After graduating university, UX designer and creator Joelle Phua (@joelledesigner) side-stepped the popular designer boot camp education and, instead, taught herself everything she knows. Now, she’s sharing her self-taught knowledge with over 43K followers on Instagram and TikTok.
Through her content, Joelle provides her audience with tips on how to break into product design. Like many creators, she’s committed to supporting her following by creating content and products that add value to their lives (as opposed to adding noise to the social media ether). From her beginners’ guide to user research to her how-to on working with developers, Joelle’s digital product offering has something for every aspiring product designer — and, often, she even offers them for free!
Today, Joelle has a large and dedicated following not just on Instagram, but also on Discord, where she has created a robust learning community of experienced and up-and-coming designers, alike. But her passion for design doesn’t end there. She’s also leveraged her expertise into a number of brand partnerships and a career in UGC creation.
We sat down with Joelle to learn all about her content creation journey, including why she sells her digital products on a pay-what-you-want basis, how she built her Discord community, and why tapping into your unique genius is key.
Tell us about your content creation journey.
My content creation journey started a few years ago, around 2019 or 2020. I had always been posting and refining content, but in the last year, I’ve decided to be more intentional with it.
Now, I create a wide range of content that is fit for purpose. It’s aimed at designers, but isn’t just about showing them how to make things look pretty or cool; it’s more so about recommending the tools and apps that will work for them.
I saw a gap in this niche, as not many creators had talked about being a self-taught designer. A lot of designers go through bootcamps and I thought that creating content about being a self-taught designer could help others who might have done or want to do the same.
There are so many different ways to monetize as a creator. Which ways have worked best for you?
There are several ways I monetize, including offering 1-on-1 mentoring calls for a small fee, sharing my guides on a pay-what-you-can basis, and, of course, working with brands.
For me, allowing customers to pay what they want often evens out; some people do pay more than expected, and those extra dollars can sometimes cover the cost for those who are unable to pay.
What are some special opportunities you’ve gained through content creation?
Creating influencer content and UGC for brands is definitely one of the coolest opportunities I’ve gained so far. Another one is related to whiteboard software. I really loved that one because it was a full-circle moment: I use whiteboard software all the time as a designer.
It’s not necessarily an opportunity, but I also love receiving thoughtful feedback about my content from my followers. I like to be transparent about my content and don’t romanticize things for the sake of selling a course. I appreciate that my audience recognizes this. So, in that sense, it’s a cool opportunity to be able to connect with my audience in an authentic way.
Walk us through the process of creating your digital products. What have you learned from this process?
The process really depends on the product. For example, my guide to self-taught product design didn’t take much time to create as I already had the resources ready to go.
I’ve learned that it’s important to give yourself a deadline, and that there are always things to improve, so you need to keep testing and soliciting feedback. I often DM people who are actively engaged with my content to get feedback on my digital products. Ultimately, you’re trying to solve a problem, and the best solution is to fill those gaps in with feedback. Organizational tools like Notion also make the process easier.
Why did you decide to offer your resources for free or on a “pay what you want” basis?
At the time I graduated university, the main route advertised for breaking into product design was enrolling in a bootcamp. However, as a fresh graduate, I didn’t have the money to enroll in one of those courses, so I had to teach myself.
Providing these kinds of resources, [like my User Research Guide for UX Designers,] for free allows people to learn and implement these skills themselves, no matter their budget.
In the end, I would rather help others than try to make a quick buck on prospective designers.
Tell us about your Discord community.
I decided to create a Discord community because I frequently received a lot of questions and DMs from followers, and I felt that a tailored community space would be a great place to answer them and spark more in-depth discussions.
The Discord group has over 1.000 members, ranging from experienced designers to up-and-coming designers. We also have monthly deep dives on various topics, such as UX journeys, user research, and case studies. Ultimately, it’s become a nice space for peer support because members can learn from each other, as well.
You must have built a robust email list through the resources you give away. How do you use your mailing list and do you have plans to sell higher-priced digital products?
Yes, I do have a robust email list as everyone who uses my products gets registered into my mailing list. However, I don’t use it as much as I should. I could be doing more by creating a newsletter, but it’s not feasible at the moment. I do think that people receive more value through Discord than through a newsletter.
In terms of plans to sell higher-priced digital products, it’s a “maybe” right now. They do perform very well, but I would need to think about the kind of value I would need to provide to make the content worth the price.
How do you stay inspired and avoid burnout as a content creator?
I don’t think about it anymore as I’ve been creating content for so long and have seen a lot more traction in the past year. However, I think what set me up for success was just creating content to create value, not for a particular purpose. But now, I’ve become more intentional with my process, and I’ve gone back to creating output and having a routine.
I like to have a very light-touch creation process with room for improvement. And I try not to overthink. I also have an ongoing list of ideas, and I often repurpose ideas and tweak old concepts a little bit.
What tools or resources have you found helpful as a creator?
I love to use Notion, Gumroad, and Manychat. Manychat is an approved Instagram partner and the automatic chat function helps me so much.
For example, if you’ve created an IG post that asks people to comment a certain word in order to receive a link, Manychat will DM the commenters for you, rather than you having to do it manually. It helps when you have hundreds of comments.
I also use other creators as inspiration and I’ve hired legal advice to help me when working with brands.
How do you engage with your audience?
I try to engage as often as possible and try to reply to questions. I receive a lot of DMs, but will reply to people that send in-depth questions as these people have taken the time to write deep messages.
Also, I check in on Discord about once a day. It’s difficult to keep up with reviewing people’s portfolios, but this is why I have 1-on-1 sessions that people can purchase for a small fee.
Do you have any tips for aspiring content creators?
Make the barrier to entry as low as possible. The easier you can make it for yourself, the better. It’s like going to the gym: you need to have all your gear ready. It’s the same for content creation, make it as easy as possible. Keep testing and iterating.
Any final words you’d like to add?
Think about why you’re creating. Are you just adding to the noise or are you adding value? Everyone is always creating and it all really depends on your niche. Tap into what makes you different.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Photo: Courtesy of Joelle Phua
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