Writing
Some design philosophizing
I love these drawing-rectangles jokes.
But I'm going to take the stance of "that one guy on Twitter who doesn't understand the joke". Even when designing simple things, there's (usually) so much that goes into each decision. Peer around that rectangle and you'll see how complex it really is.
Because even when this happens:
Our design work is so, so much more than what the end result appears to be (even when it ends up basically looking like a rectangle).
How To Design
(con/di)verge
iterate
collaborate
Scope
Define
Discover
Deliver
Entropy
Visualizing everything that goes into creating even a single element that ends up on a screen could take a while. For now, I'll just stick with high-level process.
Distinct phases (the faces above.. man there's an opportunity for a pun here) are discovery, definition, and delivery. They contain the whole of the project. Convergence/divergence, iteration, and collaboration are what connect the phases together. Scope is essentially appetite; it's the volume of the cube. I won't bore you with defining these things since I'm not breaking new ground here.
And then there's entropy, which doesn't get enough credit. Creative work is inherently going to create all manner of stuff that doesn't make it to the end product. It could be anything from archived explorations to wanting to try out a new design tool in the middle of a project. Those explorations could eventually make it into the product, or that design tool could eventually be picked up by the whole team. Entropy is not waste.
Why I Design
Anything designed requires significant process that allows the designer to navigate complexity. What went into creating a button you interacted with earlier today could peeled back like layers of an onion.
That's a huge reason why I got into design, and why I'm still a designer. Solving complex problems is fun, and there will always be more to solve.
Visual design is what drew me in, and interaction design is what kept me interested early on. I've always been a person willing to debate, go deeper, and alter my worldview based on better data. UX methodologies gave me the ability to have greater conviction and impact, thanks to better data. And the reason I find products and businesses fascinating is.. <drumroll>.. empathy! I had to include the 'e' word somewhere!
I want my focus, as a designer, to be this: help people become better and more efficient at something they love, or something they do often. These are the kinds of people I've helped so far:
Employees ordering food at work
Corporate banking representatives
Accountants, Controllers, and CFOs
Health & wellness content creators
Small & medium business owners
Front-of-house staff at restaurants
I look forward to adding more to the list 🚀.