[AMA] I Am a UX/UI (User Experience/User Interface Designer). Ask Me (Almost) Anything

PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 09:17
Last edited 22/02/2018 - 15:40

Hello,

UX is a career that is getting a lot of buzz around it recently, so I figured I'd answer some questions if anyone wants to know anything.

32 year old UX/UI designer from Sydney. Worked on multiple websites, apps, cloud based software, startups, and incubators.

Edit: UX designers are always on the lookout to test their product with users and often offer an incentive. If you use a website, check with them if they are looking for users to do user testing. A lot of places give out $50-$100 worth of giftcards/credit for your time.

Introduce Yourself

closed Comments

  • Heracles26 on 22/02/2018 - 09:33

    Are you worried about the problem of AI that has been discussed in recent times?

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 09:43
      +1

      Not too much. 50% of my time is spent interviewing users, finding out how they go about their day unrelated to the product/site/app and creating personas. I also user test with people, which needs a lot of interaction. I have to know when to ask why, observe what they are doing and what caused them to do it. A machine can tell you x% of users click a button after clicking a link , but its my job to find out why they did (or didn't), and what made them want to do that action.

  • pegaxs on 22/02/2018 - 10:01

    Do you look at other websites/apps/programs and constantly critique their UI, thinking, “wow, how bad/good is this!!” And what or who would you consider to be the pinnacle of your industry that everyone strives to emulate?

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:09
      +4

      Yes it's something I notice every site/app I use. It annoys my partner all the time when I point things out.

      Personally, I consider Apples OS UX pretty amazing. Commonwealth Bank's App is great UX too, I also enjoy airbnb and Ubers apps. Anything that just works and I don't have an issues with going back and forth in the app, finding the information I need, buttons being the right size, colours are pleasing to the eye, its uncluttered. A lot of companies are trying to get to this. Cryptocurrency is killing it in the UX space with apps like Coinbase and Delta being very easy to use. According to this article. Design driven businesses have outperformed the stockmarket by 228% in the last 10 years.

  • scotty on 22/02/2018 - 10:09
    +1

    UX has gathered a lot of buzz already when I was at uni 20 years ago. Still have that Human-Computer Interaction text book with me. While the process of testing might still be applicable, I am sure the "best practices" are completely different these days.

    So, how do you see the UI/UX trend over the past decade, and where is it going in the near future?

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:18
      +1

      I did human-computer interaction at uni too :D I think the trend over the past decade was still very marketing/sales focused. UX/UI designers were being hired, not to make the customer experience better, but to sell better. It's still in play today. I always have sales on my back asking me if we can improve things so that they can sell sell sell E.g How can we place this 'buy now' button in multiple places so it will make people want to click it and buy now?

      In the future, it's going to be more data driven. Mass amounts of data makes it easier to design for all users. UX is also seen as something worthy. Before, when money was tight, we were the first to go. UX for wearables (fitbits, apple watches etc) and voice design without interfaces (alexa, voice activated gaming) are going to be huge.

      • scotty on 22/02/2018 - 10:20
        +1

        Thanks. Indeed more devices with various screen sizes (or no screen) — more UX experts needed to make them work with users.

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:22

          Also, let me know if you want to see any of my ozbargin UI mockups. But you seem to have a good thing going, I can imagine the uproar you'd get if you changed the Ozbargain UI design.

        • scrimshaw on 22/02/2018 - 12:51

          @PropertyPig:

          Are there any specific thing(s) that you'd like to see changed on Ozbargain?

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 13:16

          @scrimshaw: UX wise, its pretty good. The only things I would add would be a "post a deal" button on the main page and maybe a different way to filter things without searching, or going into the drop downs. UI design is where I would do the most work. Updating buttons, icons, creating a bit more white space and general space around the header.

        • scotty on 22/02/2018 - 13:50

          @PropertyPig: Agree. It certainly looks outdated as it was designed with last decade's 1024/1366 x 768 desktop screen in mind and over the year we just tried to cram more and more stuff in there. UI update has been on my TODO for at least a year now but just need to get motivated to do it.

  • iforgotmysocks on 22/02/2018 - 10:10
    -3

    I have no questions.

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:19

      Why don't you have any questions? Would changing the wording of my original post make it so you would have questions? What can be improved?

      • iforgotmysocks on 22/02/2018 - 10:49
        +1

        I'm just here for the bargains

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 11:12
          +3

          Ok sure. Umm… Free UX/UI feedback on your website/app! Maybe also a quick redesign if I can fit it in today. The daily rate to hire a UX Designer in Sydney with my experience is about $700-$900 a day. What a saving!

