Human-Centered Design. An Interview with George Vasjagin, the Founder of UVIO Design Agency

George Vasjagin is the founder and creative director of UVIO Design Agency, and as their slogan says, Focused on Strategy. George has a distinct creative process resulting in simple, elegant, recognizable designs, with deep roots in the human-centered design approach. His process has led him to great success including the opportunity to do work for Fortune 500.

He sat down with us for this AMA style interview, wearing his recognizable SF Giants cap, jeans and a hoodie to share more about his personal design process and his view on the Human-Centered Design approach.

How did you first get into design?

Design was something I was always interested in. It began as a fun project for me when I designed a website for friends of my parents, and this later evolved with me doing all sorts of graphic design work. At the time, I still did not have any specific area of interest.

This changed when the first iPhone came to the market in 2007. I soon realized that the future of UI was going to be mobile, and even though I could barely afford an iPhone back then, I decided on the future path of my career.

I dove right in the deep end, learning all I could about UX/UI while doing all sorts of UX/UI designs. From there, some career choices have led me to Product Design and later to Design Leadership. This is the work I currently do, but I still prefer to do a lot of hands-on design work.

Can you share some of your more notable projects? Which one has had the most influence on you as a professional?

A good, albeit tricky question. I found I enjoyed more working on a smaller scale, short-term projects instead of building a career in a large company. From my point of view, it is more beneficial for a designer to learn by working on a dynamic range of projects and experiences.

This led me to found my own design agency named “Awesomed” in 2014. At that time, I had great luck working with some of the most notable Fortune500 companies such as PaloAlto Networks, Priceline, StateFarm and others. It allowed me to open the door to greater work opportunities and more importantly, helped me expand my skillset and design horizon.

You can say I got a crash course in learning all about working with enterprises. This “forced” me to change some things in my work, most notably to be able to adapt to client’s wishes and learn to recognize their needs in advance. It was an educational, yet fun experience that ultimately led me to reshaping a lot of aspects of my design process and client approach.

“Awesomed” was awesome (no pun intended) in teaching me a lot of the other aspects of running a design agency. It taught me what real leadership is and to recognize the importance of having a great talent in your team. Ultimately, the partnership didn’t work for me back then. Me and my co-founder had radically different views on how the agency should be run, and I quit.

A little later, in 2018, I founded the Nova Design Agency (Now UVIO), forming a full-stack development and design team. We completely reinvented the format of how we work, positioning ourselves as a team, not as an agency. What’s the difference you ask? It’s simple — we’re much less formal and more casual (and more fun).

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a Product Designer?

I think one of my main strengths is my flexibility and the ability to quickly immerse myself in the product. I have this thing where I imagine the problem right to the core and start sketching possible solutions almost immediately. I’m more of a cut-to-the-chase kind of guy, cutting unnecessary corners and delving right into the design process.

Also, I consider myself to be pretty good at building relationships with people, bridging gaps between the engineers, product designers, and the marketing team. It is my belief that each team within the organization should utilize as much of the design thinking as possible.

Unfortunately for me, my main strength is also my weakness. Sometimes, my flexibility will get me wearing too many hats. I’m unable to deliver great results fast if I’m too constrained or constantly engaged in unnecessary meetings, or doing PM work. I find myself most productive when I’m excited about the product and have freedom to run my own design process.

What is your design process like?

If we take a look at the big picture, I think almost everything that could have been discovered/invented was already discovered/invented. The world we live in is so complex, dynamic and loud, that we usually find ourselves trying for ways to simplify things.

This is also true for the design process. I have a simple philosophy — constantly learn from and talk to your users. By understanding their problems, you will be able to design the solution. I think the big mistake designers make is by making assumptions and being overly self-confident.

It’s surprising how often a seemingly counterintuitive decision can be an effective solution. This is only evident when you are in close touch with your audience, do in-depth user research and listen to feedback. Add a little wireframing, rapid prototyping, testing, measuring, etc., and you have a product with a great user-friendly design.

This is the base of the human-centered design process, which I’m a strong advocate for. This process is both how you think and what you do with it. Defined by three I’s: Inspiration, Ideation and Implementation, I find the human-centered design approach offers designers the right path for achieving great results.

What advice would you have for new designers?

Don’t over-think and overcomplicate things. Even though a fantastic visual style and beautifully crafted pixels could potentially help land you a client, it is not what will help you make a great product. Dedicate some time to truly understand the problem and think of clever ways to design a solution. Strive for simplicity instead of complexity.

I sometimes test some of my designs (some basic interactions) on my three-year-old daughter. I show her the prototypes on my phone and look and see what she is trying to do. She is still learning to speak, but she already has no trouble navigating a phone. She finds her favorite cartoons on Netflix, launches games, or opens the camera and takes pictures.

Technology comes naturally to today’s kids and if your designs pass the 3-year-old test, then I’d say you are on the right path for a broader audience. This does not mean that you should start running out the door in effort of finding a toddler to test your new app. It actually should serve as a constant reminder to strive for a more intuitive and simple interface in your design.

The great Yoda master once said, “The greatest teacher, failure is”. The design is half art and half science. So, in order to continuously grow, each of us should find their path that works exclusively in their case. Exploration and experimentation are necessary. Never be afraid of failure, as failure offers invaluable lessons you can’t learn otherwise. Instead, learn from each failure and you will find your success.