ARTICLE SUMMARY: There’s a lot to be said about finishing school and stepping into your chosen career and ready to take on the world. If you were like me, educated at a good school that stayed current with design trends and methods, you knew it all, or so you thought.
One of life’s greatest lessons for me was that experience is the best teacher of all. Close behind it came the old saying, those who don’t learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them. In business, any business, that could mean the difference between success and failure.
In his desire to give back to the design community and help up-and-coming designers, “15 years in UI/UX: What I’d tell my younger self about design and clients” by Ryan Almeida is a self-reflection on his design career, what he did wrong and what he would do differently. He talks about:
- Building systems, not just screens
- Pixel perfection is overrated
- Communication beats talent
He talks about the importance of being able to explain your design. For the most part, clients couldn’t care less about type fonts or white space, they want to know how your design makes their users stay longer or buy more stuff. That’s their biggest concern.
A must to avoid is the “just one more revision” trap. There will always be revisions, “but endless changes without new payment? That’s unpaid overtime disguised as collaboration.” Your time is money, don’t give it away, set boundaries.
Ryan wraps up his article by telling us, “Design is about people, not pixels, if you’re starting out today, save yourself some time. Stop chasing perfection, start building systems, and remember that feedback is fuel, not fire.”
Always remember, hindsight is always 20/20, and sharing that hindsight with the designers coming up behind you is a real gift. This is a great read, especially for those just starting out in design. Let us know what you think in the comments.
