Jeremy Lu, DoorDash Designer and Coach at The Craft

👋 Say Hi to Jeremy L.

We're thrilled to introduce our newest Professional Product Design Bootcamp coach, Jeremy, a successful Product Designer at DoorDash who works as Lead of the merchant internal tools vertical. 

In this blog, you'll learn Jeremy's insights on the key qualities of a successful Product Designer, his tips for staying up-to-date with learning, and how he overcomes challenges in his design career.

Whether you're an aspiring Designer, working Product Designer (UX), or interested in joining The Craft's Bootcamp, you'll find valuable insights and advice from Jeremy, from his years of experience in the industry.

How Jeremy Got into Design

"Legos Legos Legos, (:  Fell in love with them early in life, and quickly filled my parent's basement with buckets of them. That led me into design and architecture, and ended up pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture in college. I spent a year practicing before transitioning to Product Design." 

Jeremy's story showcases the incredible power of childhood dreams and the impact they can have on one's career.

Key Qualities of a Successful Product Designer

According to Jeremy, these are the essential qualities of a successful Product Designer.

• Resilience - Allows Designers to navigate through setbacks, failures, and criticism without losing motivation.
• Empathy - Successful Product Designers empathize with their target audience, putting themselves in their shoes to truly grasp their needs, desires, and pain points.
• Optimism - Optimistic Product Designers approach problems with a positive mindset, finding opportunities for growth and improvement.

Staying Up-to-Date with Learning

Design is a continuous learning process, and Jeremy knows the best ways to stay ahead. "Medium has always been my go to! I follow design leaders like Julie Zhuo, UX Collective, Frog Design. I also love following articles from Spotify Design and Airbnb.design"

Jeremy's willingness to ask questions and seek out new information is a valuable lesson for aspiring and future UX/Product Designers who want to stay on top of industry trends and best practices. Fuel your creativity and immerse yourself in a world of design inspiration.

Overcoming Challenges in a Design Career

There are many challenges in a design career, but Jeremy believes that problem-solving is the key to overcoming them. By approaching challenges with a problem-solving mindset, designers can turn obstacles into opportunities for growth and success.

"When trying to land my first product design gig, convincing the world that Architecture skills were directly transferable and valuable to the Product Design world. At the extreme end, I completely remade a semester project to fit a case study format, at the more tactical end, evangelized it to anyone who would listen!"

"Another would be navigating the wild imposter syndrome that occurred during my first job out of bootcamp. Heart palpitations and sweats, you name it. I don't think I ever solved it, I just learned to live with it, and listen first before speaking," he says while laughing. 

Take Jeremy's words as a reminder that challenges are inevitable in any career and that developing problem-solving skills are essential for success!

How to Balance Work, Learning, and Play

Jeremy's daily routine is quite spontaneous  "An iced coffee or Celsius, doggo pets, some work, a physical activity (currently focused on golf + tennis + gym!) and some more doggo pets. Design is sprinkled in there 😉" 

I mean, look at this puppy how can you not pet it 🥹

Get Coached by Jeremy

If you're an aspiring Designer looking for guidance from experienced professionals in the industry, consider joining The Craft's boocamp! With mentors like Jeremy, who've worked with companies like DoorDash, Zendesk, Webflow, and Uber, you'll have access to invaluable insights and advice that can help you build your career in Design.

Our program is designed to give you the experience of working in a real-world design environment, complete with job strategy, design reviews, and a supportive peer group. By graduation, you'll have a job offer-worthy portfolio and the confidence to take on any design challenge. We're delivering the hard truths now to set you up for success. 

Don't hesitate — join our Professional Product Design Bootcamp today and build the skills and confidence you need to succeed in Product Design!

Kharina Parla

Marketing at The Craft 

When you're ready, here are 3 ways we can help you 💡

• Get Admitted To Our Bootcamp  Read our tips about standing out during the application process! 
• Find Success with a Bootcamp Read about our Founder's path to product design through a bootcamp! 
• Learn Product Design (UX) Still figuring out if UX is right for you? Understand the design essentials.