To master the art of UI/UX, designing, and to become one of the best in the field, it is crucial that you go through the steps of design mentoring. Whether you experience the step by being an inspiring mentor, or by playing the part of a dedicated mentee, mentorship can help you achieve success at a new level.

Being a great mentor or a committed mentee takes a great deal of effort and enthusiasm. Let's discuss what qualities a person requires to become a good mentor and a passionate mentee.

The Crucial mindset & qualities of a mentee

You may think becoming a mentee is easy. Although becoming a mentee does not require technical skills, as they have become mentees to learn those, it takes dedication, effort, and hard work to be a good mentee. To start as a mentee or design trainee, one must fix their mindset to be: 

Confident 

Feeling a little insecure while starting to work in a new field is natural. But do not let this insecurity rule you, have confidence in yourself and your potential. 

Curious 

Having an interest in learning is one of the most important factors in mentorship. A mentee who approaches the mentor with curiosity can also be the one who gets the most out of the mentorship.

Appreciative

Show appreciation explicitly and through interaction with your mentors for all the things you are gaining through them.

Committed

A great way to show appreciation is through commitment. Be punctual with your schedule, deliver the results regularly, share your thoughts and outcomes with mentors. Try to give as much as you get.

Essentials qualities of a good mentor 

Well, the mentees need to have their mindset fixed, but what about the mentors? Not everyone with good design skills can be a great mentor. A good mentor needs some qualities that can separate them from others.

Bring Value 

A good mentor does not always have to come from the same field. He just needs to help and his mentees to develop skills that have value in the field.

Be Available 

Mentorship can be a full-time job. A great mentor is always available for his mentees needs.

Supportive 

A mentor who encourages trust, empowerment, and support can create great designers. Fear and insecurity will only take them back in their career.

Understanding 

A design mentor has to listen to what the mentees have to say about their design. UI/UX design is not only about the design, it also brings a solution to the problems at hand. Good mentors will understand the problems before jumping into solutions.

Set clear goals 

Before you start to look for a mentor, you need to set a clear goal for your future. Where do you need guidance? Who do you want to mentor you? You will find many organizations that hold mentoring events, institutions with teachers who can help you, even in your office you will find experts who will be able to inspire you in the right direction. It is your call who you want to guide you. You can also have several mentors in various places. Figure out your intention for the future and take the path that leads to success.

Working, and Communicating effectively with your design mentor

Finding the right mentor is only the first step. Now you need to communicate effectively with the mentor. Talk to them and let them know in the first meeting what goals you are trying to achieve, what you intend to learn, discuss your skills and interests, and before ending the meeting make sure to arrange a follow-up meeting. Continue to meet with your mentor with authenticity and vulnerability. Sharing your imperfections can be difficult, but it will help the mentor to guide you to the right path.

Measuring Success

Meeting and communicating with your mentor on a regular basis is an important factor in mentorship. But it will do no good if these meetings turn out fruitless. You need to set criteria for measuring the success of the mentorship. What have you learned, how many new designs you were able to create, anything can be the scale of measuring the mentorship success.

You do not always need to absorb wisdom from the mentor. Having meaningful conversations from which you both can benefit is also essential in a relationship between mentor and mentee.

Mentorship is highly valued in the design community. Not only can a mentor help others by sharing their wisdom, but they can also progress in their own career from the experience of mentoring.