Life of Design: Aarron Walter
Head of Design Education at InVision
1. How did you begin working in the wonderful world of design?
I don’t have a design background — I studied painting in college. In grad school I found my paintings took way too long to make, so I began prototyping them with Photoshop. Those prototypes were more interesting to me than my paintings so I started to push those images with animation, and some simple programing to make them interactive. The further I explored digital media, the more excited I got. Before I knew it Id landed a job at a small agency in Philadelphia where I got to work with some great clients like David Bowie, Barnes and Noble, and many others.
2. What is the purpose of design?
Design is a problem solving process that helps us make things work well and feel good to use.
3. How would you describe the intent (mission) behind InVision’s design? What core problem are you trying to solve? What experience are you trying to create?
InVision wants to help companies reach their goals through design. We make products that facilitate creative collaboration and brings more people into the design process. And because millions of designers at companies of all shapes and sizes use our products, we have a unique view of hose design teams work and where they break. We make a habit of sharing these insights with others to help encourage growth and transformation inside companies where design has yet to take hold. We recently launched DesignBetter.Co — a collection of insights around product design, design thinking, and design leadership.
4. What’s one thing you believe about design that most others don’t?
Design is a way of seeing our world. Through design we see the people we serve and how we can reduce friction in life.
5. What key problems are often overlooked by design?
I think we should focus less on:
- Likes
- Shares
- Vanity
… and instead focus on:
- inequality
- injustice
- sustainability
6. What is the most difficult thing about design?
Staying humble, listening to customers, staying open to new ideas and accepting that we are not always right.
7. When is design “done”?
I hope never. We can always reduce friction and iterate on ideas, even the best ones.
8. What does the future of design look like to you?
I hope the future of design is filled with a diverse set of people who consider meaningful problems that extend beyond their own experiences.
Thanks for reading ❤
If you enjoyed this interview, please say hello on:
LinkedIn & Twitter
This series was designed by Vasjen Katro, Visual Designer of Baugasm
