Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
COVID Times: Help your child cope with parental disputes
Excerpts from article by Erica Aquadro, published in Lacamas Magazine
Parental disputes can be trying for children during this time because we’re encountering situations that have never arisen before and our family’s health and wellness are at stake. While we can’t completely insulate our kids from the reality of the situation, we can do our best to stay positive and set a good example for them. So much of their ability to thrive in this ‘new normal’ depends on our ability to support them and give them grace.
As we navigate this ever-changing post-COVID world, here are some ways you can help your kids manage stress in the midst of changing family dynamics and novel parental conflicts:
1. Present a united front
Ideally both parents will be on the same page about any adjustments to the schedule or parenting plan before it reaches the children. It can be extremely confusing and stressful for children to hear one thing from one parent and something else entirely from the other. Unless and until a plan or change is final or agreed, it’s in your children’s best interests for them to be uninvolved and unaware.
2. Consistency and quality time
It may seem far-fetched to maintain a consistent schedule at a time like this, but even the little things can help reinforce their routine and give them some semblance of stability. This goes hand in hand with spending quality time together. Even if you can’t do the same thing at the same time together every day, just spending five minutes doing something they want to do can have a huge impact.
3. Don’t burden them with adult information
When you’re in the midst of a dispute you’re dealing with a lot of emotional and financial stresses. If you find yourself needing support, lean on your family and friends or mental health professionals to help you get through it not your children. There will be times when you’re upset and the last thing you want to do is burden your children with irritations about their other parent. That parent is always going to be your children’s mother or father and you want to support that relationship because that’s what’s best for your children and, by extension, your relationship with your children.
4. Seek extra support for your children
Even if your child is happy and healthy, parenting disputes can be very stressful and challenging. Enrolling your child with a child psychologist or counsellor is a great way to allow your child to get the support he or she needs. It’s important to give your child the opportunity to have a safe place to share his or her feelings. You may also learn some valuable tools and information from your child’s psychologist or counsellor that will help you better support your child.
5. Take care of yourself
Remember to give yourself a break from time to time. Our kids feed off our energy and, if we run ourselves ragged, we are not setting a good example for how to manage our needs and wellbeing. We have the gift and responsibility of shaping our children’s lives. Let’s take the opportunity to give them the best of ourselves and forgive ourselves when we make a misstep. Tomorrow is a new day.
Career
Scope of Product Design courses in India
Excerpts from article published by the India Today Web Desk
Development has given rise to cutting-edge digital solutions, where everything from Service Design to User Experience (UX) to User Interface (UI) plays a pivotal role. For the uninitiated, these tech product-related aspects loosely fall under the ambit of Digital Product Design.
Product Design vs. Service Design
Product Design is the process of identifying a market opportunity and developing a product to solve a given problem. It has evolved from physical product design & now involves UI/UX Design, graphic design, and animation. Product designers either create new and innovative products or work towards improving the existing ones and enhance their user-friendliness.
Service Designers develops designs for a service offered to a customer. Much like product designers, service designers also create new services or improve the existing ones. However, where the two fields diverge is at the tangibility of their creations, but both are actively contributing to the way tech is being built today.
Growth of digital design across the globe
Demand for Digital Design skills is increasing and user consumption is changing today. Companies want a bigger piece of the market. So, they’re beginning to wonder what kind of niches should they create for themselves. A trend emerging as a result of building competitive advantage, product companies have resorted to recreating the service that compliments their products.
Product design future in India
The possibilities of indigenous development of products and services specifically those sourced from other countries have now been unlocked. We are already seeing interesting products and services doing the rounds in the market such as Chingari, Josh, Mitron, JioMeet, Roposo, and Kaagaz Scanner. India is also developing state-of-the-art infrastructure such as IndiaStack, IndiaChain, and so forth. Hence, the overall prospects are growing at a rapid speed.
If you’re an enthusiast aiming to upskill for this industry, here are some of the attributes that you must cultivate as a Product Designer:
1. Be self-driven problem-solvers and thinkers
The fast-paced nature of work has made it imperative to hire professionals who can keep up with the speed of the industry. People are expected to be creative and take initiative to put their ideas into action. Product designers are expected to present solutions that solve business problems through various approaches such as design reviews, cross-functional sprints, etc.
2. Work to get the new-age skills
Research, empathy, inclusion and innovation are some core skills needed for great UI/UX Design and Service Design. They have to transform data into effective, visually sensible models and experiential prototypes. In order to build tech that can scale, designers need to perceive problems of each and every user and address them pre-emptively.
3. Know automation tools and become value-oriented
In the future, design tools and services are expected to become more automated. Some such tools are already available to designers. Like Coolors. co, a super-fast colour schemes generator, reduces time spent on creating a colour theme when designing UI. As machines become more intelligent, they enable designers to become more value-oriented to enhance a user’s lifestyle.
Both Product and Service Design extend exciting opportunities to aspiring professionals and people looking to switch into the startup tech space. If you’re one of them, make sure to develop a competitive edge by joining these high-growth segments when they are in a relatively embryonic stage. Doing so might make all the difference in your professional journey.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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