Product design is an ever-evolving field, so it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and tools. This is a broad list of recommendations, so make sure to choose resources specific to your interests in the field.1. Some of the classics to read:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18197267">"Don't Make Me Think"</a> by Steve Krug</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/840.The_Design_of_Everyday_Things?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=lUvY3FFx7U&amp;rank=1">"The Design of Everyday Things"</a> by Don Norman</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22668729-hooked?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=4ahr0m3tC5&amp;rank=1">"Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products"</a> by Nir Eyal</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10127019-the-lean-startup?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=7FJqoNNPSH&amp;rank=1">"The Lean Startup"</a> by Eric Ries</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25814544-sprint?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=KQk6rt4Fyx&amp;rank=1">"Design Sprint"</a> by Jake Knapp</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25520974-articulating-design-decisions?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=CkuECbfDwn&amp;rank=1">“Articulating Design Decisions”</a> by Tom Greever</li></ul>&nbsp;2. If you are more of a YouTube type of person, check:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/UXDesignInstitute">"UX Design Institute"</a> for video tutorials and insights</li><li class="li4">"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AJSmart">AJ&amp;Smart"&nbsp;</a></li></ul>&nbsp;3. Consider pursuing certifications like:&nbsp;<ul class="ul1"><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/">Enterprise Design thinking certification</a> from IBM&nbsp;</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/ux-certification/">Nielsen Norman Group UX </a>Certification&nbsp;</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-ux-design">Google UX Design Professional Certificate </a>on Coursera</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://hfi.training/na/certifications/cua">HFI Certified Usability Analyst (</a>CUA)</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://hfi.training/eu/certifications/cxa">HFI Certified User Experience Analyst</a></li><li class="li4"><a href="https://hfi.training/eu/certifications/cdpa">HFI Certified Digital Persuasion Analyst</a></li></ul>&nbsp;4. Stay updated with design guidelines. Two of the most important to keep an eye:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li4"><a href="https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines">Apple’s Human Interface</a> guidelines&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li class="li4"><a href="https://m2.material.io/design/guidelines-overview">Google’s Material Design guidelines&nbsp;</a></li></ul>These are continuously refined and expanded, so make sure to come back to these resources continuously.&nbsp;5. Join online design communities and seek mentorship:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://adplist.org/">ADPList</a>: A platform that offers free mentorship from experienced designers for free</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.behance.net/">Behance</a> &amp; <a href="https://dribbble.com/">Dribble</a>:&nbsp; platforms to showcase your work, as well as discover others'</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://mobbin.com/">Mobbin</a> is a hand-picked collection of the latest design patterns from mobile apps that reflect the best in design</li></ul>&nbsp;6. Get inspired and network by attending meetups and conferences:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3">Look out for local UX and design meetups in your area</li><li class="li3">Participate in design conferences focused on UX/UI, iInteraction, information architecture, etc.</li><li class="li3">Consider joining these networks as a volunteer</li></ul>&nbsp;7. Practice the craft:The most important - the more you design and work on real projects, the better you'll become. Consider:&nbsp;<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3">Volunteering for nonprofit organisations</li><li class="li3">Take internships</li><li class="li3">Participate in hackathons</li></ul>&nbsp;In the ever-evolving field of product design, this comprehensive list of resources equips you to nurture your passion and grow as a designer. Embrace hands-on experience, connect with fellow designers, and stay curious to thrive in this dynamic landscape of product design.

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List of useful resources for aspiring Product Designers

Meet Eidvilė and Agnė – our newest Product Designers – who joined Vinted after graduating from Vinted Academy, our internship programme. During our talk, the alumni get into the details of their internships, the opportunities they provided, the lessons they learned, and tips for future interns.

