MY BACKGROUND
I spent a decade doing work in the commercial print industry.
I began in a sales support role, but I was always so excited when I got a chance to go into the production department because it's so cool seeing all the equipment in full operation; Bindery with the booklet maker running, the guillotine cutter constantly cutting down paper, presses at full speed... It was like an episode of How It's Made in real life. I just had to wait for an opening and I knew I could get into that department.
Patience paid off and I jumped at the opportunity to transition as a general production hand, which meant I had the chance to learn all the machines and how they worked. It might sound boring to some, but I like seeing how things work and I loved it.
Shortly after that an opening as a press operator became available and, again, I was able to move into a new role.
The crazy thing was, I didn't know a thing about a digital printing press, and they're pretty complex. I just knew they were fascinating, and that I could learn.
This time patience and persistence were key attributes needed to get me over that steep learning hump not only to become a press operator, but because I watched the field technicians when they were dispatched to our site for repairs I became proficient enough to perform these duties, increasing my production time drastically and reducing maintenance calls. I would go on to achieve two certifications in press maintenance and repair during my time as an operator.
I believe that exposure to both departments, sales and production, helped me to gain a larger scope and understanding of the print process, from client needs to product development and delivery. I was naturally trying to be UX focused without knowing it, and that was super helpful when I became the Lead of the Electronic Print Department and was tossed in amongst the other Leads and Production Manager.
I loved being the Department Lead and enjoyed collaborating with other Department Leads on projects and distributions. This sort of teamwork and collaboration, being part of a fast production environment, was very rewarding and it felt good to complete these massive distributions and be amazed that so many moving parts could come together and get accomplished.
Still, I always wanted to have a more creative role and I eventually made the decision to leave my career so I could begin pursuing a path towards design and development. UX is exciting and I find things like interaction design, intuitive UI, and responsive design fun to learn and think about when designing.
Heavy maintenance on an HP Indigo 7800 Digital Printing Press
