I am an architect and I switched to UI/UX design (Part 2)
In the previous article, I described the reasons why I left architecture after many years of studying and working. Here I would like to explain, why UI/UX Design among all other possibilities, become my new path.
It is possible to be at the forefront of innovation
Tech field is the most innovative and fast developing among all others. The speed with which new concepts are adopted by the tech industry and soon becoming new normal is incredible. Being a part of it allows working with the latest trends, using the most advanced tools and applying the best practices and methodologies. The designer could unleash all his or her potential by fully acquiring all these advantages during work and create really amazing things.
You may iterate step by step, test and improve your design from the early stages
One of the most important parts of the development process in tech is an iteration. It allows creating great things step by step, while continually testing and improving it. This is very different comparing to the architectural process, where testing is almost impossible to make (except for getting prospective user’s feedback, but about the project, not the real building). The best part of the iterative approach is that it could potentially eliminate a lot of possible issues and provide the best product for customers.
You are able to reach a lot of people and serve more after
Digital technologies provide possibilities for reaching a huge amount of people. Being a designer allows creating things that could become a part of everyday life of many people and this is both big responsibility and very huge honour. Knowing, that hundreds, thousands or even millions of men and women are using service, site or app you’ve designed is just incredible. User satisfaction with the overall product experience inspires and really helps to feel fulfilled and understand that you, as a designer, are doing something important in your life.
You can actually understand your user
Technologies bring people closer. This also applied to user-designer relationships. As a creative professional, you are able to reach your potential future clients and get as much feedback about your product and their needs in general, which allows understanding them better. This, in its turn, helps to create amazing things that actually remove peoples pains and provide amazing opportunities for them, while making life easier.
You have a playground for experiments
Since the technology industry is all about the innovation it is completely open for experiments. The digital world probably is the most flexible and open to new things, which completely unties the hands of anyone who would like to try something that has not been done previously. You, as a designer, may do whatever you want and even the technology will not be a limitation: it is very widespread practice, when some crazy, at first sight, ideas then are realised by a dedicated team of developers in a matter of months, weeks or even days. This is totally different from, even, hardware technologies, where searching for the right solutions could take much more time. In the case of architecture, only a few architectural companies could afford some kind of experimentation, while having huge corporations as clients for those projects.
Conclusion
All things considered, design and, in particular, UI/UX design could provide such amazing possibilities for a creative person, as only very few other fields could do. As a designer, you are able to reach your users and iterate through the various solutions, while improving them by getting constant feedback. It also allows experimenting a lot and not be limited by any technologies limitations, law regulations (in case we are talking about legitimate kinds of activity) and even, in the majority of cases, by budget. This kind of freedom attracted me and many other architects, who wanted to bring more to this world. Who knows, maybe you will become the next one?
P.S. This is a personal opinion of the author.
