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As a software developer, Sean Petiya was first introduced to the UX field while finding clients’ goals and requirements for web applications.

“I saw the benefit of taking a user-centric approach to this process,” Petiya said. “I was not just looking at the technical issues or challenges, but focusing on how people actually used those applications and how it impacted their businesses.”

To extend his graphic design background and his work as a developer, Petiya enrolled in the Master of Library Science and UX program in the iSchool.

In the program, Petiya leveraged classroom experiences to assist real-world clients with redesign projects. One of which was Music Stack, a Cleveland-based online vinyl record store.

“It’s important to work with real-world clients to gain exposure to different industries,” Petiya said. “This will help you in the future because you may find opportunities to work in different fields.”

Another experience Petiya received in the program was working on a thesis about comic book and graphic novel metadata with iSchool professor Dr. Marcia Zeng.

“I had a small comic book collection at home and I thought it’d be great to develop a linked data vocabulary using that collection as a reference,” Petiya said. “I was able to tie together my library studies and software development skills with this experience.”

In 2014, Petiya presented his research at the DCMI Conference, while also meeting with professionals that he still works with today.

“It’s something that I never thought I would do or set out to do,” Petiya said. “It was a pretty cool experience.”

As an adjunct instructor, Petiya is teaching Digital Technologies I, II & III and Knowledge Organization Structures for UX.

“The best courses are those that bridge UX with foundational library science principles and ideas, and knowledge management,” Petiya said.

Petiya stresses the importance of hard work for those students who may be unfamiliar with digital technologies like programming or linked data.

“I hope they learn that this stuff is not scary,” Petiya said. “It’s something you can pick up and learn at any point in your career.”

Accessibility remains to be at the forefront of UX professionals' work. All communicators must understand simple ways that can make services accessible to all, Petiya emphasized.

“It can be as simple as switching up tools to make an application easier, to use, for example a user who is colorblind might benefit from a different visual theme,” Petiya said. “Even small changes can make a big difference.”

UX professionals can serve as an important link between stakeholders and an organization. Students must consider going into this field, as it can inform anything and everything, Petiya urged.
For current UX students, it is important to be open-minded about what you’re learning or going to learn, Petiya noted.

“I started with a narrow vision of what I was going to learn back when I was a student,” Petiya said. “Having an open mind about what classes I was going to take allowed me to explore the library science field and its intersection with UX.”