4 Golden Design Nuggets that you should know about
By Manavi Datta
At Scout, we believe design is universal.
So here are four design nuggets that you can use, regardless of whether or not you’re a designer.
1. Understanding Visual Design Unlocks Rewards
Ever wonder as you scroll through your same old newsfeed, why there are somethings that just grab your attention? It doesn’t happen that often since your mind is flooded with a gazillion social stories but when you do hit the like button and interact with content it is for a reason. Think of how wonderful you can be at your job if you understand the visual cues that grab audience while developing an effective social promotional campaign. Visual design is the intersection of psychology, marketing and well, design and if you want to be that all-rounder you can gain basic skills about it on online resources like Skillshare or come to our Club Scout meeting this Tuesday to learn some cool tricks! (5PM, 299 Ryder!)
2. It is all about the User Experience
Think about all those wonderful apps on your cluttered iPhone screen. There are some apps that you enjoy using and some that are just a utility. Yet, your satisfaction level to a particular platform or offering is dependent on the experience you are getting. We are millennials: super smart yet lazy right? Compelling user experiences are those that help us achieve things in the shortest time possible. Fast Company’s list of 35 most innovative apps will give you a great insight into user experience whether you plan a career in marketing, communications, engineering or design, the concepts of user experience will follow you.
3. Web Design Ain’t Hard, really.
Java script, J query, C++, Ruby- wait what? Web Design isn’t just all that, it’s about knowing the holistic idea of what you see digitally. The web infrastructure has become the function of multiple business functions whether it is financial reporting for the effectiveness of online spending or understanding the needs of consumers through efficient A/B testing. Web design is no new thing and it is not about practically knowing coding but, understanding the holistic concept of how code translates into something aesthetic, and important to the virtual world. Coursera, CodeAcademy can give you a deep dive but for a bird’s eye view, online resources like Squarespace and WordPress can increase your knowledge and make you more qualified.
4. Design Thinking is Everything
Design Thinking is the piece that completes the puzzle in designing, it is a widespread practice that relates to everything innovative and out of the box. Engineers, entrepreneurs, business strategy groups and designer in general base all major decision with the help of the design thinking process. It is one of the most well researched concepts of the new world and you have innumerable books to fill your mind with knowledge but we have enough reading to do in college (rhyme!). So we’ll definitely recommend Ken Robinson’s and Jon Maeda’s TED talks to kickstart you in the right direction.
