A primer knowledge for being a Designer.
In graduate school (2009–2010) at the Art Center College of Design for Media Design Practices, I was given a 10x10 list of things I should know before starting my first day. Think of it as a prep list for what we should know coming into graduate school. Now that I have been out a practicing UX Designer for 10 yrs. Here is my 10 x 10 list for being a Designer. (UX/IxD/UI/Visual Design/CX/LX).
This list is Books to read, thinkers to follow, people to learn from, as well as design projects worth paying attention to. …
3 Scenarios for how UX applies psychological flexibility to its practice.
I recently came across the description of a personality trait and thought “this is a UX designer!”
The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest blog explains:
A psychologically flexible person is characterized by a set of attitudes and skills: they are generally open to and accepting of experiences, whether they are good or bad; they try to be mindfully aware of the present moment; they experience difficult thoughts without ruminating on them; they seek to maintain a broader perspective when faced with a challenge; they continue to pursue important goals despite setbacks; and they maintain contact with “deeper values,” no matter how stressful a day might be. …
Use the Socratic method to improve teaching strategies, and move beyond failure for UX and UI.’
Successful problem-solving involves failing. Failing comes in many forms and can be called many things. We have called failure things like “getting stuck”, “I’m blocked”, “I’ve gotten derailed”, “I’m sidetracked”, “I have made a misstep”, “I got defeated” or “I’m uninspired” when solving problems one of these “Failures” is enviable. The question:
What do you do when you “fail”?
There are many types of failure but let’s discuss the two main occurrences where failure looms large.
- Failure to start
- Failure in execution
1. Failure to Start
At art school, I studied painting and learned the concept known as “the blank canvas problem.” A blank canvas is pristine, white (off white really), and waiting to be filled. An artist can become paralyzed by the unlimited possibilities that are available to make on a blank canvas. …
Holding the line as UX Designer to solve your user's problem.
The 1990’s classic film Glengarry Glen Ross has a well-known scene with Alec Baldwin. (Honestly, In my option it is one of his best comedic performances.)
“ABC — always be closing”
I am no Alec Baldwin that I’m for sure but at this point as a UX/UI Design Educator, I feel like I am always saying something like this to my students. My version goes.
ABTI: always be testing & iterating
As UX designers we spend a lot of time thinking about our users. …
Now that we are all stuck inside for a while it is a good opportunity to keep inspired. Here is a list of inspirational content to help stave off the challenges and keep you curious.
Designers to listen to
Willem Hendrik Crouwel is one of the greatest graphic designers worldwide. He studied at the Academie Minerva (Art School) in Groningen.
Hartmut Esslinger — Advice For Designers a German-American industrial designer and inventor. He is best known for founding the design consultancy Frog Design Inc.
Fred Deakin is a British designer, educator and musician. He is part of the electronic music duo Lemon Jelly, and was one of the founders of design firm Airside. Since 2012 Deakin has set up a new venture called Fred & Company, dedicated to artistic and interactive projects. …
Gaining skills that distinguish you as a human-centered problem solver becomes paramount as the number of UX/UI designers grow and their titles change from webmaster to product architect and beyond.
The challenge of being a human-centered designer is there is a lot to remember and tons of knowledge to maintain. The truth is many of the roles that exist in the umbrella of User Experience have overlapping skills and it is our responsibility to build and maintain a strong foundation of knowledge.
More info on design roles:
Growing our foundational UX knowledge is what makes us good designers. UX design is improved through practice, memory, repetition, and execution of our knowledge in our work, therefore let’s apply
Applying Miller’s Law to these 9 foundational concepts will help you memorize and engage your working memory as you grow your foundational UX knowledge. …
As the line between a physical product and a web product blurs, there are essential factors that should be applied to any interface to improve its utility, usability, accessibility, and delight for your users.
1. MATCH THE USERS EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR EXPECTATIONS
Excellence in Typography for UX/UI design is the result of nothing more than an attitude! If you care about your user you should care about what is said to them and how it is communicated.
!TYPOGRAPHY IS WORTH OUR ATTENTION!
Read and have at your fingertips:
Written by one of Canada’s best-known typographers and book designers. Robert Bringhurst gives his philosophy of design but also includes various appendices describing sorts & characters, a glossary of terms, and a section on the status of digital faces.
- Good typography is contextual to the format.
- Typography rules and good legibility are essential.
- Consider your reader (user) Usability = Legibility.
1. Limit your typefaces. (max 3)
A discussion of Dieter Rams 10 principles of good design as applied to User Interfaces.
Review principles here: http://www.manifestoproject.it/ten-principles-for-good-design/
1. IS INNOVATIVE
The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
Relevant to User Interfaces
- The “I” word: Innovation is thrown around a lot in User Interface Design. The goal is to consider novel interfaces and interactions that are innovative for your user which could mean “Less UI” or no “UI” at all.
- A mug handle is innovative for its affordance similarly UI should look to “vanish” in the background rather than call attention to itself. …
I recognize this will make me sound like a curmudgeonly old man but kids these days can’t sketch! It makes me think: what is killing the fundamental skill of sketching?
Recently I taught a Design Thinking Workshop through UCLA extension, the 5 session course focused Design Thinking for a small product team at a company in Santa Monica, California. In the short 15 hour course (5 x 3 hr sessions), there is only so much that a team can get accomplished, but I structured the curriculum and in-class exercises/workshops on the Design Thinking steps inside the double diamond.
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