UX Design
Out of context: Reply #7
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- mg330
We've had this conversation a few times before. Traditionally, and still today, the visual designer / graphic designer / art director role has not involved extensive dialog with clients to understand and develop the interactivity and overall page / site / interface functionality. That's not what a purely creative role is for.
A UX role, be it UX architect or designer, usually precedes a phase involving the creative team and then overlaps with them as a project evolves. UX designers often work from square one to make sense of either how an existing "experience" (site, app, etc) is being used by people, how it can be improved, or, how an entirely new experience can be created for a new product or service.
That UX role often includes research, stakeholder interviews, reading solution design documents, reading functional requirements, understanding data and analytics, and strategy. It also often comes with strong understanding in human computer interaction and other facets of how we use digital tools along with the psychology of that usage.
Speaking from experience as a senior UX designer, that's what my role includes. Tons of talking with clients about their needs, understanding what their users are currently doing, understanding business requirements, technical challenges, budget constraints that prohibit certain solutions, etc. Lots of sketching, whiteboarding, making user flows, low-for concepts in Axure or Sketch, making highly annotated functional wireframes for stakeholders and devs and business analysts.
I'll point out that currently I really only work on web applications for insurance agencies - tools used by their agents and internal users to manage customer policies and customer information, and the systems used are vast. But I have just as much experience in consumer facing sites and the needs are much the same.
I honestly don't know where the confusion comes from about what UX design actually is, but hopefully my perspective gives some insight that's useful. Personally, and this is no slight on visual designers at all, but I haven't met or worked wit one yet they did, or could do, the things I described above simply because that is not the focus of their role. They could perhaps do a little of it, just as I could do a little of their job of needed (ex: concepts).
My impression ultimately is that those who have no idea what UX design is, or think it's a relabeling of visual design or web design, haven't been in or around working situations where there's actually a sharp distinction between purely creative/visual design role, and those of UX design.
So, to conclude, if you expect that the typical visual designer / graphic designer has experience doing all of the above, then they have a pretty good chance at a hybrid role where they can wear a lot of hats, awesome. If not and they want to do more UX-centric work as I've described it, then they have a lot to learn. Hope that's helpful.
- <<< Found the UXGeorgesII
- "That's not what a purely creative role is for." BULLSHIT BUZZERcannonball1978
- How/why is that confusing cannonball? I have yet to work with a creative who does all of that, and I think that's consistent across many agencies.mg33
- I'm not talking so much about the high-level strategy and such, but more the fine detail that goes into developing something as the project rolls on.mg33
- mg33, What are you sketching? I user invasion for prototyping, those wireframes are they lo or hi fidelity?Bullitt
- would you come up with the solutions for a landing page for example a new means of searching a site, or is this for the designers, because thats not just visualBullitt
- It's not confusing. It's bullshit to justify a separation of roles.cannonball1978
- speaking of UX, qbn needs an edit button to correct posts, 'user invasion!' lol correction : use invisionBullitt
- sometimes paper sketching or whiteboard, or low-fi stuff in Axure. Detailed annotated wires in Axure as well.mg33
- OK, so most visual designers you work with do everything I described and have throughout their career?mg33
- I'm not denying that visual designers can't do these things; I guess I'm speaking more from my own work experience.mg33
- Because in 10 years I've never been anywhere that a creative designer does a majority of UX responsibilities, nor a UX doing visual design responsibilities.mg33
- You have two falsehoods—that UX is not a "creative" role, and implying that visual designers should or do not employ wire framing or research skills.cannonball1978
- I sense your experience comes perhaps form a more soloed working environment. I can see why a conveyor belt approach might be needed at a bigger place but...cannonball1978
- I've led many UX projects and the distinction between a this designer and a that designer is bullshit. Vis designers should test, research etc,cannonball1978
- Just as much as any strategist or facilitator roles should.cannonball1978
- I don't mean that about UX not being creative. Was more describing department titles, ex "creative" and "UX." Sorry for any confusion.mg33
- *siloed*cannonball1978
- Additionally, I get that there's crossover in skills and responsibilities. Also get that there are people expected to do all of this in smaller placesmg33
- or as freelancers who need to know who do deliver successful work that relies on doing all these things together.mg33
- But that does not negate that there can be a need for specialists in both areas, and that not everyone wants to do both roles as a combined role.mg33
- * how to deliver...mg33
- Sure, for example if the project is just purely research. But then it's just a research project. "UX" existing as a think exacerbates the implications thatcannonball1978
- there are no other design skills that are similar to be found or encouraged in other designers. Its a flawed world view (or industry view)cannonball1978
- Yeah, it might be a flawed view, that's possible. There's just so much to learn and know these days, only gets worse every year.mg33
- Like I said, from my own experience, there isn't a single project at our agency that wouldn't be segmented into responsibilities per discipline.mg33
- LOL, having had a 30 minute conversation with a client yesterday about how to redirect users out of a screen after 15 minute idle and timeoutmg33
- ... I don't think any of our designers want to get that in depth on the endless minutia of redesigning a UI.mg33
- You'd be surprised.cannonball1978
- Just super in-depth stuff that never ends and comes with dozens of conversations about technical aspects, behaviors, etc. I enjoy it though.mg33
- RE: our visual designers not wanting to - I know they care, but it's just not their role nor their day-to-day involvement with clients.mg33
- Would seem to cut down on a lot of middle-manning if they did, unless they were too junior.cannonball1978
- Some people study HCI. Some people study graphic design. Different focus. Can there be overlap? Sure. But, again, two disciplines under the HUGE umbrella of UX.studderine
- Did I study ethnographic research? No. But why am I leading UX projects? Because I am able. Just as most other designers are from any flavor.cannonball1978
- ^Or your company doesn't understand the value of that research method so they figure "Hey, this guy can do it. Right?" ;Pstudderine
- I've seen in some bigger firms I've worked at where they have then broken down the UX designer role, into UX analyst, UX researcher etc etc.Bullitt
- I started out from a Graphic Design background and we got taught to research a lot, study the demographic and their needs, backup your evidence and ideasBullitt
- Graphic design is not visual design, more visual communication, it's using a lot of the UX method inherited todayBullitt
- one thing I'm not up for is all the interviewing, but I've sat in on some through a glass wall with the UX analyst conducting the interviewBullitt
- it's very interesting looking at the human behaviour when people navigate through your siteBullitt
- without a doubt it's invaluable knowledge gainedBullitt
- What he saidwheelBoy
- dittowhatthefunk