UX Design
- Started
- Last post
- 27 Responses
- Bullitt
Discuss
- GeorgesII-7
ahahahahahahahahahahha ahahahahahahhahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahaha ahahahahahaha
he said UX and Design
ahahahahahahahahahahha ahahahahahahhahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahaha ahahahahahaha
- Bullitt0
It's been around now a fair few years, its has a lot of elements we all got taught to pay attention to when designing a website. Now its, it's own entity, it's research, it's analysing, AB testing, wire framing and wire framing and prototyping, designing..and wait wtf!?
- uan2
and after all that cool talk...they invented inreads, aka ads within the heart of editorial content, that makes your brain goes upside down when the text line you are reading is suddenly somewhere else. but they don't measure that, they only care about views, clicks and marketing.
- GeorgesII1
sorry, I'm being a little bitch,
it's just that I still don't understand the role of a UX,being a good "designer" should equate to being a great UX, but sadly not the inverse,
I blame design school, because somewhere along the road, they discovered they could double the money they were making, so they started created fields like user experience/ user interface/VUI etc
it's all BS.
no offense to our fellow UX
- <OBBTKN
- Well I agree, but he didn't say UX role, he said UX... which is something worth discussing as it's a huge and very real part of the design process...set
- agreed, but the last 5 "UX" I worked with, weren't that great at it nor design, still they were respected because they knew the catchy terms,GeorgesII
- the entire job field of UX is filled with fakes, yet no one seems to call them on it.GeorgesII
- I agreeset
- same, I agree. The subject is important, but people I've seen so far in the 'UX' role, come from different backgrounds, marketing, front end dev.Bullitt
- and in most cases I've not been impressedBullitt
- To be fair, you can say that about any role. Lots of lackluster devs, same goes for designers.monNom
- I only personally know one UX desigenr and the site she did foir her BF is one of the shittest pieces of work I've seen in recent years.detritus
- hmmm you didn't mention rux/ex/ix...ArchitectofFate
- Senior tyrannosaurus RUXset
- OctopiStimuli0
Do you need to learn coding (HTML5 CSS) to be a UX Designer?
- it's debatable lol
I see some roles advertised now for UX Designer with a spec of : wire framing, prototyping, strong visual skills + front end dev.. WTF!?Bullitt - and that my friend is what I've been doing for a few years, but I still wouldn't call myself a UX DesignerBullitt
- Those UX design / coder hybrid roles are popping up because a) HR staff don't know what they're looking for, or, b) they have no $ for a large team and needmg33
- someone who can do it all. A "ninja" or "rock star" if written by or written to millenials. LOLmg33
- ninja and rockstar isn't a millennial term, it's the crap what "webdesigners" from india use to define their endless knowledge of the internets.sted
- it's debatable lol
- 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
- fruitsalad0
Roller coasters - that's UX design. You're designing an experience.
In regards to apps, websites, digital interfaces - UX Design?...
It's stretching the use of the word experience, If you consider standing around getting tech neck an experience...
It's Software Design! You're designing what the software - all be it across various platforms and also you can consider social media - will do at each point in the users operation of it.
- Think outside of the box.fruitsalad
- Think inside of the circle.fruitsalad
- fruitsalad1
UX Design:
- umbee540
example:
ux - place "buy now" button in best place possible based on user testing, research, etc.design - make the button look nice. choose the right fonts, colors, size, etc.
?
- deja vuGeorgesII
- well that just totally undersells design, fucking hell we're just painters nowBullitt
- make it look pretty, fuck off hahaBullitt
- I'd position the button also, I'd think about the colour based on how a user might respond to it... I'd maybe split test that alsoBullitt
- my thoughts...
good design / style - unteachable
good UX - can be learned
UX is inherent in good design.umbee54
- sted0
UX engineer
UI designer
- sted0
remember this?
- Ah, yes. Still valuable but under appreciated. Words mean a lot!studderine
- cannonball19780
UX = cringe.
The hordes of biz-casual faux-smart milquetoasts that flood the internet with articles about "oh QQ you need to test" and "but but mai thought leadership." Trying to package and sell a full separate job type and career around common design sense to a bunch of suits who can't get their heads around red plus blue equals purple. Just a bloated check for "consulting", or some stupid department head keeping shit contemporary with "and these are our UX-ers". Nothing new at all. Faaack off.
- play with me: there is an application workflow designed by your company and the client's marketing manager comes into play saying that you have to changested
- the user experience flow. how you back up your concept?sted
- i do that by showing the research we have for the concept, so that office rat who never used such app, just wants it's own ideas come in play can fuck off.sted
- By not inviting the marketing manager to meetings about design changes but asking what their objectives are and noting them as requirements.cannonball1978
- I'm not attacking testing . I'm attacking what UX is passing itself off as. And also attacking how bland as shit UX culture is.cannonball1978
- UX culture is shit like the "webdesign" culture was 15 years ago.sted
- "Passing itself off as." What do you even mean by that? I'm not insulted in the slightest by your rhetoric; I'm perfectly content in what I do, as are clients.mg33
- ^ You've misquoted me. That's fine if you are content and your clients too. But you aren't selling something special.cannonball1978
- ^ah wait no you haven't misquoted lol. I'm saying you are selling something that is represented as necessary separate thing.cannonball1978
- fruitsalad-1
Once we get past this current tech stage, whereby we have a job requirement called UX Design, before that it was Information Architect, and before all of that Interactive Designer... We'll enter the age of MSC Designer.
