apply skills such as empathy, problem-solving, and human-centered thinking to these digital tools. This shows that while learning UX can be a vehicle for career change, it can also teach skills that can apply to any number of career paths beyond tech.
The value of structured UX training with real expert support
John found what he needed with the UX Design Institute’s Professional Diploma in UX Design, including structured UX learning and hands-on projects.
I found the UX Design Diploma Course incredibly useful and enjoyable from start to finish. As someone completely new to the field, I appreciated how clearly each concept was explained and how the course was structured in a logical, step-by-step way. It really helped build my confidence and gave me a solid foundation in UX principles and practices.
Among the many things he found valuable in the course were:
- Structured learning that teaches a deep, thorough understanding of the entire UX process. John says, “The most valuable aspect of my learning experience at the UX Design Institute was gaining a deep, structured understanding of the entire UX design process, from research and analysis to prototyping and testing.”
- Balance between tools, techniques, and mindset. John elaborates, “I especially appreciated how each module built on the last, reinforcing the importance of empathy, heuristics, and usability in every design decision.”
- Hands-on projects, collaborative learning, and expert feedback. He reflects, “The hands-on projects were a highlight…. Collaborating with peers and receiving feedback… sharpened my ability to communicate design rationale clearly, using my notes to justify assumptions and decisions.”
- Support from the Success Team, which is a team of course tutors who are on hand to help students with anything they need throughout their time in the course. From encouragement on project work, submission deadlines, day-to-day questions and anything else they could need help with, the Success Team is there to help learners not only survive but thrive.
The support from the Success Team genuinely exceeded my expectations. They were always available on Slack, answered all my questions in detail, and even offered Google Meet sessions when I needed extra help. That level of support made a huge difference…”
From theory to reality: Applying UX design principles for more accessible public services
The impact the Professional Diploma in UX Design had on John was invaluable. He uses his UX design skills in his career regularly to create better digital products, interact with senior managers, and advise subject matter experts on user-centred design.
Thanks to the structured training I received, I can now advocate for clarity, usability, and accessibility in Sharepoint and web pages. I’m able to translate complex content into intuitive layouts, apply UX principles to improve information architecture, and ensure that every page serves its intended audience.
John’s story shows that a UX design mindset can benefit anyone, regardless of their profession. Grounded in empathy, user-centricity, and accessibility, UX design helps you create work that’s both meaningful and impactful. Plus, in an increasingly digital world, learning human-centred design skills can keep you relevant and up-to date. UX isn’t just for designers, it’s for everyone.
Whether I’m consulting on wireframes, conducting usability reviews, or helping teams rethink their approach to content delivery, I bring a strategic mindset grounded in best practices. Ultimately, the course empowered me to approach UX challenges with both creativity and rigor. It gave me the language, mindset, and frameworks to advocate for users in any design context.
How could UX design skills enhance your career?
Like John, you can enhance your career with UX design skills too. If you’re looking to interface with colleagues on digital offerings, ensure digital tools serve their intended audience to the best of their ability, and apply UX principles to the tools and services you champion, follow John’s lead and take UX Design Institute’s Professional Diploma in UX Design.
With the diploma you can learn everything you need in a flexible curriculum that includes a structured understanding of the UX design process and offers hands-on, portfolio-ready projects. Plus, you won’t learn just tools, you’ll learn to have a UX mindset that will help you in any career.
Visit the official course page to learn more about this diploma, or chat with an education advisor about this course.
If you want to learn more about how other people have used this course, either to open the door to a new career or to upskill to enhance their current career, check out these stories:
- A new career in fashion tech: Krystyna’s fashion journey
- From teaching to UX/UI design: Paula’s career change with the UX Design Institute
- Keelan’s success story: Upskilling with the UX Design Institute to become a product lead