Hi! Can you introduce yourself and tell us what your roles at Vinted are?&nbsp;Eidvilė: Hi, I’m Eidvilė, and after my internship, I joined Vinted as a Product Designer in the Monetisation domain.Agnė: Hi, I am Agnė. I joined the Design System team at Vinted as a Product Designer as well.&nbsp;So, Agnė, tell us a bit about your professional background and what led you to apply for an internship at Vinted.Sure! My background is in architecture, where I worked for eight years. My work consisted of creating functional, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing designs, which I enjoyed. But then I found out that designing products is very similar. It’s also about creating a structure that should be useful, usable and visually appealing – but in the digital world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Eidvilė, what about you?My road to product design also wasn’t straightforward. After several years across different roles in tech marketing, communications, and visual design, I switched my career to product design. During this time, I got to know myself and figure out where my professional curiosity lies. Product design seemed to combine it all – technology, visual aesthetics, and human-centric problem-solving. I love the multidisciplinary aspect of this field, where I can put my curious explorer nature to use.&nbsp;Splendid! Let’s move on to the Vinted Academy itself. What are the most important things you’ve learned during this internship?&nbsp;A: I think I learned many valuable skills. One of them was time management. Because we had to narrow down the scope and deliver designs that developers could implement in quite a short time – we had to plan and prioritise the main features without getting lost in ideas.Another valuable skill was collaboration. It may seem simple, but in truth, it can be hard to stay open-minded and listen to different ideas and solutions all the time without getting defensive. Receiving feedback from a diverse audience was a great thing! Not to mention the design critique sessions, where we could listen to other designers' feedback and share our thoughts as well.E: I share many similar thoughts to what Agnė mentioned. What I would add is that, most importantly, I learned how to better frame problems and have a clear approach to what I am trying to tackle with the designs.Receiving and giving feedback was also a crucial piece of learning. Gathering relevant information and feedback is essential in this role, and I am happy to have had space to develop the skill to do this better.&nbsp;Eidvilė, has the mentorship you received during the internship boosted your career?It definitely did. During the Academy, mentorship was at the core of our learning. We had personal mentors who helped us address general professional growth questions. Also, we received more project-specific mentorship in the form of design critiques and such. I learned a great deal from the questions they raised to challenge us. They helped to create a solid base for our decision-making.

I also got a more realistic view of what a product designer's role means. Each of the mentors had a unique way of approaching the same problem. I found this inspiring, and it helps me when I'm looking for a way to tackle the challenges I face.&nbsp;&nbsp;Agnė, what's your outlook about the mentorship you received?I found mentorship at Vinted a valuable experience, especially at the beginning of my career. Eidvilė and I were challenged to think, find the most suitable answers and make independent decisions with the given tools, guidance, and honest feedback. That helped us to move forward and be able to navigate almost independently.In addition, I had 1:1 meetings with my mentor to talk about future growth possibilities, how I was feeling, what challenges I was facing, etc. Sometimes that helped as mental support as well.&nbsp;How were you feeling before the application? Did you have any hesitation? What finally made you apply and go for the opportunity?E: At the time, I was already well invested in switching my career to product design. It was yet another lockdown, and I’d spent my after-work hours doing upskill UX/UI courses.&nbsp;So when my sister shared a post about Vinted looking for interns, I was sure that it was the opportunity and place I’d been waiting for, so there wasn’t much hesitation, to be honest.A: Back then, I was actively looking for a start-up or company I could join to gain real on-the-job experience. So I did not hesitate and applied immediately. I had heard many good things about Vinted’s culture from a few people who work there and was thrilled to see the UX track added to the Academy that year. After a while, I received an email about proceeding with the selection process and was very excited!&nbsp;How would you describe the people who work at Vinted? What should anyone applying for an internship have in mind?E: Well, every person applying should have in mind that they will have a chance to work with many talented people. Vinted is a positive work environment where everyone seems to share the mindset that in order to reach the best result collectively, one has to be open to diverse perspectives. Generally, I feel lucky to have joined colleagues who have a sense of purpose and are excited about what they do.A: The atmosphere is quite relaxed at Vinted. People are encouraged to express themselves, be proactive, and share their opinion. I find people here very professional and would describe them as friendly, supportive, and collaborative colleagues who enjoy what they do.&nbsp;What are you currently working on within your team, and how much time at work do you spend learning new things?&nbsp;A: I work in the Design System team. We are responsible for maintaining a&nbsp;unified visual language at Vinted. Our task is to help designers and developers collaborate more efficiently and optimise their work by creating UI and UX elements they can use as a kind of LEGO blocks in their designs – made to build anything.A collaborative atmosphere&nbsp;helps immensly and prevents you from getting lost in too many technical details. I learn all the time with every task I do. It’s fun and exciting because there are always supportive colleagues who are glad to help and share their experiences or resources. Besides, at Vinted, every designer has a learning budget for books, courses, and conferences which helps you gain knowledge as well.E: During the first couple of months in my new position, I learned new things every day, including processes, tools, and the best ways to collaborate with the team across different roles. Once everything settled down, I started using another great Vinted perk for employees – the&nbsp;learning budget. Currently, I am attending a Behavioural Design course at Hyper Island. I’m happy that Vinted provides me with so many ways to grow.&nbsp;And last but not least, a question for both of you:&nbsp;are there any unsung heroes that help you in your work (perhaps people from other teams)?A: Vinted people are so collaborative, willing to share their knowledge, give feedback, and be friendly, supportive, and positive. I would say that everyone is an unsung hero at Vinted.E: Thanks to all the unsung heroes, Vinted is working smoothly across several different countries and offices. We have the best work conditions and equipment and do not have to worry about anything. What's left for the rest of us is to focus on how we can do our best work. &nbsp;

