Senongo Akpem

How did you get started in user experience (UX) design? I got started around 2005 with a bootleg copy of Dreamweaver—yes, I’ve more than paid for it with Adobe’s exorbitant Creative Cloud rates, so don’t @ me—and taught myself to code. It was a tactical decision at the time. I needed a website, but over time, I also learned PHP and how to build WordPress sites. Then, after moving to New York in 2010, I started focusing more on UX design, and how it intersects with culture.

The Tiv people of Nigeria tell a story about the early world, when things were different. It’s about Aondo, the Sky, and how he lost his relationship with humans. When the earth was still new, Aondo was close enough that people could stretch out their hands and touch him. For many years, he and the humans led a quiet existence, and everyone went about their business. Article Continues Below One day, though, everything changed. Aondo sat in his place above the earth, watching people come and go.

A note from the editors: We're pleased to share an excerpt from Chapter 5 of Jim Kalbach's book, The Jobs To Be Done Playbook, entitled "Designing Value," available through Rosenfeld Media.