5

The architecture of information

The visible and invisible structures that organize the world around us: from the menu on our favorite sneaker store’s website, to the path we need to take to find the truth online.

What are the different ways you can organize the world around you?

Goal

Understand the importance of organization, prioritization, and clarity when designing digital products.

Illustrations by Michela Picchi

 

As a designer, you want the people who are using the product you designed to be able to easily find what they’re looking for. Information Architects are the professionals responsible for categorizing the ever-inflating scope of information on websites and other digital applications, in a way that makes sense for users. 

Not every company has dedicated Information Architects inside their teams, and it’s imperative for designers to think about the architecture of information on the products we create. How do we want people to navigate our app? What should we label menu items? What hierarchies and relationships do we want to create between the different areas of our product?

“Some things are simple. Some things are complicated. Every single thing in the universe is complex.”

Abby Covert

The changes we make to an interface can impact and reflect the organizations we work for. A new content structure we propose might challenge how the company is currently structured, how teams are organized, customer support channels, and internal workflows. 

These decisions can also have an impact on society at large. Our communities are in the process of moving a lot of key social interactions to digital spaces (e.g., telemedicine services, live streams in social apps, census survey from the government, virtual concerts). With that, the way we organize and provide easy access to information becomes even more critical. 

How do we empower people to navigate these new digital spaces? What are the 1-to-1 and 1-to-many interactions we allow them to have? Decisions that appear tactical and straightforward (like how to design an app’s navigation system) can have a profound impact on someone’s day.

In this chapter, we’ll review some basic definitions of Information Architecture, learn how it has historically affected the products we use, and understand how to more tactically apply it to the products we create.

Reading list

1.
How to Make Sense
of Any Mess

A seven-step process for arranging the parts of something and making it understandable as a whole. By Abby Covert.

Borrow this book from local public libraries or buy it from local bookstores.

Watchlist

How would you explain the practice of information architecture to a colleague?

How does information architecture apply to your everyday life? What’s the organization of the spaces you visit, or the digital services you use every day?

What are the types of content you consume on a daily basis? In what format is each content piece usually presented (e.g. text, tweet, video, audio, book, etc.)? How is that content organized or categorized?

Reflection

Try if for yourself

The reading list in this chapter just scratched the surface on Information Architecture and how it is deeply ingrained in the design practice. To see it in action, search for case studies and guides on the many methods related to it. And experiment with it on your own: document the steps included on the sign-up flow of your favorite app. As you practice, you will naturally start paying attention to how information is organized around you.

Upside down illustration of a person
Abstract shapes
Book: how to make sense of any mess

6

Talking
to users

The importance of user research as a critical tool to ensure the experiences we design are actually delivering on people’s needs.

You are not your user.

Goal

Understand the importance of research to create products that solve real-world problems.

Illustrations by Michela Picchi

 

As you start to dive deeper into digital product design, you’ll start seeing terms like User Research, UX Research, Usability Testing, or User-Centered Design. What they all have in common is bringing users into the design process. Ultimately, we’re creating products that will be used by real people, and more often than not, these people think and behave quite differently than we do. 

User research has two goals: (1) to make sure we’re designing the right thing, and (2) to make sure we’re designing the thing right. The former is about understanding people’s needs so that we include features that will meet their needs. The latter is about evaluating whether our designs for those features are easy to use. These are often referred to as Generative Research and Evaluation Research, respectively.

 

“Want your users to fall in love with your designs? Fall in love with your users.”

Dana Chisnell

There are several methods designers and researchers can use to get those insights. Some methods are qualitative (focused on extracting insights from observations and interviews) while others are quantitative (focused on measuring things with numerical data). 

You can interview users and have a casual conversation with them to understand their habits (User Interviews). You can sit down with a user and have them go through your designs to see if they can successfully complete a certain task (Usability Testing). You can send people a link to an online form and ask them to fill it out (Survey). Or, you can design two versions of a screen or flow, test each version separately, and compare how they perform (A/B testing). 

These are just a few ways user research can take shape, and you will have time to learn about each method and practice with real users as you progress in your career as a designer. The most important thing is to understand when to use which technique. User research is all about answering a question or hypothesis you and your team have. It’s up to you as the designer, in partnership with your cross-functional team, to choose the method that will help you reach your research goals.

This chapter will give you a baseline understanding of user research methods, how they fit within a project timeline, and some mechanisms you can use to make sure you don’t go too far without validating your ideas with real users.

