EP 37 | How to start a career as a Product Designer with Bekah Marcum

Are you curious about becoming a designer but don’t know where to start? Don't worry we got you covered in the episode! Today on the show, Grace chats with talented and multidisciplinary designer Bekah Marcum about her unique journey into her product design career, three things she wished she knew before joining tech, and the skills needed to thrive as a product designer Currently a Product Designer at Instagram, Bekah combats the spread of misinformation on the Instagram App, leading the design for the Accurate Information pillar as a part of the Well-being team. Her background spans both UX and Visual Design – after starting her career at REI as a 3D and Product Designer, she spent four years at Amazon as a Designer then Art Director crafting custom ad experiences for brands on Amazon including Fire TV and Fire Tablet playable mini-games, Amazon custom boxes, and custom online stores. After moving over to Zillow, Bekah helped to lead the design for Zillows' newest product offerings – Zillow Offers and Zillow Rewards.   Key takeaways: Should designers learn how to code Top 3 core skills needed to thrive as a UI/UX designer The difference between a Visual Designer vs an Art Director vs a Product designer How to decipher design role titles while job hunting Networking vs Building Community   Follow Tech Unlocked for updates and career tips: Substack Twitter Instagram   Connect with Bekah: Linkedin  Instagram @DesigningWhileBlack    Connect with Grace: Twitter LinkedIn   Enjoyed listening to this episode? Please leave a review on iTunes and Spotify. Questions about sponsorship? Email us [email protected]