5 Reflections On Design From 2019
1. ‘Free’ apps aren’t free
Instead of paying money for services like Google or Facebook, our personal data acts as a digital currency. Everything we look at, everyone we interact with and everywhere we go is tracked, logged and consumed by these companies as a form of payment. The more data they have, the more they’re able to manipulate what we see and the decisions that we make. Therefore, the real price we pay is giving up the ability to control how our information is used and how this affects our experiences.
In 2019, I deleted my Facebook and Whatsapp account and all connected services, stopped signing up for services using my Google account, audited all of my applications privacy and access settings and started using more private alternatives such as Signal — an encrypted messaging service, KeePass — a open-source password manager, and DuckDuckGo — a search engine with a specific focus on privacy.
It may not seem like much, but the more individuals that boycott organisations like Facebook, the more likely they are to take privacy seriously.
2. Focus more on strategy, less on tactics
To be clear, I’m not saying tactical work isn’t important. On the contrary, practical methods such as workshops, user-testing and prototyping will continue to play a vital role in helping understand the people we are designing for and creating better experiences.
Rather, my point is that tactical work is simply becoming less important than it used to. As design tools and systems continue to advance, it is becoming easier and easier to prototype and develop comprehensive digital outputs in a relatively short space of time. Whether or not this seems fair, the perceived value of tactical work will decrease as fewer resources and technical skills are required to achieve the same results.
Without a clear vision of what to aim for, tactical work can also become misguided — “patching holes in a sinking boat instead of building a new one” as one of my colleagues once put it. This realisation is why I believe the appetite for strategic work is stronger than ever, especially within corporate sectors. Large scale businesses are starting to see how design can help them transform the way they operate at a broader, holistic level.
In the coming years, strategic design capability will likely be what separates leading design agencies from the rest.
3. Illustration is not a gimmick
Illustration has enormous potential when used in the right way. As someone who has drawn since I could hold a pencil, it’s been genuinely exciting seeing the medium growing in popularity. Unfortunately, the last few years have seen far too many organizations jump on the ‘illustration bandwagon’ without really thinking about why they are using it and what it’s for.
Plastering your website with brightly coloured cartoons makes you relevant right? More than likely, no. It all comes down to who your audience is and what you’re trying to communicate. Illustration is not a tokenistic add-on to make your website or app look cool. It is a tool for capturing ideas and telling stories in a more accessible and more engaging way.
Here’s a quick litmus test you should try before using illustration:
- Does this illustration help tell the story or message I am trying to convey?
- Is this making my design more relatable/understandable?
- Is this type of illustration triggering the right response or emotion?
- Am I overusing illustrations?
4. ‘Lorem ipsum' isn’t good enough
As a rule of thumb, the data and copy used in design mockups should be as close as possible to the real thing. ‘Lorem ipsum’ may be convenient, but that’s only because we can chop and change it to fit our designs perfectly. As developers and the people using our designs well know, this is not how real data operates. Something as simple as entering your name can make or break an experience.
By talking to the right people, asking the right questions and doing a bit of desktop research, I have almost always been able to find accurate data inputs for my designs. If you genuinely have no other option, at least try to diversify your content. John Doe? Try Mohammad.
‘Lorem ipsum' is an unnecessary limitation and often comes down to laziness on our end as designers.
5. Use conversational language everywhere
Inclusive design is spoken about a lot in design communities but often doesn’t extend to the way we communicate. Having been in the industry for some time now, I quickly forget how foreign design terminology is to the rest of the world. Every time I use acronyms, jargon or buzzwords to describe something, I run the risk of people misunderstanding the message I am trying to get across.
To accommodate as many people as possible, our designs should be understandable and usable for the lowest common denominator, not the highest. Factors such as low reading literacy and limited cognitive ability are very real and a lot more common than most people realise. Whether it’s an interview question, a presentation slide or a button label, the words we use to communicate should be simple and tailored to the people they are directed at.
A useful suggestion given to me at a recent design conference was to think about how I would describe something to a 10-year-old. The speaker called this ‘conversational language’. When we talk to our friends or family, without even really thinking about it, we are breaking up information into digestible chunks and using basic words to describe something instead of complicated ones. So, why aren’t we doing this in our designs?
Every written or spoken word is an opportunity to use conversational language. As designers, we should be setting an example for other industries.
Thanks for reading!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