Reading list

1.
Just Enough
Research

Good research is about asking better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. By Erika Hall.

Borrow this book from local public libraries or buy it from local bookstores.

Watchlist

What’s the role of research in the design work? At what stages of the project do you think it should be used, and why?

How do you see yourself involved in the research process? Do you see yourself as a moderator/facilitator? What skills do you think you will need to develop to get there?

Based on your readings, what’s the right balance between quantitative and qualitative research? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Reflection

See it in practice

Understanding what people need is the starting point of any design work. Any good design case study will be a good research case study. You can read about projects focused on research and discovery, you can learn tips and guides to make the most of a research session, or check how the week of a researcher looks like. 

Next time you see a case study, ask yourself:

• Which research methods did the designer use, and why?
What was an insight coming from users vs. the designer’s personal opinion about the problem?
• How did the designer apply insights from research to the final solution?

Abstract shapes
The word "Desire"
Book: just enough research

7

Balancing
form & function

Design is not just how it looks but also how it works. Graciously balancing those two mindsets is the holy grail of a designer’s craft.

What if we told you both sides of your brain are equally valuable as a designer?

Goal

Explore basic concepts of graphic design and how they translate to digital products.

Illustrations by Michela Picchi

 

Let’s start by busting the myth that design is only about making things pretty. Given the nature of the medium we’re playing with, in digital product design most of our effort goes into figuring out the logic behind an interface: how things work behind the scenes, how users navigate through the experience, how the design system we are creating scales across various use cases and scenarios. A large part of our day is spent using the rational side of our brains and thinking through how to make sophisticated interactions work. 

We also want our products to look beautiful and simple. We know aesthetics play an essential role in how people perceive an experience, and consequently, a brand. Clean visuals, well-defined typographic hierarchy, harmonic grids—those are some of the ingredients a designer can use to build a visually balanced product. In addition to that, with the right use of color, imagery, and motion, designers can create products that evoke different emotional responses from users. 

This balancing act between function (usability) and form (aesthetics) is one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of being a digital designer. You will hear about this a lot. In some companies, those two mindsets are separated, and we end up seeing two different professionals looking at either side of this issue; while the UX Designer (or Interaction Designer) is more focused on function, the Visual Designer (or UI Designer, or Brand Designer) is more focused on form. In other companies we see one professional being responsible for both. The reality is that form and function can’t be separated. While some people might be more focused on one side of the spectrum, as a designer you need to understand and continue to evolve in both.

“Information is only useful when it can be understood.”

Muriel Cooper

Graphic Design can be defined as the process of visual communication and problem-solving through the use of typography, photography, iconography, and illustration. It is everywhere around us. On the cover of the book you keep next to bed. On the label of the orange juice bottle you had for breakfast. On the movie posters you keep on your living room wall. On the illustrations on this website. Creating visually attractive things, eliciting emotions, and telling stories through design is a concept that’s been around since the early days of humankind. 

The qualities of what is considered visually compelling have changed pretty drastically throughout history. If you click around the apps you have installed on your phone, you’ll notice that when it comes to digital product design, designers have been following a pretty narrow spectrum of visual styles. Even within that narrow style, we see specific visual trends come and go, year after year.

“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.”

Massimo Vignelli

It will be really important for you, as a designer, to study art history, as well as graphic design history. More important than memorizing the names and dates of art movements is to understand what they represented in their day and age. More often than not, art and design artifacts (be it a painting, a poster, a sculpture, a building) are a message that the creator sends out about how they view life, society, or politics.  

You might have heard about Modernism, an artistic movement that developed in the beginning of the 20th century that opposed the excessive ornamentation of previous styles. Or the Bauhaus, a German art school that aimed to unify the principles of mass production with individual artistic vision, merging pleasant aesthetics with everyday function. A lot of the work and design principles defined during that period still influence the digital products we see today. Understanding the past is important to help us create what's next: what are the principles worth keeping, and the ones we need to move away from to get to a better place as a society?

Studying the more foundational principles of our discipline, as opposed to jumping too quickly into User Interface (UI) best practices and trends, will ensure you are building skills that can last more than just a few months. Our reading list below is only a starting point, but feel free to explore each of these introductory concepts further as you find the ones that excite you the most.

