Technatic | Creating a product design requires various skills that complement each other. Therefore, there are many things that UI UX designers must master to produce product designs that meet user expectations.
Who is called a UI UX Designer
UI UX designers are those who are responsible for designing the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of a digital product. A user interface is an interface that allows users to interact with a product and focuses on the visual appearance of a product (related to themes, colors, graphics, and so on).
Meanwhile, user experience is the design of making a product comfortable and making it easier for users when using the product (such as regarding the existence and function of buttons, choice of words for certain buttons, and so on).
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UI UX designers generally join the product team (product design to be precise). This is different from graphic designers who join the marketing or creative team. The role of a graphic designer is different from a UI UX designer, namely creating graphic designs with the aim of advertising, aka attracting user attention, not user comfort or satisfaction.
UI UX Designer Workflow
UI UX designers work to complement each other to produce a complete product design. Both must be able to combine visual beauty with the functionality of the product being offered. Therefore, the workflow in creating a product design is interrelated and continuous between the UI designer and UX designer.
1. UX Research
As mentioned previously, the resulting product must be able to meet user expectations. If not, then users will not feel comfortable when using the product and user satisfaction figures will decrease. If this happens, users will slowly leave the product and will not be reluctant to switch to competitors.
Therefore, the team will carry out UX research carried out by a UX researcher. Research can be carried out in various methods such as distributing surveys, user interviews, and so on.
The substance that is researched varies, such as whether the solution that will be offered is in accordance with user needs, what features should be added or even considered unimportant, what is the impression of the illustration or writing style used, whether the location of the buttons is appropriate and easy to help user navigation, and many others.
UX researchers will process data from the research. The information resulting from the research is then discussed before finally being agreed upon and used as guidelines by the UI UX designer.
2. Creation of IA
Information architecture (IA) is information presented in the form of charts, columns, or other structured designs that are interconnected. The purpose of preparing this IA is none other than to make it easier for the team to understand the product concept.
A good information architecture must also fulfill certain components in order to achieve its goals optimally. Some of the components in question are a navigation system, information organization, information labeling, and a search system.
3. Wireframe creation
A wireframe is a drawing framework for digital product design at a structural level. This process provides a visual sketch that shows the flow of user information in operating a product.
It is at this stage that the role of UX is very large. UX designers will design good pages with the most appropriate functionality according to what the user wants. As for making wireframes, UX designers can use hand drawings or supporting software such as Figma and Adobe XD.
4. UX Flow Settings
The next step is to organize the flow of how a product is used by users. This UX flow is of course designed with a user experience approach so that users feel comfortable when using the product. Creating this flow can also depart from the results of UX research that has been carried out previously.
5. Prototyping
If the UX flow has been determined, it's time to create a prototype. A prototype is a form, original model, or example that becomes the basis for the next process (can be derived or developed later). Some applications for making prototypes are Adobe XD, MockPlus, Invision, and others.
The prototype aims to simplify the process of explaining product plans through functional product demonstrations. Apart from that, the prototype also aims to provide more realistic working system specifications.
6. Design System Design
Creating a design system means storing various design components such as icons, fonts, color palettes, etc. in a library. At this stage, the UI designer begins to play a role.
However, UI designers are not alone when designing a design system. UI designers collaborate with developers. While the UI designer prepares the design elements, the developer prepares the library components that will be used.
7. UI Design
So, now is the time for UI designers to maximize their skills in presenting attractive visuals. At this stage, UI designers begin to design an attractive visual appearance with a combination of colors, typography, and attractive and representative illustrations.
There are many tools available to help UI designers prepare user interface designs. Some commonly used ones include Adobe Illustrator, Sketch App, and Adobe Photoshop.
8. Development and Testing
The user interface design that has passed the test is then started to be developed by the developer team. To ensure the implementation of the design according to what was designed, developers and UI designers must remain in communication.
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If all parts of the product have been developed, the team must carry out trials first before launching it to the wider market. The design will be assessed and improved if necessary before it is finally ready to be released to users.
Must-Have Skills
The complexity and vitality of UI UX design means that related designers must have several special skills. In general, here are three important things that UI UX designers must master to carry out their role optimally.
- Visual Communication: UI UX communicates with users via social media so it is natural that UI UX designers must have good and strong visual communication skills. They must have a good understanding of design theory, images, layout, colors, icons, and so on.
- Research: Not only relying on UX researchers, UI UX designers also need to equip themselves with good research skills. