It’s Not ‘Creative’
Having spent much of my working life in advertising agency’s ‘creative’ department, I have heard the word ‘Creative’ used in contexts both positive and negative. “You can do whatever creative thing you want, just make sure we mention the product USP”. These words, when uttered by a client, can roughy be translated as ‘I know you creative types do not give a damn about my product. I’m wiling to let you indulge in your quest for glory, if you give me an ad that sells my product’.
Funnily, we all are told, in our formative years that ‘Creative is what sells’. Over the course of our life, we put the statement alongside ‘Always be truthful’ and ‘Say no to piracy’!
For an advertising person ‘creative’ is what sees one through award shows, career graphs and job interviews. As one of the great ‘creative’ minds once said about how to live in an agency – Put yourself first, then your group, then your agency, then your client. Strangely he never mentioned consumers! In an ideal world the order of importance should, in fact, be reversed. First comes the consumer, the the client (business interests), then the agency (professional interests) and so on.
Perhaps this is the inevitable state of an industry in its competitive phase. UX, on the other hand, is still a relatively new discipline. Here the designer can still put the user first and business interests later. In fact, the future of the discipline hinges on preserving this order for as long as possible.
Having made the transition from being an advertising creative to being a UX analyst and designer, some of the project requests do come to me from my old contacts. Assignments come from people who knew me as a typical ‘creative’ person. Inadvertently, the most interesting User Experience challenges are introduced to me with an apologetic ‘You know, this is not very ‘creative’. Don’t know if you’ll be interested in taking this up’
What they do not know is that the definition of ‘creative’ and ‘challenging’ has changed for me. My best design solutions have started looking simple, effective, not glamorous.
My apps and websites do look good, (it’s a hygiene factor) but the blood and sweat goes into making them usable, helpful and even delightful for the user as they help the user effectivly attain their task goals. Not ‘creative’ as it is understood in the advertising industry.
Why should ‘creative excellence’ and ‘awards’ be the only goals worth attaining? How about making things ‘easy to use’, ‘easy to comprehend’? How about making technology ‘User Centered’ through our design effort?
I would love designing an ATM screen that my mother can use. A fitness motivator app for the couch potatoes. A railway booking system that works even for an illiterate traveler, or a personal organiser for someone with disabilities.
My training in User Experience has changed what turns me on as a designer. UX design solutions may not be considered clever, witty, surprising, but they are smart, user friendly, and ultimately, irreplaceable.
To anyone who wishes to enter this field from the world of advertising, I will say this: The culture shift is considerable. All my life, as an advertising ‘creative’, I strived to be different, surprising, unexpected. Because my goal was catching consumer’s attention. Grabbing their mindspace. Shocking them into remembering my message. As a UX Designer my goal is not to be surprising, but to understand the mental makeup of the users and do what’s necessary in order to create a meaningful experience for them. The desired response is ‘interaction’ this means creating familliar experiences and yet be interesting to ensure that a bond is created between users and the systems.
There is definite joy in watching users use our designs to carry out their tasks. If we momentarily suspend our desire for winning awards and proving to the world that we are clever, we will see a world of amazing opportunities. Just be open to a new definition of the word ‘creative’.
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