Reading list

1.
Universal Principles
of Design

Clear explanations of foundational design principles featured with visual examples applied in practice. By William Lidwell, Jill Butler, Kritina Holden.

2.
Refactoring UI

How to design beautiful interfaces using specific tactics explained from a developer's point-of-view. By Adam Wathan, Steve Schoger.

Borrow these books from local public libraries or buy from local bookstores.

Watchlist

What was the design principle that surprised you the most? How does that principle apply to some of the products you use every day?

What does graphic design, industrial design, and digital design have in common? How would you explain their differences to a friend?

How would you describe the importance of typography, color, and space for digital product design?

Reflection

See it in practice

The secret to honing our user interface skills is to learn from everywhere. The more techniques and repertoire we have, the easier it will be to convey our ideas and solutions on interfaces. See it in practice with case studies from other designers starting their careers, watch redesign walkthroughs, and read how companies like Slack approach their big interface projects getting their users involved.  

To learn visual design, you need to practice. Try to rebuild interfaces of apps you like on the design tool of your choice and use this opportunity to also learn how the tool works. There are many design templates and guides to copy, experiment, and build on top.

Illustration of a colorful banana
Abstract shapes
Book: universal principles of design
Book: refactoring UI

8

The job of
a designer

What does the day of a designer look like? What are we expected to do and deliver when we get to work?

Hint: mockups and prototypes are only one small part of our job.

Goal

Understand some of the designer’s responsibilities beyond designing.

Illustrations by Michela Picchi

 

As a designer, you’ll be assigned to projects. Depending on the company you work for, one of those projects might be to add a new feature to their existing mobile app, or to map their customer’s journey of shopping online so that you can improve it. In some cases, you might be working on a larger website overhaul, building an interactive screen experience for a fashion retailer, designing the experience of having a conversation with a chatbot, or creating a landing page for an up and coming startup.  

In certain companies, you might be working on a single product for a long time. Launching a product is just the beginning of the journey. Once the product is live, there’s still a lot of work to be done: optimizing flows for better conversion, iterating on the design to solve for pain points users are having, adding more features, accommodating for evolving use cases and business needs—the list is long. One skill that is very particular to digital product designers is perseverance—it takes time to make a product successful, and in some cases you might spend a whole year solving the same design challenge.

“It's through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good. You have to try a lot of things and fail in order to make the next discovery.”

Paula Scher

You are not designing anything alone. You will be collaborating not only with other designers, but with a multidisciplinary team of product managers, developers, business specialists, marketers, and analytics experts. There are a lot of moving pieces needed to make a product successful, and design is only one part of it.  

Design is not the protagonist in the product development process. In fact, there aren’t any protagonists. It takes a village to make a product work seamlessly for the users and the business, and being open to collaboration, feedback, and many rounds of iteration is one of the best qualities a designer can have. When everyone is working toward the same goal—without ego—the process flows much more naturally and people feel a sense of ownership over the final product.

Creativity, optimism and great collaboration skills will become essential as you start to work side by side with other disciplines to build digital products and services. In this chapter, you’ll learn about the designer’s process and get a better sense of what’s expected from the role of a designer in the team.

Reading list

1.
The Shape
of Design

The mental state of a successful designer while they go through their creative process. By Frank Chimero.

Borrow this book from local public libraries or buy it from local bookstores.

1.
Design is in the details
(Paul Bennett)

2.
Happiness by design
(Stefan Sagmeister)

3.
Design and the elastic mind
(Paola Antonelli)

Watchlist

Reflection

Now that you’re further along in this guide, what do you expect your day to be like as a designer? How is it different from your initial perception? What excites you the most about it?

You might have heard "everyone is a designer". How do you see cross-functional colleagues being part of your design process?

What do you expect from your first job as a digital product designer? What do you want to learn and develop?

See it in practice

Companies like Figma, Webflow, Zendesk, Intercom, and many others have been doing a great job at writing about their team structure, process, and career paths. While these articles are mostly focused on the positive side of their teams, they are still a valuable resource to understand where you want to focus on as a designer and what your job might look like. 

After carefully looking at these examples, what has changed from your initial perception about the job of a designer? What did you miss from these articles? What do you expect your day-to-day as a designer to be?

Illustration of a person upside down
Illustration of a colorful banana
Book: the shape of design

9

The road
ahead

Becoming a designer is a long but exciting journey. Now that you have a better understanding of our discipline, it’s time to start planning the next steps towards shaping your design career.