  • trustnoone on 22/02/2018 - 10:39

    Lets say I was looking at designing something for someone, but they always do it a certain way (maybe fill info out in a certain pattern or workflow). But while looking at the design i find there is a more "efficient" way of doing it, but that is completely out of the normal workflow (and thus annoyed people).

    Is it better to choose efficiency in the hopes people will comply or workflow and user preferred experience?

    Thanks heaps!

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:44
      +1

      Generally speaking, most ux designers will stick to existing user interface patterns. E.g The hamburger menu (the three little lines) being on the top right or left of a screen. If you have found a more efficient way of doing something, Design it and test it. It may be better. Thats the only way of knowing. You might get some feedback, make changes, and test again.

      You will always get people from different areas (sales, marketing, CEOS, Product managers) telling you how to do things, because thats how they like things. You have to remember they aren't the user, and neither are you. So you have to find out what your users will like, and find user friendly.

  • steff on 22/02/2018 - 10:40

    Material, iOS or Metro?

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:48

      Personally, Material or Flat UI colours. But the company I work for currently has set brands that I can't deviate from.

      • steff on 22/02/2018 - 11:03

        yeah i've found that most organisations tend to pick and choose bits and pieces to create their own model.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2018 - 10:50

    I am looking to get into this field.
    I enjoyed mockups in my last job, for a mobile app, and dealing with people more than my previous dev and BA work.
    Do you have advice for getting into this field?
    thanks

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 10:57
      +2

      If you already have some experience with Dev and BA and have been exposed to UX and you are looking and getting into the field, I would say apply for any junior UX design roles. There are a few courses that can help you with picking up the basics like Academy XI and General Assembly however they are quite pricey. There are also some places that allow you to work on real world UX problems which should give you a foot in the door like Harness Projects.

      Do you still have those mockups? I would create a portfolio and build a small website of your designs. It's really important to create a design process document. It's nice to have finished products, but UX is about the process. Employers want to see how you got to that end result. A strong portfolio will really get you in the door. I sometimes find sites that I think could be better and redesign the UX/UI just as an example.

      Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions.

      • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2018 - 11:00

        thanks - I had to leave the mockups with my previous employer unfortunately.
        I will check out those courses - cheers

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 11:17

          Buy Sketch as well. If you know someone who is studying, there is a big education discount. Most UX/UI designers have moved from Adobe to Sketch. Familiarise yourself with Invision as well. Great tools that are used by many.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2018 - 15:08

          @PropertyPig: thanks - I only have PC, have been a bit applevoidant for the last 30 years or so.
          Can XD on a Surface Studio cut it?

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 15:13
          +1

          @pete2: Yep I've used XD. Not my preferred tool, but its similar to sketch. Invision Studio Should be coming out soon too, and they may do it for Windows.

  • DarthAntz on 22/02/2018 - 10:53

    Ive written the content for an app, but i have no design experience. i have a game maker program from a humble bundle a while ago, and had a small tinker with it, but i have limited inspiration to continue with it. In other advice, ive been told to make an app or program in a website (html) first, and then try to build it in android or iOS.

    What is your suggestion to get a project like this up and running? How can i educate myself and use simple, preferably free tools to get an app from produced content to marketable and operational level?

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 11:07
      +2

      Making apps is a very expensive. Both money and time. Something I have learnt is to always start small and cheap and get feedback on it. I'd pair it right back. Start out by drawing it. Hand drawing. Even if its stick figures, and shapes. Build a cheap prototype.

      This is how I start any design I do. Why? Three reasons.

      1. It's free
      2. The feedback you will get from it is honest. If you spent heaps of time/money on an app, people are less likely to tell you to your face that its crap and you have wasted your time. If you show them a drawing, they will give you proper feedback.
      3. Its easy to find the mistakes/painpoints now, and fix them, then try and fix them later

      Talk to people who are your target market for your game. Would they even use an app? Would they prefer it as a website? Maybe they want it as a board game, or a console game?

      I can only advice you on the design side of things, as building an app is out of my expertise, but I would really try and nail down the design by sketching, building a prototype, testing this, using free/cheap software thats easy to learn (sketch) to design it, and then maybe taking it to someone on fiverr or freelancer to build it for you.

