As a Frontend developer, I have always been immersed in the world of interface creation, sometimes just coding and other times having the opportunity to get involved in design. I have always been interested in the design world, but I had always considered it a realm for a “few,” where the most “creative” person has a greater advantage over others. However, after studying and getting more involved in UX/UI Design, I have been able to demystify this somewhat.
Design, as it relates to our field, is not just about having an extremely creative mind; it is more about understanding the needs and expectations of users, and then being able to translate that into effective and appealing solutions. Creativity plays an important role but is simply a “nice to have.” Within UX/UI design, there are different areas, and none is more important than the other; in fact, they complement each other. Omitting any of these areas is crucial in our deliverable.
Research, analysis, and iteration are crucial; however, one tends to underestimate these areas because they are not tangible. Part of these processes is sometimes not seen by the end-user because they are discarded in the process. It is perhaps most similar to testing within the development field; we are responsible for writing all the tests we consider necessary so that the end-user does not encounter surprises or unexpected behaviors. At the same time, it helps us avoid extra work because a component that works as expected is a component that does not need to be fixed in the future. In design, one is responsible for researching, analyzing, and iterating so that the end-user does not encounter a product they do not like, saving us time in the future.
As a developer, I like the idea of getting involved in other areas beyond development. I love the concept of being “T-shaped”: “I’m capable in a lot of things and am pretty good at one of them.” I believe that knowing a little about everything leads us to empathize more with our team, it is not necessary to know everything in depth, but knowing the fundamentals helps us get better tools for our field.
My plan for the future is to continue learning about design and development to be able to navigate both areas as smoothly as possible. My plan for the future is to continue learning about design and development to be able to excel in both areas with the greatest ease possible. This will give me the opportunity to get involved in projects as a Design Engineer.
” The person who makes something today isn’t the same person who returns to the work tomorrow. ” - Rick Rubin.