3 big questions UX/UI designers and developers MUST ask…often.
What’s my name? Say my name!!
Disclaimer: This post was written in the context of design/development for web/mobile applications. …though I’m sure it applies to all kinds of design/development scenarios.
I’ve worked with UX/UI design & development teams for decades now, and it’s surprised me how often and tragically communication is allowed to be difficult simply because people aren’t clear on what they were talking about, or the context of where or how ideas should be applied.
As a result I’ve come up with 3 questions I tell my teams they must learn to ask any time a new design or change is being discussed.
These 3 questions are so important that I’ve been known to suggest UX designers and UI leads (and sometimes PMs too) tattoo them on their body (or the body of someone they love) in a spot they will see often - in order to ensure they remember to communicate well.
These 3 questions can change lives!
Okay….so that may sound overly dramatic.
But I’ve seen the consistent and proper use of the following 3 questions result in amazing transformations in how teams communicated and collaborated across the invisible Design/Develop barrier. …good transformations.
Not surprisingly, if this often results in very positive changes the dynamic and culture of teams.
Q1: “Do we have a name for this?”
If you don’t know what to call it, you will never be able to talk about it effectively or efficiently.
If you don’t have clearly identified and named items and concepts, then communication will be frustrating, and implementation will be painfully and consistently “…not what I had intended…”.
Q2: “If not, what should we call it…let’s capture that so we can actually talk about it consistently and effectively.”
Name things.
Name them early.
Be explicit.
example:
If there are two concepts that need to be applied to a single thing, but only one of those concepts might also be used elsewhere, break those concepts out as separate things and name them uniquely.
Q3: “Which style/layout/behavior attributes should be said to apply to this context/thing?”
Clarify what goes with a name.
When you use that name in the future…what should it encompass?
Be explicit.
example:
If an icon element looks like it has padding and/or offset, clarify if those padding and/or offest attributes are belonging to…
- the icon element
- the thing containing the icon element
- a more complex inherited (cascading) and/or compound selector match: the icon or containing element is given these attributes only when inside specific ancestor elements…possibly with those ancestors having a very specific combinations of unique class/div/element combinations
An important followup question to these is…
“Has this information been captured in the right place(s) for future reference?”
Naming things and clarifying the context of what a name includes means everyone begins to talk the same language and understand the same things more quickly and easily.
You start to talk the same language.
Communicating clearly sometimes means taking the time to communicate about how you want to communicate…with those your intend to communicate with.
When you’re not communicating clearly, you may need to communicate this fact to those you’re not communicating with.
Good luck!
