The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has forced around 400 crores of its inhabitants to confine themselves inside the four walls of their nests. Almost all the businesses, manufacturing activities have come to a standstill. Fortunately, there are some disciplines where it is possible to work from home. At present, we live in a fully flourished digital era. Computers and the internet have become one of the integral parts of our day-to-day activities. Hence, business activities could very well be accomplished by sitting from the comfort of our homes. In this respect, UX designers are in an advantageous position, like many other disciplines, such as the IT sector. You could perfectly carry out the work of web designing while relaxing on the couch of your home. Your output will not be any less inferior than what you could have done working from your office. However, as there is a huge perceptional change of environment between your office and your home, you must consider a few steps which will enable you to stay productive while working from the forced confinement of your home. Let us discuss these steps in detail.homes. In this respect, UX designers are in an advantageous position, like many other disciplines, such as the IT sector. You could perfectly carry out the work of web designing while relaxing on the couch of your home. Your output will not be any less inferior than what you could have done working from your office. However, as there is a huge perceptional change of environment between your office and your home, you must consider a few steps which will enable you to stay productive while working from the forced confinement of your home. Let us discuss these steps in detail.
Self Discipline
When you work from your office premises, generally, there are many people around you, engaged in different activities, including your manager. On the contrary, you become your boss while working from home. There is no hard and fast protocol around you, unlike when you work from your office. There is no one to see and monitor your degree of involvement with your work. In such a circumstance, it is very important to maintain self-discipline so that you remain focussed on your tasks without much distraction.
Planning
To be productive while working from home, you must create and follow a routine, including a list of tasks to do. You have to break up your available time in a day in such a way that your personal and professional commitments don’t confront each other. Once you are ready with a good plan with a clear demarcation between your personal and professional activities, you can proceed for the next stage.
Setting up your daily goal
With a proper plan in place, your next task is to create a simple and unambiguous goal for the impending day. The nature of this goal may vary according to the demands of the circumstances. Thus, you will have a clear, prioritized objective to reach from the proceedings of the day. In case of any sudden arrival of any urgent work, it will be your prerogative to accept or deny the same. It will be your call to respond to such random, urgent commitments suitably modifying the set goal of your day.
The process of planning and creating a daily goal will ensure more control over your work, and you would be in a position to monitor the degree of your progress at the end of the day. UX Designers can also take the help of various tools to manage their remote works effectively. Such exercises will increase the productivity quotient of your work.
Remain focussed
Though you won’t face the distractions you usually face when you work at your office, it will be difficult to fully concentrate on your work while working from home. There will be a constant ongoing tussle between you and your inner self regarding the issue. It is perfectly natural to get distracted at times. The key is to recover from these distractions as soon as possible and get back on track. You may take a few short breaks between your work to unwind yourself. To break the monotony, you can also utilize the break time to learn some new design skills. Don't make yourself feel bad about such distractions. We need periodical breaks to relieve ourselves from the monotony of work. In a way, these recesses help in increasing your productivity. You can concentrate on your work more vigorously after a short session of refreshing your mind. The only requirement is your ability to get back on track quickly, fully focusing on the work laid down for you.
Final thoughts
The productivity quotient of work from home depends upon many factors. The first and foremost is the nature of the business you are working on. In the case of UX design, a person can aim to achieve 100% productivity due to the unique, completely digital nature of the discipline. The rest is dependent upon the human factor. All human beings are not alike. The knowledge and skill set of UX designers vary from person to person. The willingness to learn, adaptability, receptive capacity, sincerity, dedication, etc. all influence the outcome. The UX designers are supposed to be a professional outfit, and this professionalism should reflect in their work ethics.
Don't panic! Create Awareness.
The coronavirus pandemic is going to be the biggest calamity the human race has ever experienced during the last two centuries. However, as a professional UX designer, we should not brood over the disastrous consequences of such a pandemic of gigantic proportions. We should not be over-anxious. We can use our design as a weapon to create awareness among the masses. Through our design, we can make people fully understand the magnitude of the catastrophe we have been thrown into. We can make people learn how to cope with the situation and how to tackle the enormous threat the pandemic poses for the human race. The challenging task should inspire us to perform our level best. As a result, UX designers across the world can stay even more productive while working from home in these difficult hours, engulfing mankind.
FOOTNOTE:
Sitting on your hands during this worldwide crisis might seem counterproductive.
Not anymore. People from all walks of life can contribute. Just sign up on helpwithcovid.com and provide your valuable services as volunteers. Let’s help with what we know best!
P.S. Anyone who’s looking for assistance with UX/UI for their nonprofit (COVID related) product, please reach out to us.
