Design with awareness

A few days ago, an idea got stuck in my head that I wanted to write down and share somewhere. It doesn’t matter how many people read it; maybe it will interest someone, or someone might feel identified with it.

Inventing the Wheel

For those studying fields related to design, recent graduates, or people looking to make a career transition into UX, it’s very likely that at some point, they have faced the well-known impostor syndrome.

In careers that, in some way, are connected to creative aspects, we constantly struggle to develop that one idea no one else has managed to think of—or, put differently, we feel like we have to “reinvent the wheel.”

In recent years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with great designers, who both inspired me and gave me the impression of being “superior” due to the incredible execution of their work. But is that the only path in design?

Thinking that creating highly creative posters, extremely powerful images, next-level typography, striking book covers (and I could keep going) is the only way to become a D-E-S-I-G-N-E-R can lead us to frustration in an instant.

And the Function?

Now, this doesn’t mean that for the other type of designer (the kind I identify more with), it’s unnecessary to be detail-oriented, meticulous, exploratory, problem-solving, creative, and possess many other qualities. But it’s different. It’s approached differently. And that’s where function comes into focus.

Bringing this idea to product design, we see an abundance of designs and prototypes in flashy portfolios or real apps with interactions from another planet. But what’s the point of an excellent design if there’s no research? What’s the point if it doesn’t serve a purpose? What good is design if it doesn’t help people? Or if it only helps a select few?

All I want to say with this is that today, more than ever, we have a wealth of tools at our disposal. Technology, as support for our ideas, enables us to produce relevant products that make daily activities easier for many people or at least help them achieve small goals.

And let’s not forget the standardization of many functionalities or forms (which, in a way, tell us what works and what doesn’t) are great references when developing new products.

To conclude, a quote from Don Norman:

“The most important thing in design is how things work, not how they look.”