What makes a Shitty UX designer and how to fix it (Part 01)

"I am a shitty UX designer. I suck at UI design, I have no idea how code works, I can't relate to the users, and I have lost my path. It might be time to quit and become a barista... or something."

Let me tell you this; I have mentored over a hundred junior UX designers on adplist.org in the past two years, and I can assure you that you are not alone. Don't get me wrong, you ARE in fact a shitty designer at the beginning of your journey, but you can step up and improve your skills.

In this series of articles, I will address the most common mistakes (or rather shortcomings) of junior UX designers, as well as a number of useful resources to get a head start in the right direction.

Are you ready? Let's begin.

You have no idea what "The Users" want

Suppose you are the cook for a fancy party. You will be preparing food for a large group of VIP guests in an international meeting. You go to work and make some succulent steaks, tender chicken and delicious fish. You add some extra touches and confidently bring the food to the place. As soon as you open the door, you notice something that spoils the whole night; a sign that says “World Vegan Organization Meeting”.

This is what happens when you design, without involving users in the process. It doesn’t matter how flawless your steak is, no one will eat it.

There is no need to do any magic; just listen carefully and gather all sorts of data from users. This can be a simple survey, a short interview (more like a conversation), or observing user actions through monitoring tools like Hotjar or Google Analytics . Keep in mind to ask smart questions in order to get valuable answers.

These resources can help you better understand users:

1. Read "The Mom Test " by Rob Fitzpatrick : This is a beginner's guide to asking smart question and understanding user's point-of-view prior to developing a product.
2. Check out "Growth.design " case studies: This is a blog/newsletter focused on providing case studies about world-famous digital products and their different aspects. It will help you to better understand some important design rules and how to implement them in your works.
3. Watch "The Futur " youtube channel: Everything you need, from negotiating with clients to extracting data from users, is found within the contents of this channel.

You have no idea what "The Business" wants

Simply put, the purpose of UX design is to add extra value to a product, so more people would use it, therefore the business makes more profit. In addition to that, a business loves to optimize their spending on various processes such as R&D and Design.

This is where a good designer shines; as a UX designer, you can come up with solutions that makes the business happy in their financial goals. One particular way to achieve this is to become a "Generalist" in design, and improve your value as a key asset in the eyes of the business. A generalist can handle the different aspects of the product and bring coherence to it, as well as cutting the cost of operation. What's not to love?

Check out these resources to sharpen your business understandings:

1. "Lex Fridman " podcast: This podcast which is focused on technology, business, and innovation, helps you find precious datapoints and leads to follow and expand your knowledge.
2. Watch "Wall Street Journal " youtube channel: Being one of the best resources to study different businesses, WSJ provides detailed reviews of some of the world-famous products and businesses.
3. Read "Start with Why " by Simon Sinek : Knowing why you make a decision, how you implement it, and what is the outcome of that is the main focus of this book.

You have no idea what "The Developers" do

Do you know how front-end developers work? How about the logic of the back-end development? Congratulations, you just became a huge pain in the "head" for your team.

Let me explain it this way; you are a translator who are conveying the users and business needs to the developers. How are you going to do this, if you are unable to speak their language?

Of course, no one expects you to master any of the programming languages from scratch and start coding, but it is in your best interest to learn the basics and comprehend the different concepts and terminologies like Object-Oriented Programing, API, Service, and more.

Here are some suggestions you can use to improve in programming basics:

1. Talk to people in Adplist : You can find all kinds of developers in this platform and ask for their advice on learning the basics of programing. Simply book a session with one of them, and talk about their experience and expectations in working with a UX designer.
2. Study design systems: This is a crucial step in achieving a shared language with developers (specially front-end developers) since you can communicate better with them by using the right terminology. You can use design systems to familiarize yourself with various design elements such as tables, inputs, and many more.
3. Get your hands dirty: It won't hurt to open VS Code and try to bring one of your designs to life; front-end developers do this everyday, and experiencing their struggles can make you a better designer. You are suppose to "Empathize" after all, remember?

You have no idea what "Design" means

The word “Design” in UX design has a meaning beyond visuals; it means creating and engineering solutions for various types of problems. It involves understanding the needs and goals of the users, the context and constraints of the situation, and the possibilities and limitations of the technology. It requires applying research, analysis, creativity, and evaluation to generate and test ideas that can solve the problems effectively and efficiently. It is not just about making things look good, but making things work well.

Check out these resources to learn more about the core of design:

1. "Abstract: The Art of Design " documentary: This Netflix series is a fantastic observation of design process in different industries and world-changing products. Watching this will make you realize how important design is and how to become a real designer.
2. Watch "Malewicz " youtube channel: This youtube channel is entirely based on real experiences, industry knowledge, and precious insights of ?????? Michal Malewicz ?? , a product designer with 20 years of experience.
3. Play (and study) Video-Games: Video-games are the most complex form of all digital products; there are a dozen of different products involved in creating them, and even playing them sometimes is as challenging as solving real-world problems. I suggest playing "There is No Game ", "12 Minutes ", and "Superliminal ".

You have no idea how to operate "Figma"

Can you trust an electrician who can't screw a light bulb? That is how I feel when I see a "Designer" who can't set a proper auto-layout in Figma; this is your toolbox, learn it inside-out!

"But UI doesn't matter that much, I prefer to focus my time and attention on UX." you might say. In this instance, I will encourage you to take that barista job you where thinking about.

UX and UI are not two different concepts; one directly affects the other, and they are always intertwined. How can you bring your solutions to life, if not through a intuitive and neat interface that users can have easy and accessible interactions with?

Check these resources for more information on UI design and Figma:

1. Use "Figma Playground " community projects: Every time Figma introduces a new feature, they upload a playground file on community for the designers to experience it. Just search "Figma Playground" in the community and enjoy it's step-by-step tutorial.
2. Watch "DesignCourse " on youtube: This is a channel dedicated mostly to UI design and development. In this channel you will find helpful videos and live sessions, focused on "Design Review", which reviews the submitted interfaces and solves their problems.
3. Read "No Bullshit Guide to UX " by ?????? Michal Malewicz ?? : This book should be your holy bible for the first year of your design career. It talks about different approaches of design, the importance of various processes in UX, and telling the truth about some useless theories that everyone are hyped about for no reason.

Final words...

UX is much bigger than meets the eyes; if you are really passionate to work in UX industry, you need to invest your time in learning, talking to people, and gathering any datapoint you can get your hands on. The world already has thousands of boring, unimaginative designers. Please, don't be an addition to that.

#productdesign #uxdesign #juniordesigner #uidesign #mentoring