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Former Vinterns: Constant Learning and Growing at Vinted

Ina Semionova is a product designer at Vinted. She shared her story about her main inspirations in life and her attitude towards sustainability which has its roots in her own family.&nbsp;

What do you do at Vinted and why?Here I work as a product designer. In a nutshell, my job is to create the best user experience for Vinted members. This position makes my daily to-do list vary greatly! For example, one day I’m trying to see into company business goals and define user problems, whereas another – I’m thinking of design solutions, participating in user interviews or even consulting with the legal team. Every day is very dynamic, and you rarely feel bored with your routines here! This is why I love Vinted – its environment drives your personal growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What do you like most about Vinted?An opportunity to grow is probably my favourite thing here. I’ve been working at Vinted for two years already, and I still feel like there’s room to grow and there are interesting challenges waiting to be solved. For me, that’s very exciting because usually I get bored in one place after two years! Constant personal growth and self-development are very important for me. Vinted has the perfect environment for that – your professional ambitions are well-guided by your mentors and nicely equipped with a learning budget. You just need to show willingness and not to be scared of a change!Vinted also stands out with its people. It’s an organization full of curious, enthusiastic, well-educated and caring people. It’s not only nice to meet all of them, but also learn from each other and share different experiences!Last but not least is the main company’s goal. By working here you have an exceptional opportunity to be a part of a big social change – promote circular and sustainable fashion. And I think this aspect is very important in nowadays society.&nbsp;&nbsp;What does sustainability mean to you?For me, sustainability is a conscious choice to be less wasteful and more nature-focused. We live in abundance of things and there’s a great need for a shift from extrinsic to intrinsic values. So stripping everything down to the basics and leaving only the things that are indeed necessary is, in my belief, the way we should follow now.&nbsp;&nbsp;Which is your favourite ever Vinted purchase?It’s a jacket from a small German brand. Actually, I bought it a while ago, but still wear it quite a lot! It’s a high-quality and very versatile garment suitable for many occasions. To be honest, before joining Vinted team, I had no idea I could find such amazing things on the second-hand market!&nbsp;Who and what inspires you?Many things inspire me in different ways. Mostly it’s art, cinema and music gigs. I used to visit art galleries while travelling, but now when I don’t have this opportunity I like scrolling through Pinterest or watching old movies. Actually, I’m a bit obsessed with looking for interesting colour palettes and compositions in interiors, fashion and movie shots!I also love looking at paint or design documentaries on YouTube. Something about a secluded artist’s life has always been very appealing to me. Spending time by thinking about the nature of things, mixing paint for me seems very unmodern and extraordinary in today’s fast-paced, work-possessed world.&nbsp;&nbsp;What were the biggest influences in your professional field?It’s definitely my family – very hard-working, DIY-oriented and creative people! None of them are actual artists, but they always strive to be original by making their own pieces of furniture or altering clothing. Such atmosphere made me quite resourceful and persistent, which I believe are useful personal qualities for a designer!