"What the F*ck is UI Design?"
A very rough guide to explaining your design job to people at parties.
Very occasionally I find myself at a party. Now, don't get me wrong, I like parties. This has been well documented. But I dread meeting strangers at parties. Because I know that amongst the flotsam and jetsam of awkward small talk, my least favourite question will bob to the surface:
'So what do you do?'’
'Ah, well… ummm. I am a User Interface Designer.'
'Oh… What is that?'
'Umm… Well. I make apps and shit.'
'Oh sweet. So I have this great idea for an app. It's like uber for toilet paper. You know, so if you run out while shitting. You could open the app and boom! Someone bring you some.
You could totally help me build it right?'
'Ummm… Well…'
At this point I am quietly hoping for some sort of apocalyptic event that will usher in the sweet embrace of death.
But alas.
It never comes.
I often wonder why I bail out of explaining what I actually do. Maybe it is because I think people won't understand, or won't be interested. But maybe it's because I don't really understand it myself? As the saying goes, if you can't explain something simply…
So over the past couple of months I have been honing a metaphor that makes it easier to explain my job to people at parties. And as an added bonus, make sense of my own job.
But first, some background:
I like cars
No. I mean I really like cars.
I like everything about them but mainly I like driving them. I like it so much that I jump at the opportunity to drive almost any car. I obsess over the differences in the experience. I will walk through a parking lot and think 'Drove that one, weird clutch. Drove that one, great steering. Oooh, really want to drive that one.'
It is my secret shame.
So this got me thinking. Cars are a great metaphor for designing digital products. They are probably one of the most heavily designed objects in the built world and they deliver unbelievably immersive experiences. The word immersive gets tossed around a lot with apps and websites. But compared to driving a car, using a cell phone is about as immersive as a puddle. Plus, we use cars almost everyday so people at parties might be familiar with them.
So…
Imagine designing a car
Imagine you need to make a car. So you assemble a crack team of designers to design and build your car. But why are there so many different kinds of designers? What parts of the problem are they each trying to solve? And why can't you just let one of them do the whole thing?
Well let us break it down:
Who Will Drive It And How? — Customer Experience Design
Before actually building anything, someone has to sit down and figure out who this car is for and what they need in a car. These are the people that make sure that if the customers we are trying to target are billionaire playboys summering in Monte Carlo, we don't try build them a Ford Focus.
How Will It Feel To Drive? — User Experience Design
A UX designer is concerned with what this car feels like to drive. They think specifically about how the user will interact with the car and what the user will get out of the interaction. They ensure that the car handles the corners well, that the engine sounds great when it revvs, that the cockpit is quiet and comfortable.
How Will It Look? — User Interface Design
The UI designer creates what the user will interact with.
They ensure that the product looks good, but appropriate. That a Hyundai doesn't look like a Ferrari. But more importantly they make sure that the design elements used make sense to the user. That the car has a steering wheel and not a joystick. That the pedals are in the right order. That the A/C button has the right icon on it.
How Will It All Work? — Front End Developer
The Developer designs all the systems and processes that you can’t see. They make sure that the engine, gearbox and wheels all work in harmony to deliver the designed experience. No matter how well the rest of the car is designed, if the engine doesn’t work the whole experience is ruined.
If you manage to get all of these very different kinds of people to work together you might actually get a usable car out of the exercise. It may not be exactly what you were looking for though.
At this stage in the party, one of three things will have happened:
One — the tables will have turned and the stranger you are talking to will be the one hoping for the sweet release of death. Success!
Two — everyone will have left and you will be stood alone in the center of the room babbling incoherently to yourself about cars. Your story needs some refining. Try again next time.
Three — the world will open up and we will all be sacrificed to the great Cthulhu. Praise be.
If you enjoyed reading this, please click “Recommend” below.
This will help to share the story with others.
For more general witty banter and some tutorials, follow me here and on twitter@danhollick
