Sometimes that might be a quick prototype in HTML/CSS. Maybe it’s a prototype in JavaScript and Electron. Maybe it’s a new Rails app just to try out an idea. Maybe it’s building the full feature into the production code. But whatever it is, I’ve got to get it off pixels and into code. No amount of designing an interface can replace interfacing with your design.
No amount of designing an interface can replace interfacing with your design.
It’s obvious why I’d want to do this. As previously stated, my design skills could be better. As it turns out, many of my initial ideas are inadequate. Things I think will work just don’t feel right. What I thought would make sense is actually confusing. But I’d never know that by staring at my Sketch file.
Having that instant feedback cycle of that didn’t work. What about this? Nope, This? Almost. This? Yes, that’s it! is so valuable to the design process. So you could sit and wait for somebody else to build it for you. You can tell them to redo it a few times until you get it just right. Or (while you’re waiting) you could just learn to do it yourself.
Bullshit. People do it every day. Designing software requires a knowledge of workflows, a systematic approach to simplifying the complex, and a deep understanding of the interface paradigms that software provides us. Coding is the same thing. You may never reach the skill level of that engineer or designer you have on a pedestal, but that’s not the point. The point is making great software, and knowing how to design and code will help you do that better. It just will.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit that I started my career as a developer. I knew coding long before I knew design. I think the world of software would be made infinitely better if developers learned product design than the reverse. But until that day, we all could get a little better at something.
Don't let your ego get in the way of your own progress.
I learned visual design over years. I’m still learning it. I’m no artist. But trial and error goes a long way, and eventually got the hang of it. It’s not impossible. Learning Ruby for a designer can be just as uncomfortable as learning how to balance typography for a developer. Get uncomfortable. Get better.
Believe me, when you start learning a new thing (be that CoffeeScript or visual design) you’re going to be terrible at it. And you will be for a while. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to build things that you’ll be ashamed of later. And that’s perfect. Don’t let your ego get in the way of your own progress. Start learning something new now, stick with it, and you’ll be pretty good at it in a year. Maybe not great. Probably not hirable for that particular skill alone.
But you’ll be better at building software.
]]>Years ago I started learning the craft of woodworking. I was never a professional, and didn’t always build the most intricate pieces of furniture, but I always enjoyed the process of building things with my hands.
The hobby, like many, fell to the wayside, but recently I’ve picked it up again. During my first project in years, I re-learned a lesson I’d forgotten over more than a decade of lax: Finishing a project takes way more time and work than starting it.
But for a really beautiful piece, it takes a lot more time and care.
The beginning of a woodworking project involves cutting your major pieces, sometimes trimming and rough sanding lumber to certain sizes. It takes a good plan and some dusty work, but usually things come together rather quickly. But even when your piece is fully assembled, it’s far from complete.
An assembled piece may be completely functional. But for a really beautiful piece, it takes a lot more time and care. Multiple sandings, starting with rough paper and moving towards more and more fine grains. Polishing sharp edges down. Smoothing rough surfaces. Removing any evidence of the saw teeth, nails, screws, and hammers that go into the construction.
Then, the finish. Stain. Wipe. Wait. Stain. Wipe. Wait. Sand. Wipe. Stain. Wipe. Wait. Check. Seal. Wait. Sand. Wipe. Seal. Wait. Sand. Seal. Wait. And that’s if everything goes according to plan.
Do you notice such attention to detail on the piece from across the room? Maybe not. But furniture is meant to be used. Touched. And detail at that level takes a piece beyond mere utility. Interestingly, it’s those details that people may hardly notice. They won’t see the work that went into getting the stain colors on those two parts to match. How long it took to sand down that imperfection. How your wrists hurt from polishing down the finish.
At times it's frustrating. But when you're done, it's glorious.
But if they’re not there; if the piece is left in it’s rough form, barely sanded with maybe a quick coat of stain and seal, they definitely notice. People see specific imperfections. The light makes the finish look uneven. The milling lines are visible. There are gaps in the seams. The surfaces feel uneven. It looks rough. It feels rough.
Assembling a piece creates the utility. But the finish work makes all the difference in perception. It’s what brings joy and pride in craftsmanship; or ownership.
These details take time. Usually a lot of time. And pain. And dust. And mess. And repetition. It’s not glamorous. You don’t see a lot of progress at once. It’s slow-going. At times it’s frustrating. But when you’re done, it’s glorious.
In software, we have the exact same patterns. Take your time in finishing your work. Be careful. Be attentive. Be meticulous. Don’t rush. Put effort into finishing your projects. People will notice.
]]>It starts by collecting your thoughts. Talk with people on your team. Put all your ideas, big or small, in one place. Talk them over. Think about how they make you feel. Try and describe the feature in a few short adjectives. The shorter the better.
Your designs should be so much more than interesting.
In my experience, there’s a number of keywords I listen for when talking about features, and I want to discuss one of them in particular that always raises a red flag: Interesting.
The word interesting is almost always a clear indication that particular thing your discussing isn’t important. If it was, why not describe it that way? Words like useful, time-saving, game-changing, powerful, and brilliant are seemingly so much better words to describe great features. But when someone resorts to interesting, all I hear is distraction.
Your designs should be so much more than interesting. Interest fades without true utility. Focus your designs on the adjectives from your list that make you the most excited. The features that match those adjectives are where you should start.
]]>But in my experience, excellent design is rarely about creating something new. The so-called flash-of-brilliance isn’t about invention. It’s about distillation. It feels so strikingly simple. It doesn’t feel new. It feels like it should have always been that way. Knowing that, I would argue that the best designs come from discipline, not creativity.
The rejection of good ideas that don't completely solve the problem is paramount.
Ideas are cheap. Have a problem to solve? Any group of intelligent people can come up with heaps of potential ideas to a problem. Coming up with ideas and solutions is never the problem with design. Almost every time, there will be too many solutions presented. Too many good ideas. So many, in fact, that if you try to implement them all, you end up with a terrible result. The result of implementing creativity is complication.
Being creative is never the barrier to good design. In fact, relying on creativity to solve design problems will more often produce bad execution. Creative ideas are only the first step of many along the path of design.
Truly useful execution of ideas requires so much more than the idea itself. It takes a holistic understanding of the problem, and all potential solutions. It takes research. Thought. Reflection. Experimentation. Distillation. Discipline.
The rejection of good ideas that don’t completely solve the problem is paramount. If you describe an idea as interesting, it’s probably not worth implementing. This is the art of discipline in design. When many good ideas present themselves, it’s easy to become distracted. Don’t let good ideas get in the way of great execution.
Therefore, the focus of a designer shouldn’t be on creative ideas. Their focus should be on truly understanding the problem, deeply and thoroughly. Only then, will the truly brilliant solutions present themselves, often times in the most obvious, simple ways.
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