Join

Oh, the things you’ll create.

Illustration of a unicorn

Goal

Get clear on the next steps for starting your design career.

Illustrations by Michela Picchi

 

We’re hopeful that at this point, you have a good understanding of what it takes to create digital products and services that are truly designed for humans. From knowing your purpose as a designer, to understanding the importance of bringing users into your process, to learning about the design methods you can use to create experiences that are both useful and delightful. 

But there’s still a lot of work ahead of you.

Learning design is an ongoing process. If you ever feel like you’re done learning, it’s because you still don’t know what you don’t know. As a designer, it’s important you maintain a curious mind and continue to absorb knowledge from the people around you. Question everything you know to be true and invite other perspectives into the conversation. That’s how you grow. 

There are so many ways to learn more. Continue to expand your references and sources. Connect with other designers, join online communities, participate in events, find a mentor, and read more in-depth articles and books.  

There’s an exciting journey ahead of you, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll create next.

Next steps

Set new goals

1. Think back to when you defined what design is to you, and your dream job. How has it changed?  

2. What you have been learning about design can be applied in many ways, beyond a traditional design job. Reflect on how you want to apply what you learned.  

3. Define your career goals. What type of projects do you see yourself working on? What kind of design role might help you achieve that?

 

Build your community

1. Find people around you that are also learning, working in design, or working in a related field. Team up with them and find ways to support each other on your journeys. 

2. Join Slack and LinkedIn groups to meet people, ask questions, and practice some networking skills.

3. Find online meetups and conferences to join.

 

Find a mentor

1. Create a high-level outline of what you want to ask and learn from a design mentor. 

2. Reach out to designers you admire (like someone you found in Chapter 2).  

3. People might be busy or take a while to respond, so it's good to reach out to a few people. To make the most of the opportunity, after finding a mentor, focus on what you can learn from them before contacting others.

 

Keep learning

1. Reflect on all you learned in the past classes. What topics are you curious to learn more about? What are the ones you struggle with the most?

2. This class was just the beginning of your journey. Decide how you want to keep learning! There’s plenty of content out there for you to take in. 

3. Before signing up for a specific course or program, find people who have gone through it before and ask how their experiences were.

 

Keep practicing

1. Design is thinking and making. Both require practice. Don't rush to find a job in design or to publish your portfolio, focus first on learning, and finding your voice in design. 

2. Go beyond what you’ve done so far. Find more exercises, examples, and practices beyond the ones listed here.

Abstract shapes

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About

Our industry needs more designers. Most importantly: a different type of designer.

THE PROGRESS we have seen in the last decade in terms of making our discipline more accessible to up and coming designers is undeniable. Really great. Still, quite slow. Digital product design remains an elitist discipline: hard to break in, overshadowed by unnecessary jargon, lacking organizations that genuinely represent all of its professionals’ best interests, and not as diverse as we all have dreamed it to become. At the end of the day, if design is not actively working to dismantle established exclusionary systems, it is simply perpetuating them. And that goes to how much we include or exclude people from our industry.

When you don’t lower the barrier to entering the design industry, only a really specific type of designer with a really specific type of background is able to get in.

Courses and bootcamps present a similar challenge. It’s not that there aren’t great classes out there — but those classes can be cost-prohibitive for a lot of people. Especially people who are still in the early stages of starting a career in design, in which case signing up for one of those courses can be a risky move.

WE OFTEN receive messages from our readers asking for tips on how to take their first steps into the world of digital product design. What should they be studying? What should they be reading? We noticed a pattern, though. When we reply to those messages giving people advice, there are usually a handful of articles, links, and pieces that we keep going back to. Articles that resist the test of time, that continue to be relevant several years after being published. Documentaries that will help designers look at our industry through a more critical lens.

For those reasons, we decided to put together this guide. We want this guide to serve as a reminder that when it comes to design, there’s no such thing as ultimate guides, magic formulas, or UX unicorns. There’s a lot of discipline and hard work, that’s what there is.

There won’t be a design job waiting for the reader at the end of the guide, and it is not a replacement for traditional education. The Guide To Design (for short) will give people a glimpse into what digital design work is really like, so they can decide if a career in UX might be right for them.

The UX Collective is a community of designers and writers who believe knowledge sharing can lead to a more diverse, smart, and future-proof design community.

Feedback: hello@uxdesign.cc

 

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