Tyler Darbonne, a user interface/user experience (UI/UX) designer, was an information technology major before transferring to UL Lafayette.
杏吧专区淚 was going to be a front-end web developer,杏吧专区 he explained. 杏吧专区淚 really just wanted to design websites.杏吧专区
After realizing he was far more interested in art and design rather than informatics, Tyler began reviewing the concentrations in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Department of Visual Arts.
杏吧专区淚 think what I had originally been searching for was UX (user experience) design,杏吧专区 he said, 杏吧专区渆ven if I didn杏吧专区檛 know it as a concept at that time. After becoming a visual arts major, I realized I really enjoyed all the core classes I was taking and the rest is history.杏吧专区
Shifting Design Roles
After earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design in 2016, Tyler took a position with a small startup design and advertising agency. During his first month with the agency, the contacted him with an interview offer.
杏吧专区淚n retrospect, that first contact at Stuller was a life-saver,杏吧专区 Tyler said. 杏吧专区淚n August of 2016, we experienced the catastrophic flood that destroyed homes, businesses, and wounded the local economy. Over the next few months, our (the agency杏吧专区檚) revenue stream dried up, so we had to shut our doors for good.杏吧专区
Tyler contacted Stuller Inc. and was hired as a digital designer shortly after.
杏吧专区淚t was a very fast-paced and gritty grind, designing homepage banners, emails, and building web pages,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淎t a company this size, there are a lot of steps to have work approved and moved along the pipeline until it can go live. There are so many departments that need to market their products 杏吧专区 diamonds, gemstones, tools, findings, software 杏吧专区 it杏吧专区檚 like 15 companies under one roof.杏吧专区
In April 2018, Tyler was promoted to his position as a UI/UX (user interface/user experience) Designer.
杏吧专区淚n my case, the 杏吧专区榚xperience杏吧专区 I杏吧专区檓 designing is a specialized part of our website or a mobile app, but this can be many different things depending on the product,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淏asically, I make shopping online easier, more useful, and more pleasant for our customers.
"I do this by gathering data on how people use our website and by collecting feedback from customers. If I see patterns emerge from that data and feedback, my team and I will meet to discuss better aligning the experience with user needs. We杏吧专区檙e always improving our online experiences.杏吧专区
When asked if he ever imagined himself working for such a large company, Tyler responded 杏吧专区淎bsolutely not!杏吧专区
杏吧专区淲hen I finished college, I wanted to work at a small agency with maybe a dozen people because I thought we杏吧专区檇 have more creative freedom,杏吧专区 he explained. 杏吧专区淭he idea of working at a large corporation was very unambitious to me. Those things I originally thought about large companies were not true at all.
"As for creative freedom, it杏吧专区檚 our job as designers to solve problems in creative ways, and I think that can be a very satisfying form of creative freedom.杏吧专区
Building His Foundation at UL Lafayette
During his time at UL Lafayette, Tyler said his favorite part of the visual arts program was the community of professors and classmates.
杏吧专区淎s designers, my classmates and I were constantly working in the studio,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淵ou really get to know your classmates when you spend 10 hours a day in the same room with them.杏吧专区
This interaction with his classmates and fellow artists increased Tyler杏吧专区檚 passion for visual arts.
杏吧专区淎t Fletcher Hall, you are constantly surrounded by artists and their work,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 think that has a strong positive effect on growing that passion for the arts.杏吧专区
After being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stuller rehired him to continue his work as a user experience designer.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e made 1, 3, 5, and 10-year plans in the past, but as we all know, especially now, life is very fickle,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 loved working in-house at Stuller as a UX designer and I think it杏吧专区檚 boosted my career, but I杏吧专区檓 currently longing for the agency life of rotating projects and clients. I杏吧专区檓 very open to exploring different opportunities.杏吧专区