MSC Designers will be the hot new job once Virtual Reality goes mainstream.
MSC Designers need medical and scientific insights, as well as technical ability in order to control and limit the user experience of MS.
Motion Sickness Control Designers. The hot new job for 2020.
- yuekit1
UX is this guy
- Yes. But personally while I think he's been great for UX, he's been shit for design. There has to be a happy medium.kona
- he is a mystery.sted
- < Usability engineering. You don't hire him to generate a bunch of new design ideas. You hire him to evaluate and test a product/design.studderine
- studderine1
The problem is that UX doesn't mean anything anymore. Aren't we all concerned about the experience and designing for it? There are just different roles and disciplines to get to a useable and delightful product.
- Thiskona
- i don't want my GDs to start designing apps without any research or background knowledge.sted
- They shouldn't.
Any designer worth a damn knows, the best design isn't always the right design for the user.kona - Also, good designers should research competitors, search for inspiration, audit, and understand the problem they're trying to solve before trying to solve it.kona
- @Sted, I agree you don't want the GD to start designing something w/o context. You're right. However, I think most designers are cross-disciplinary.studderine
- And I think there is a time and a place for dedicated WHATEVER role.studderine
- kona5
UX at my last company was a fucking joke.
While I was a manager of design within the UX group, we were thought of as outsiders from the group itself and considered nothing more than production designers. Most of the researchers and architects thought they ran the show.
Research would test a design often times modifying it as they saw fit. Example: We were trying to design a new button, one that fit better with our brand and research talked the company into spending shit tons of money to test it. Fine. Unfortunately they tested 10 different colored buttons they put together. Blue button with yellow text. Orange button with white text. Yellow button with Black text... it was at this point I realized they were just testing other large ecommerce site's buttons against ours. Best buy. Home Depot. Lowes. Sears. 2 weeks later the results were in and the blue button with yellow text won by a 3% margin.
Research victory!
Me: But our brand is Red, White, and Black. How the fuck is a blue button with yellow text going to work?!?
Research and Company: Well, Red means stop and that's bad for ecommerce.
Me: Tell that to Target, GNC, Kmart, Virgin, Coca Cola, Band-aid, Pinterest.... you fuks.Perfect example of how UX failed.
Example 2: Same company. We designed a new product and the architects and research wanted to test it. Fine. Problem was they tested a 3d hand-held object online... morons. The test came back exactly as I expected it would. The product and test failed. Great win for research and architects who said it would!!!
Me: Can we get users in to test it in person?
Research: Why?
Me: *Throws chair out of 33rd floor office window*
Me: Because sometimes what people say they'll do is very different from what they'll do in person.A live test was conducted with 22 individuals and it was a smashing success. We tested old device vs. new device. The old device had a 33% success rate for each task given. The new device had a 95% success rate for each task given.
To Georges point above. Most UX I worked with there are fake and don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.
- Bad, bad user researchers.studderine
- This. Research is so fucking flawed all the time and yet held up as some sort of logical and moral absolute. Also people don't know when its appropriate.cannonball1978
- Also, research can't account for taste.cannonball1978
- Bad research = bad feedback = bad design. Have to know to when to user the right research method and sometimes that requires advanced HCI knowledge!studderine
- *use the rightstudderine
- You also need the ability and authority to interpret research insightfully and responsibly to arrive at the right insights.cannonball1978
- Naked research results != findings or learning and is a disaster if it is used to blindly direct the design process.cannonball1978
- lies
damned lies
UX researchmonNom - I've worked on so many projects where it's used as decision lubrication instead of for gaining perspective.cannonball1978
- Researchers changing button styles would have really pissed me off! hahahaMondoMorphic
- I love this story.soundsinsilence
- 33rd floor office window - 33% success...I'd start researching the number 33.see_thru
- research, being a setup and aware of situation can't be an indicator from which to make decision. Insights, but above all, gut feeling wins.fruitsalad
- I've met plenty that use opinions instead of facts and facts over common sense. 'We use 'data' to inform our design decisions and optimise performance.'monoboy
- How about just asking your audience what they want and giving it to them, on brand and on time. Does my head in.monoboy
- how about the CEO's and folks running the company just being decent people and talking to a good designer, and asking them for their professional design opinionfruitsalad
- MondoMorphic-2
I feel like UX was invented for all the designers who couldn't actually design, i.e., no artistic ability, never bothered to learn Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, or Sketch, couldn't figure out CSS/HTML, etc. "Dammit, I know Visio though, so I'll be a UX designer."
- In many instances, it seems like UX people are essentially product managers who haven't forgotten about their users.MondoMorphic
- studderine2
- old man scratches for some moneysted
- ^ lol, wanted to see how would QBN'ers reactstudderine
- I like this.kona
- sted, you wrongbklyndroobeki
- You're wrong Sted - I met him in Seattle and he's super smart.see_thru
- lol ppl had the opportunity to shake his hand a year ago when he was in milan :) talked a lot about real things not just bs like almost all the other presenterssted
- ESKEMA1
UX and all new niche terms are just a way for your big ass agency to charge more for their clients money because they justify it having lots of people dedicated to a single task. And of course, since it's trendy people start to focus only on one aspect, because that's where the job openings are. Then, after you mastered that niche, you don't master the bigger picture by yourself, you need a team of other experts to do that, in this case DESIGN something. From the ground up.
- they were a way to fire art directors and hire cheaper 'ux' people in '07/08. all ux people want to be art directors. SADdoesnotexist