Badge Webflow Award Winner 2023

Quentin, UX/UI Designer : Tech Addict & Figma Lover

Welcome to my first blog post, I will try to make you understand who I am, in a few lines. You'll tell me if it's successful :)

Published on 
18/10/2022
-
Amended on 
24/3/2023
-
5 min
Quentin Ballereau

Hi, I'm Quentin. I love tech, design and coffee ☕️

Welcome to my first blog post, I will try to make you understand who I am, in a few lines. You'll tell me if it's successful :)

Freedom, a life project.

I want to feel free and inspire others to become free.

Financially free, we all know that in our world, money is a tool that makes life easier and freer, free to say no.

Geographically free, I want to be where I want to be when I want to be there and today's technologies make this possible.

Free time, to be able to manage my work and personal time as I wish, in order to be happier and more productive.

A long way to the Digital Nomad life

I have had this goal in mind for two years now.

Two years ago, I had just finished my 3rd year in business school, which was largely done remotely because of Covid.

So I find myself at 20, in my room and I decide to sit down and think, rationally.

First step, my personal and professional assessment.

I open a Notion page (best note-taking tool, a real second brain, but that's not the point), and start this introspective work.

What do I like?

I like to be impressed by all that can be done with new technologies. I like to be amazed by innovation, and Apple knows how to do that very well. When I visit the Apple website, I find that everything is well thought out, it's fluid, it's pleasant.

I still think to myself at this point that I am feeling emotions on a website that sells phones.

Accompanied by my favorite tech youtubers, I have to mention Leo Duff, I became a real fan of the Apple brand, which still today never ceases to impress me.

I could name other brands that have this effect on me, that make me fall back into childhood, like at Christmas when we opened our present.

Tesla is obviously part of it, I had the chance to drive a Tesla several times and honestly, it's great.

Anyway, I love tech, honestly.

Where do I stand?

At that time, I am at the end of my 3rd year, I have to choose a course of study for my master's degree the following year and I get hired as an Amazon delivery boy. I want to work so I can buy a Mac.

I have ambition, I dream a lot.

What do I want?

Being a delivery man didn't bother me, on the contrary, I enjoyed the fact that I was getting paid to drive and listen to music all day (of course it's not just that, but let's just say I wasn't complaining). After a week, I started to go in circles in my Spotify playlists, having re-listened to all my favorite albums.

I had heard about a podcast that a youtuber I like had done (cc Techout). After listening to the few episodes I missed, I wanted more! For me, I had hacked life, I could spend my whole day listening to podcasts, I really got a taste for it.

That's how I started listening to inspiring life stories and discovering the Digital Nomad lifestyle.

Wait,

Can you have a life where you earn a good living while traveling and having time for yourself and your loved ones? Is this possible?

OK, I want this.

Being a Digital Nomad has become a goal for me.

But it's not that simple. To be a Digital Nomad, you have to have a job that allows you to do it, and above all, you have to be able to organize and manage your time.

Second step, need for change.

Ok so I love tech, I have ambition and I want to be free.

It's 2020, it's summer, I finally have my long awaited Mac.

I always listen to podcasts, I watch a lot of Youtube videos, I discover a great tool that you all know today, Figma.

I discovered in the process the job of UI/UX Designer. So I can create interfaces as I like them so much at Apple and in the tech industry, using Figma, a tool that is also very pleasant to use, and this activity is possible in telecommuting ?

Well, you will have understood, I believe that this job is the intersection between my passion and my dream, that's why it became my ambition.

So I want to learn interface design. Most of the schools are located in Paris and Bordeaux. I chose Bordeaux because I like this city. I apply to 4 schools that speak to me and that have courses that attract me.

The third step is to respond to this need.

I took 4 competitive exams to enter the master's program. I validated them all. I didn't expect it.

I choose the one that I think is the best → Sup de Pub.

I want to start designing now, to start learning and improving in interface design. I hear in the podcast Parlons Design about a method to learn this job in self-taught, the challenges.

So I'm starting the Daily Ui Challenge. 1 design per day for 100 days.

Also wanting to start developing my Linkedin, I decide to post my design every day on this network.

I didn't expect so many results. My best post reached 700 000 views.

This challenge, in addition to the student projects, was a good way to add to my portfolio, which was, before that, non-existent.

I am also interested in the subject of personal development and I implement sports and nutritional routines in my daily life. This allows me to feel better in my body, to take care of my health, and to increase my confidence.

A sector in which I feel good.

I am proud today to join the adventure DigidopI am proud to be part of this adventure, which contributes to my life goals and which will, I am sure, be a gas pedal for these goals.

I'm working on an Art Director title with a Digital Design option, it's only a paper, but still, I think it's great!

The skills I still need to acquire.

There are still big steps to take to reach my goals.

I would like to become a recognized Figma expert.

I would like to test the Digital Nomad lifestyle, to see concretely how I organize myself and how I stay productive.

I would like to be able to create a website from A to Z, alone.

The action plan for the rest of my journey.

In concrete terms, here is my action plan to make the most of the experience Digidop, in correlation with my life goals.

  • To constantly improve on Figma and document my progress on the networks.
  • Go away for at least a week to start with, in a city I don't know, to test the Digital Nomad lifestyle.
  • Train me to WebflowSEO and automation tools, in order to have a global vision of the creation of websites in no-code.

Follow my evolution as a Designer on the networks.

I plan to document my entire adventure at Digidop as well as tips on Figma, Digital Nomadism or productivity on Instagram!

If you have any questions about me or my work, send me a message on Linkedin.

If you don't have any question, but you've read this far, thanks already, and I invite you to add me on Linkedin anyway :)

See you soon 👋

Ready to take your website to the next level?

Improve your online visibility thanks to Digidop's experience, excellence and reactivity!

Stay in touch with Digidop news!