      Edit: If you really want to branch out, you can always pitch your ideas at startup events. People make take an interest and join up with you. Pitching is nerve wracking and can be scary, but the people you meet are great. Check out fishburners.

      • DarthAntz on 22/02/2018 - 13:56

        thank you and great feedback. both design and programming are needed, and yes i:ll investigate the fishburners and startup event. im cautious about having ideas stolen in this industry. it would be good to pair with a good team. I:ll continue my reading and build the necessary skills. Im not afraid to stick figure it out! Good starter, and i can add that aspect to my content.

  • Stopback on 22/02/2018 - 11:44

    How do you think you are viewed by other deparments in the workplace?

    How do you view other departments, ex sales, developers.

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 11:51
      +1

      Hopefully we are highly regarded… I get the feeling people look at UX/UI/Graphic/Product designers as artsy, snobby or pretentious type of people. We aren't all like that. I run UX workshops at my workplace to get people to see what UX design is like, and why we do it. That helps because if people don't understand why UX is important, they will always try cut it out as an expense thats not needed. The user loses in the end, because there is no voice for them when creating the product.

      Sales/marketing (in my experience) get a lot of budget, and try use that as a way to tell us what to do. I have had sales people try and make it so we find specific answers that they want so they can sell better. It doesn't work that way. They think if we find something bad, its bad. Actually, its good. It means we can fix it.

      I love developers and have a lot of respect for what they do. I've started learning to code, and I can see how much work goes into it.

  • SimpleRoger on 22/02/2018 - 11:48

    What languages do you use on a day to day basis.

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 11:55
      +2

      English.. because thats the language I talk to users in.

      Haha, if you mean coding, I'm not one of those unicorn UX/UI/Front End people. I don't know how someone would efficiently do all those jobs, and do them well. Nowadays, you can design something in Sketch, then push it to invision to create a working prototype to test with people or show developers. I focus solely on User Research, and UI design, then I hand over to developers who develop it, and I do design reviews. The tools I use for that are Google forms, google sheets, Quicktime screen recording, Sketch for designing, Invision for prototying, Surveymonkey for more detailed surveys, a few others.

      I am learning HTML/CSS and javascript, jquery for my own enjoyment.

      • SimpleRoger on 22/02/2018 - 12:31

        Ah interesting, so you don't need to know to code to be a UX/UI

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 12:45
          +2

          Generally speaking, no. You need to have a good understanding of HTML/CSS so you can know limitations and what can be done with your designs. But if you are a good problem solver, and can be empathise with users, you will be a good UX designer.

  • psyren89 on 22/02/2018 - 12:13

    Any examples of your work you're really proud of?

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 12:19

      Yes heaps! However, I would rather not give out my portfolio. I've done a lot of education websites, online learning platforms and Advertising based software that I am very proud of.

      I started working on an app that would help people manage all the open homes they go look at on the weekend, keep detailed notes, photos (that they take themselves), add other notes that aren't on realestate.com.au or domain.com.au apps, but it is on the backburner while I focus on my day job.

  • tsunamisurfer on 22/02/2018 - 12:46

    I am a Business Analyst by profession and I was working for a large organisation in Perth previously which was building an internal site, but there were budgetary constraints with the project and they made me the UX guy (despite having zero web page design or UX/UI experience). They just pointed me to Balsamiq and Axure and that’s it.

    Out of that experience I had grew a new appreciation for UX professionals, there are so many things that go into good UX design and I only scratched the surface with my wireframes. I was happy with my efforts despite not knowing what I was doing, I just googled other sites and took elements from them I liked eg carousels, hamburgers. There are also other things that had to be considered like accessibility standards to adhere to, and website responsiveness when devices are in portrait or landscape mode, plus catering for different browsers (we thought we had covered everything until some mofo said ‘what about Microsoft Edge’).

    All these things we take for granted but a lot of work goes into this design and I never even understood. I don’t know that I would continue that path of work but I certainly am more open to doing web design just for fun.

    I wish I had kept my axure work but the company wouldn’t even pay for Axure so my free trial ran out.

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 13:04
      +1

      Hey that is awesome! Yes, people do think that designing is easy, but then when you get into the nitty gritty of it, there are so many considerations and problems to solve. I am always learning from other designers/sites and there are some amazing resources out there that are free to use to tinker around with.

      So many companies try and do it on the cheap but there is a lot that goes into it which they don't consider!

      • Gronk on 22/02/2018 - 14:55

        So many companies try and do it on the cheap but there is a lot that goes into it which they don't consider!