&nbsp;Another big inspiration for me is Ash Thorp. He’s a self-taught multidisciplinary designer, 3D artist, illustrator, photographer and filmmaker. I actually studied history in university, and have no other formal education in design or development. Thus, at the beginning, such motivational people as Ash Thorp inspired me to pursue a different career path and helped me realize that everything is possible with hard work and clear goals!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How do you keep a work-life balance?Honestly, for me it’s a constant struggle to keep balance in life! I need to be conscious of my decisions and know when to stop, do nothing, don’t feel bad about it and even enjoy it. When working towards a certain goal, I often forget that downtime is as important as the hustle itself. But don’t get me wrong – I don’t want to glorify workaholism as it’s quite dangerous for personal health.&nbsp;Actually, getting a dog has helped me with that immensely. Now I spend at least an hour in nature every day. My dog Nike gets to run around freely and I have some quiet time to organize my thoughts. Also, I don’t open my computer after working hours and silence all the notifications. I believe you can always reach a person by calling if it’s indeed important! I also like calming my mind down by reading some books or listening to my favourite music.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What are you reading at the moment?Usually, I read several books at a time. I also listen to audiobooks when I’m driving. I just love consuming information and I have to make an effort to quiet down my mind! Here are three books I’m reading at the moment:The first is&nbsp;Alice Knott&nbsp;by Blake Butler – a weird, brain-twisting, apocalyptic, sometimes even uncomfortable to read novel telling about art, family and memory. This is not some summery, holiday or feel-good read that you can easily breeze through and just forget. It’s a book that demands to stop, think and savour the language.&nbsp;Another one is&nbsp;Money: Master the Game&nbsp;by Tony Robbins. Actually, I’m quite embarrassed to admit I’m listening to this audiobook! However, one of my goals for 2020 was to become more financially aware. It’s one of those subjects that has always seemed boring, and I was just simply ignoring it for a very long time! This book is not a deep dive into the finance world, but a nice primer for more serious stuff.&nbsp;The last book I’m currently reading is&nbsp;The Making of a Manager&nbsp;written by Julie Zhuo. Actually, this book has become a classic read at Vinted office! A lot of colleagues have read and recommended this, so there are many on the waiting list. This is not surprising because the book is very practical. It helps you grasp management role better in a very easy to understand way. I’m currently just trying out the waters of what it means to lead people, so this has been very helpful for me so far!&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;What music do you like to listen to?Mostly punk, sometimes metal, and all the music genres in-between these two! Previously, I used to be much more adventurous and liked searching for new and interesting sounds all the time. However, now I don’t have enough time to do this, so I stick to the same genres and just enjoy it.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you could host a dinner and invite three people, who would you invite and why?First of all, a perfect dinner of mine would contain three things – great food, lots of laughs and interesting stories! So I’d definitely invite a French photographer, illustrator and author Garance Dore, an American chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain as well as Trevor Noah – a South African comedian, writer and producer. All of them are amazing storytellers with their authentic lives and extraordinary experiences! They inspire me a lot in setting my goals and making my own path in life too.

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List of useful resources for aspiring Product Designers

Former Vinterns: Constant Learning and Growing at Vinted

Ina Semionova: At Vinted You Can Be a Part of a Big Social Change