Design process, research and job search

The best ideas of recent weeks from the Telegram channel The Design Times.

Design process

The main problem of novice designers is the lack of an established work process. This is logical, because most self-taught designers, who started with copying and only after that began to seriously engage in the craft.

I was faced with a similar problem at the start of my career and as soon as I started to adhere to the process, the quality of my work improved markedly.

The classic design process includes the steps of:

1. Immersion in the task : understanding the goals and objectives of the business.
2. Study . Analysis of the information provided, competitors and open sources. Identify user problems.
3. Generation of ideas and creation of a framework based on the research (Framework - the structure around which interface elements are built).
4. Thinking through scenarios . Definition of the priority scenario based on the goals and objectives of users.
5. Creating a visual style , taking into account the specifics of the business. Colors, styles of elements, typography, photos.
6. Design layouts . First, the key scenarios, after all the rest. Do not forget about the different states of the elements.

It is impossible to always follow a single process. Yes, and not necessary. Each project is unique, so before you begin to work, decide on the necessary steps and only after that start work. Half an hour spent on planning will save several days of work.

Interview with user

Interviews with the user are a great opportunity to stop guessing and tackle real problems, which is the main function of the design.

In such meetings, it is important to show the person that there are no wrong answers . Since your task is to find out how a person uses services in real life, any information will be useful.

Be careful of direct recommendations for improving the interface. Listen carefully, take notes, but do not forget that you are the designer here. The user may think that his problem lies in one thing, and you, seeing the big picture, can solve it at a higher level.

The biggest problem I’ve seen is the promotion of my ideas. Sometimes, to protect their point of view, designers ask questions that are difficult to answer otherwise than the interviewer expects. The best solution to this problem is to use open-ended questions , that is, those that cannot be answered "yes" or "no."

You do not need direct answers or advice, because your goal during the interview is to understand the motives, habits and tasks of the users. And then decide what to do with them next.

Competitor research

Competitor research has two sides:

1. You will save a lot of time by adopting some decisions of competitors, because for some reason they implemented them. Perhaps personal experience that is most valuable.
2. Having gone deep into the research of competitors, you can immerse yourself in existing patterns too much and remain among them, having lost the opportunity to invent something new.

In the study, as in many other things, you need to keep the middle. I prefer to study the new sphere first and think for myself how the service should work. And only after that go to the research of competitors.

Some tips for research:

• Study not only direct competitors, but also services similar in mechanics . Buying movie and plane tickets is similar to many, although the industry is completely different.
• Take screenshots of interesting ideas and collect them in a mindboard. For this there is Pinterest, InVision Boards, a folder on the desktop, a physical wall with printouts.
• Pay attention to navigation , but do not take the most popular solution. Go through the pages and try to determine which option is more convenient. Sometimes, many patterns are used out of habit, and not because of logical considerations.

Correct criticism

Correct criticism is one of the most powerful tools for the development of a designer, so it is very silly to neglect it. You can reach everything yourself, but it will take much more time, whereas, an experienced designer with one piece of advice can instantly speed up your development and bring it to a new level.

But there is one subtle point. Not all criticism is helpful. Rather, on the contrary - most of the criticism is harmful.

Think about how many designers are in the world? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? I do not know, but I know that most of them have not reached the expert level. Consequently, most designers will not be able to give you adequate advice, but they will definitely want to. Therefore, it is very important to receive feedback from competent specialists.

Ray Dalio, author of the excellent book Principles”, Offers the following description of a competent person. In his opinion, a competent person must at least three times achieve good results in the case in which he tries to make recommendations. We all understand that once or twice a person may get lucky, and when you have succeeded three times in one business, you most likely understood something about it.

Some designers are very afraid to flaunt their work and ask for advice from a competent specialist. I do not know whether you are among these people or not, but I know one thing - it will take time and you will forget how you felt inconvenience, but do not forget the current level. Therefore, if you want to accelerate your development, use the opportunity to get quality criticism.

Understanding of design

You can understand any sphere in two ways:

• Examine the logic of creating every detail (color choices, typography, branding, content, animation, ...)
• Understand the fundamental rules (design must solve the user's problem)

Both methods are good and important. But examples of successful companies show that the first method cannot live without the second. That is, having solved the user's problem, you invest strength in the company's success, and by polishing the details without taking into account the goals and objectives of the business, you can establish yourself only among the designers at Dribbble.

Work searches

Analyzing possible methods of job search, I divided them into two groups: passive and active. The first are aimed at waiting for the proposal, the second provoke it themselves.

Passive methods

Summary. Your experience, key skills and references to work.

Portfolio . The employer is ready to turn a blind eye to the lack of education and experience, if your work will be a good level. Many even at all, when viewing candidates, require only a portfolio.

Profiles in social networks . Almost all employers, before inviting a candidate for an interview, look at his profiles. What are your hobbies? What are you posting? Where are you? Many people do not think about it, but social networks speak a lot about your personality and greatly influence the choice of candidates.

Active methods

Responses to other people's jobs. This is the most classic option. Using popular services for job search, you can send your resume to dozens of companies in a few minutes.

Publication of articles and cases . This tool is more interesting, because on the one hand you just share your experience, but at the same time, attract the attention of the community and demonstrate your expertise.

Communication with professionals . By visiting an event, you will find yourself in a lively atmosphere, where each participant is engaged in something and some of these people will be happy to consider new candidates for themselves in the project.

Direct letters to employers. Few people use this option, despite its effectiveness. Briefly tell about yourself and why you decided to contact this company and give a link to your portfolio, ideally, to Dribbble, Behance or your website, so that it would be easier for people to study your work.

Course or competition . A popular option now, which has opened the way for many designers to top companies. Pavel Shumakov, having won the Russian Design Cup, received an offer from VKontakte, and later moved to the London office of Badoo. Some designers, having passed the course from Skillbox, received a job offer at AIC. Similar events are held by Mail.Ru Group, Yandex and annually select new candidates for themselves.

***

It is important to understand that behind the screen of any brand, even the largest, there are adequate people who are ready to consider an ambitious candidate at any time. Your task is to present yourself correctly.

A competent letter to the general box, a Facebook message, along with a neat portfolio - this is sometimes all that is needed to find a new job. Then everything will depend on your ability to properly apply yourself at the interview and show in the first months of work.