UX Karate: Practicing UX Dojo-style

I’m a student of karate as well as UX. I mention karate in my LinkedIn profile and other bios to provide a sense of who I am outside of work. Last month, while I graded for a new belt in karate, I also prepped for a UX presentation. In my mind, these things became a mash-up, and it surprised me how well they complement each other.

What I like about UX

In my presentation, I say I love UX because it lets me learn and grow all the time, and it keeps me:

• Lively
• Nimble
• A little fearless

But this is also what I like about karate. So, what else can we learn from karate?

Getting the basics down

Learning karate starts with the basics. We repeat key techniques like punches, kicks, and blocks until they become muscle memory, and we never stop refining them.

The same is true of UX activities. The standard activities, like usability studies, card sorts, and surveys, are some of the core tools of the discipline. We can always learn new techniques, but it often comes down to the basics.

But study only gets you so far

In the dojo, we also bring our understanding of the basics into sparring. Sparring helps us learn how to combine techniques when we’re in less predictable circumstances. It helps us learn to be open and flexible depending on the situation, the opportunities, and the needs.

With UX, we can practice the basics on their own, but the real learning comes from employing the core methods in a real-world context. If we can learn with actual scenarios, in an academic or work environment, then we can respond to opportunities and problems with the right methods.

Mentoring is an important part of the discipline

Mentoring is built into the dojo. Senior belts mentor junior belts, but everyone learns from each other. Sometimes when we examine a technique to help someone through it, we learn something new ourselves. It’s also important to remember what it’s like to be a lower belt when all of the techniques are unfamiliar and we haven’t internalized them yet.

There are many different ways to become a UX practitioner, but having a mentor is an effective way to learn and grow. And being a mentor can help you see things from a fresh perspective. With karate or UX, it’s important to give back. Don’t just have a mentor, be a mentor. Both sides always benefit.

As is a culture of respect

I belong to a dojo that considers its culture carefully. There’s always a sense of goodwill and decency, even when we’re sparring. The dojo does a good job of filtering out the students who are there to fight rather than to learn and grow.

Not surprisingly, good UX work environments also have a culture of respect and goodwill. We thrive when we work collaboratively and help each other do the best work possible. That leads to good outcomes for our clients, our companies, and us.

But we’re all measuring against ourselves 

It’s easy to compare ourselves to others in the dojo, but the important thing is to create goals that are meaningful to us and to measure against our own progress to keep improving.

So keep working on your dojo cred

Even when you’re a UX black belt, don’t coast. And always keep learning.

Image: Dmitry Valberg via Compfight cc