10 tips for designing application/website on tight deadline
UI/UX designers generally come across clients with tight deadlines or they might be working for a services based company where they need to manage the resources efficiently. In such scenarios, they generally have to cut short a lot of things to compensate for the time. This definitely shouldn’t stop you from creating products that can disrupt the market. Here are a few takeaways and by all means these are from my personal experience:
1. Study technology trends
Designing for humans in an era where technology is evolving every day, it is essential to be familiar with the platform you’re designing for. Let’s say you have been designing for mobile since past a few years; you can’t implement the same design psychology for an Apple watch. Invest an hour daily to study what potentially collides with your domain.
“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” -B.B. King
2. Learn to code
Think like a developer and you’ll design a far more efficient prototype. It makes it easier to understand how humans are going to interact with the device, how animations are going to be implemented, etc. Not only it makes the prototype efficient but it also helps the developer, establishing a better design-development environment. At Code-Brew Labs, with our own in-house design studio Allurive, we ensure this environment is perfectly maintained.
3. Copy from the best
Debatable but productive. A well executed model with proven productivity, when suiting your requirements and user domain, can be considered with just enough modifications to befit your model.
4. Don’t re-invent the wheel
On a tight schedule why would you prefer to design a custom calendar where a built-in calendar is more than enough? That’s a blunder! Don’t go around designing things that just appeal to you; integrate pre-existing components.
If you’re relying on an external API, design elements that relate to the entities being fetched from the same.
5. Proper documentation and defining the functionalities
Having a good Sales and Management team with sound experience will ensure that all the functional requirements are well-documented. Spend time to get familiar with project and its user base. Get into a dialogue, discuss with the team and the client about all the questions and loopholes. Know the business model of the client, and considering that, check the feasibility of scope and finalise the SRS (Software Requirement Specification). At Code-Brew Labs, all aspects are discussed in details to bring your ideas to life.
6. ER diagrams and flow mapping
Entity Relation Diagrams (ERD) illustrate the logical structure of database and show the relationship of entity sets stored in a database. When designing an application, ERDs make it easier to recall all the attributes associated with an element. Above all, it makes the life of a back-end developer easier.
7. Wireframing
Paper-Pencil are the best friends at this step. Forget creating high fidelity digital wireframes, take that pencil and start mocking up the draft design. Have frequent conversations with the client and explain how certain goals will be achieved through those layouts. Not only wireframes help in visioning the possible user interface, they drastically reduce the time consumed by iterations.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” -Abraham Lincoln
8. Rapid and quick designing
Are you still designing user interfaces on Photoshop?
With tools like Sketch (Sketch App), you can increase your speed manifold. Follow a design practise that makes abundant use of symbols, styles etc. Small shortcuts, plugins like Runner, Craft can save you loads of time.
Prefer using prototyping tools like InVision, you’ll be able to convert your design into live, clickable prototypes in seconds. In a nutshell, be more rapid and smart.
9. Using complex typography, font pairs and icon library
Don’t waste time in pairing fonts, go with a single family and use weights instead to create contrast. Build your own icon library and resources overtime and stick with a look and feel.
In our last article, we were giving away a library of 100 most commonly used icons. Check it out here.
10. Better late than no audience
In the end if you’re rushing through things and building a product that would possibly garner no audience due to terrible user experience, it’s okay to communicate your concerns to the management team. Make your point backed up with facts and you just might end up getting an extension on the timeline for greater good.
“A design isn’t finished until somebody is using it” -Brenda Laurel
Thanks a lot for reading.
If you have any suggestions or a different approach, do leave a comment down below.
Find me on Dribbble:
dribbble.com/arashbal
Our design studio:
www.allurive.com
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