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Qualities of a Good UX Designer

Self-Reflection: Evaluating Your Design Skills

Feb 26 -2019

I do have experience working with designers whose designs were only based on business requirements, goal, and suggestion. They also take the feedback from business only, and after the approval, they send designs to the developers. I call them business-centric designers not user-centric because they bypassed the end- users and did not include them anywhere in the design process. That’s the reason why it is getting common to find great business apps filled with design errors; because designers only focus on making their employer happy by designing what they want. At first, it sounds like the worst design process, but it has some advantages and disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES

  • An easier way to secure your job and make your bosses happy by designing exactly what they want.
  • Saves lots of time by avoiding user research and testing.

DISADVANTAGES

  • You might be able to deliver your designs very fast and make your bosses happy. But, after the launch, the chances are high that users might give negative feedback and spoil the business’s reputation. A result that could lead to you losing favor with your boss, and possibly even losing your job.

This process might work for freelancing projects, but not if you are working as an employee of a company. A poor design can destroy a business’s reputation completely; therefore, it is very important to consider end-user expectation in the design process.

I am not suggesting that you ignore a business’s desires, suggestions, and recommendations. In fact, It is the first thing I would like to consider when starting a new project. But, also, would like to test their hypotheses with the end-users to understand the gap between the business's goals and the users' expectations.

By using design thinking, I can make decisions based on what an end-user really wants instead of relying only on business requirements or making risky bets on instinct, instead of evidence. It is very important for me to uncover insights about the unmet needs of my users and turn those needs into human-centered solutions.

Design thinking also has some advantages and disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES

  • The end product not only meets the business’s objectives but also fulfills the client's requirements.

DISADVANTAGES

  • A business could begin to consider you a hurdle in their product development process if you fail to fully explain your design research and the solutions that you expect to achieve. Therefore, it is crucial that you explain your design framework and the solutions it will achieve, explaining how they are beneficial to the business.

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