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As a mentor to over 200 new UX designers, I consistently encountered two main issues. First, when they asked insightful follow-up questions, I struggled to find clear, up-to-date resources to guide them; the available materials were often outdated, vague, or unhelpful. Second, the case studies they presented tended to be shallow because the outlines and resources they relied on didn't go into the necessary depth to showcase their true skills.

To better understand the existing resources available for UX designers, I conducted a competitor analysis. My starting point came directly from mentoring students—while searching for reliable resources to share with them, I relied on platforms I was most familiar with, such as Medium’s UX Collective and UX Planet. While these sites offered a wide range of articles, I found that many were either incomplete or lacked the depth needed to clearly explain concepts to new designers. This gap highlighted an opportunity and informed my decision to include them in my analysis.
To create a well-rounded set of four competitors, I added another direct competitor with a similar focus, along with one indirect competitor. This combination provided a clearer picture of what information was available in the market and what was still missing for my audience of new designers and career changers.

Competitive Analysis

To better understand the existing resources available for UX designers, I conducted a competitor analysis. My starting point came directly from mentoring students—while searching for reliable resources to share with them, I relied on platforms I was most familiar with, such as Medium’s UX Collective and UX Planet. While these sites offered a wide range of articles, I found that many were either incomplete or lacked the depth needed to clearly explain concepts to new designers. This gap highlighted an opportunity and informed my decision to include them in my analysis.
To create a well-rounded set of four competitors, I added another direct competitor with a similar focus, along with one indirect competitor. This combination provided a clearer picture of what information was available in the market and what was still missing for my audience of new designers and career changers.

Positioning Takeaway

Across all four competitors, one gap became clear: while they provide a large volume of UX content, few offer beginner-friendly, mentorship-style guidance. UX Gaps fills this space by combining practical resources with the why behind design practices, giving new designers and career changers clarity, confidence, and a trusted place to grow.

Persona

Highlighting the two distinct pathways into the UX field, Ethan Rivera embodies the curious newcomer, exploring UX with an open mind and seeking foundational clarity. Lola Thomas, on the other hand, represents a career changer who brings a wealth of marketing experience and seeks structured mentorship and practical application. These personas underscore the critical need for UX resources that blend theory with hands-on, mentorship-driven guidance, ensuring that both newcomers and career changers gain confidence and clarity in their UX journey.

Site Platform Selection

With the personas clearly defined, the next step was selecting a platform that would best serve their needs while maintaining efficiency in content creation. I evaluated website builders such as Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow for their design flexibility, but recognized that the overhead of managing these tools would introduce unnecessary complexity and divert focus from the core objective: delivering high-value, easily digestible UX content. Alternatives like Notion and Substack offered interesting potential but came with limitations, paywalls, or community-centric features that conflicted with the vision for open, accessible learning. Ultimately, Blogger provided the right balance of simplicity, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness, allowing me to focus on what truly mattered—consistently providing high-quality, free UX resources to my audience.

Name Selection

With the platform selected, I focused on defining a name that clearly communicated the blog’s purpose. Early options included ideas like UX Mentor Notes, Behind the Portfolio, and UX Case Study Clinic, each emphasizing mentorship, case studies, or skill-building. While these names highlighted aspects of the content, they didn’t fully capture the blog’s mission: addressing gaps in reliable UX guidance for newcomers. I ultimately chose UX Gaps - a concise, memorable name that directly reflects the problem the blog solves and positions it as a trusted resource for designers navigating their first steps in the field.

UX Content

With the platform and name defined, I established a content strategy to address the recurring gaps I observed while mentoring over 200 designers. The About Me page set the stage, establishing credibility, outlining the blog’s mission, and clearly communicating who the content severs. It answered three essential questions: “Who am I? Why does this blog exist? What problem does it solve? The first post, “Welcome to UX Gaps.” reinforced this purpose for readers who may skip the About Me page. It highlights the common challenges new designers face - unclear expectations, vague feedback, and incomplete case study guidance - and positions the blog as a practical, trusted resource. Each blog post is scenario-based, beginning with a designer navigating a realistic challenge, then walking through how to resolve it with the right tools, methods, and mindset. This storytelling approach mirrors how I teach in real mentorship sessions: authentic, conversational, and grounded in real-world practice. My goal was for readers to feel as through I were teaching them directly- building understanding through relatable examples rather than abstract theory. Content topics were prioritized for depth and impact, focusing on areas often overlooked or superficially explained but critical for success in UX. Posts on grid systems, for example, go beyond layout templates to explain why structure matters, while mid- fidelity wireframes are explored as a pivotal step for testing and validation. Each topic was selected to bridge a gap in understanding and help designers strengthen both their process and confidence. As the blog evolved, I introduced freelancing-focused content to address the realities of working independently- contracts, pricing, taxes, networking, and business management. This shift extended UX Gaps beyond design education into professional growth, helping new and transitioning designers prepare for the responsibilities of building a sustainable freelance practice.

Results & Impact

Since launching UX Gaps in July 2025, the blog has reached 192 active users across five countries, including the United States, China, India, Canada, and Australia. Analytics show over 1.4K engagement events, with an average session time of 1 minute and 16 seconds among U.S. visitors, compared to 43 seconds across the entire platform—a strong indicator that readers are meaningfully engaging with the content rather than bouncing away.

For a blog centered on short-form, scenario based UX education, this level of engagement demonstrates that the posts are accessible, concise, and effectively meeting user’s needs. The steady growth in traffic and global reach confirms a genuine demand for clear, real-world UX insights, especially among new designers and career changers.

The success of UX Gaps validates the original hypothesis: that bridging practical learning gaps with direct, story-driven instruction creates measurable impact and sustained audience interest. Beyond analytics, this project also reinforced my belief that clarity and empathy are the foundation of effective design education - principals that continue to shape both my mentoring and my client work.

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