        The term 'minimum viable product' comes to mind…

        • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 14:59
          +1

          Having an MVP is great, and starting cheaply isn't a problem (most startups do this), but they have to keep working on improving it.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2018 - 14:16

    Question. Why does almost everything look the same.

    Question. Why do most websites, apps etc favour form over function.

    • PropertyPig on 22/02/2018 - 14:56
      +1

      Just like other industries, web design goes through trends. You will see a lot of similar designs that are "on trend". This can apply to layouts, icons, colours etc. Designers also copy other designers/websites. They get inspired from them so you will see a lot of similarity.

      The reason you will get form over function is that the company has hired a developer/graphic designer to design the website and build it and it hasn't gone through any UX testing. You'll get something that looks pretty, but has little things that don't work well for it.

  • Stopback on 22/02/2018 - 15:35

    What are some UX issues/ or positives you see with the ozbargain website?

  • Jasco on 23/02/2018 - 20:27

    Any particular resources you would recommend for some fundamentals?

    • PropertyPig on 23/02/2018 - 21:38
      +1

      Depends on what you want to learn.

      Learning about UX

      • The D.school Standford design school. Really good resource thats free.
      • Youtube Video There are heaps of videos on youtube that can explain what UX is.
      • IDEO a free Intro to human centred design course you can do online

      Good (free) reads

      Learning to code

      -Free Code Camp

      Design Resources and Inspiration

      Theres more, but I have them bookmarked on my work, so I'll add to this on monday.

      • Jasco on 24/02/2018 - 18:57

        Thanks. Sorry, should have been more specific. I do business intelligence and regularly design tools, dashboards, reporting services etc. that require a good deal of interface design. Coding, data etc. is one thing, design is a whole other beast! I was hoping to find some resources that can aid in some basic fundamental rules of thumb that I can employ quickly. Thanks for what you've provided.

        • PropertyPig on 25/02/2018 - 14:05
          +1

          Ah yeah, I design interfaces for dashboards and reporting. It can look pretty boring but it’s really good if you enjoy problem solving. I’ll send you some resources I have tomorrow when I’m back at work.

        • PropertyPig on 26/02/2018 - 10:07
          +1

          Check out http://calltoidea.com/ It will give you some ideas of designs that have done well for things like dashboards, logins, stats layouts. These examples have been taken from various companies, so most of them have already been UX tested.

  • littlemisslovely on 25/02/2018 - 16:12

    Hi there, So glad you are doing an AMA! I have a question:

    I have a small business website that I'd love to hire a UX designer for a few hours to look over it and recommend what I should change / design enhancements / colour and css changes. Even just doing a video of them looking at it and then showing me other styles they think would work better.
    Is that possible to find someone to do that? And where would I start by looking for someone?

    Would love your insight!

    • PropertyPig on 26/02/2018 - 09:41

      PM me your website and I will take a look for free. I can give you my opinion on surface stuff, but if you want in-depth analysis, you might be able to get someone for a day or two on freelancer.com

  • lainey13 on 25/02/2018 - 21:49

    I feel like UX is undervalued in a tech, companies might spend a bit on a UX department once they get enough products and teams going, but won't actually invest that much into dedicated UX, and plenty just don't even bother with UX and don't prioritise it at all. Do you think that's the case? Is the UX market pretty small due to this under valuation of user experience?

    • PropertyPig on 26/02/2018 - 09:39

      Depends on the company. A lot of startups/newer companies/tech companies will put UX first because they want their product to excel from the get-go. Older companies who have been around for at least 30-40 years are only just starting to realise how UX can benefit them. However, in my experience, I have found that companies will hire you to change your UX, but then don't like what your customer are saying, and then don't change their product to meet their needs. They say they value UX, but not when it comes down to actually putting it into practice.

      UX is not exclusively tech either. You can hire a UX designer to redesign your customer experience when they walk into a store, or use the train station or use your physical product. I feel like the UX market is small because it's a "new" term for a job role that has existed before, but has really come into light in the past 10 years. There are heaps of people now taking short courses to transition from Graphic designers, digital designer, developers, over to being UX designer. The market is getting flooded with junior designers. I think that is a great thing.

  • AlienC on 02/05/2018 - 02:20

    Do you wish that more websites were more mobile friendly and had multiple options for various sizes and orientations and do you also wish more apps had more ux/ui designing for tablet users and a proper landscape view? I do, I really do.. cough gumtree cough

    I mean come on app and website developers it is 2018 now not 2008.

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