We have already established communication, problem solving, understanding code, attention to detail, time management and human behaviours as core attributes of a designer (see Part 1 and Part 2) and in this article we continue to delve into what makes a successful designer.
Look at websites and analyse WHY the designer has utilised certain elements
It is one thing to look at a design and like it, however it is only when you make the effort to understand the reasons why you like it, that you can actually learn from the design.
When analysing a successful, or just as importantly, an unsuccessful design, it is important to consider why the designer has placed particular elements in certain positions, what they are aiming to achieve through their design, and what message they are trying to get across to the viewer. It is often an interesting exercise to consider how the message of the design could be totally changed by altering a particular aspect of the design.
Another point to consider is that you should always look at other designs subjectively. Whether you like the design or not is almost irrelevant. The more important question is whether or not the design is successful in meeting its objectives by effectively communicating to the target audience. As an aside, an unsuccessful design is not always a reflection of the designer’s ability but is quite often a product of the restrictions, or requirements imposed by the client.
Make the user happy
Some of the most successful web and mobile designs in the past twelve months can credit their success not to their innovative services or offerings, but simply to their execution. As designers we should aim to be making the users’ experience as simple and as enjoyable as possible, regardless of how menial or basic the task may seem to be.
As designers, we should always strive to deliver an “experience”. Users want to be able to connect to the designs in their day-to-day lives, and we should respond to this by offering design in which they not only feel comfortable using, but also actually enjoy using. We should appeal to people’s emotions. Make them smile, make them laugh, make them happy but most importantly make them forget that they are actually having to complete the task at hand. A user may not always recognise a “good” user experience, however you can guarantee that they will notice, and be turned off, by a bad user experience.
Learn business
In the same manner that it is important to learn project management (even if you’re not a Project Manager), or to understand code (even if you’re not a developer) it is really valuable to learn business (even if you have no intention of owning or running your own business).
While understanding business may have no direct influence on your design, it will enable you to better understand decisions which are being made around you and, in turn, give you the ability to have input into these decisions to better protect your stake in a project. If you are aware that not enough resources have been allocated to a project, it is one thing to raise the issue, however if you can also identify a solution by looking at resourcing across other areas, the likelihood of the issues being fixed is going to be a lot higher.
It is also important to understand contracts, and the implications of breach of contracts, Key Performance Indicators, Financial implications of decisions and, as mentioned previously, accurate quoting. It is also important to gain an understanding of the day to day running costs of a business. There are a lot of hidden costs which add up very quickly (bills, rent, taxes, wages, insurance, hardware, software, accounting etc.) and it is very easy to forget about these when you are only looking at actual time spent on a project versus the quoted price.
Ask questions so you can understand design limitations imposed
Never be afraid to ask questions. There are always going to be situations where you are out of your comfort zone and surrounded by specialists who have a more in-depth understanding of the topic at hand. Through this article we have looked at a diverse range of areas, however, the important thing to remember is that no-one expects you to be an expert in all of these fields. It is more important that you understand the foundations and feel comfortable engaging in discussions around these topics.
Generally, the people you deal with throughout the course of a project will all have the success of the project as their highest priority and as such will be more than willing to share information and educate you with all the details you need in order to make the project a success. It is much better to ask a large number of questions at the commencement of a project than to avoid asking at the risk of sounding incompetent and then delivering something that is completely wrong and not achievable.
If you do not feel comfortable asking particular questions in a group meeting or presentation, make a note of the question and email the questions through for confirmation after the meeting.
Appropriate and Evolve
Inspiration is worthy of an article in itself, so rather than go into the details of where and how to gain inspiration I am going to briefly touch on the issue of “appropriation” versus “stealing”.
This has been, and will continue to be, a very poignant issue in the design world and there is no definite solution or answer to the argument. In my opinion, it is very important for designers to be aware of what others are creating in the industry around them, but it is equally as important to see these “best practices” as merely a starting point and to set out to personalise and improve upon them. It is important that evolution of design remains at the forefront for all of us, and we don’t get caught up in the trap of recycling design solutions over and over with no vision of moving the industry forwards.
I believe Brendan Dawes summed up my thoughts exactly when he said “If you’re going to steal, at least make it better!”.
Conclusion
Although I have covered a vast range of information in this series of articles, I just want to take a step back and remind you of the over-arching message throughout; regardless of emerging technologies, we must not lose sight of the fundamentals of the design process. We must always remember that tools should only be used as a method of executing our ides. While the introduction of new technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3 is exciting, they are never going to replace an original thought process. Admittedly these new tools allow us, as designers, to execute our concepts to a new level. However, no matter what tools we have at our disposal, a lousy idea or concept will still be a lousy finished product.
While it is important that we keep track of advancements in technologies, it is more important to grasp the foundations of the web and design in general. As Jimi Hendrix put it “You’ve got to know much more than just the technicalities of notes; you’ve got to know what goes between the notes”.
So, where to start with all this? Get out there, learn as much as you can (from as many people as you can), attend conferences, join discussion forums, read books and you will reap the rewards of becoming a much more rounded, and ultimately better, creative.
Most importantly, Brendan Dawes made it as blunt as possible when he said -
“Talk – Action = Shit”.
Take heed.
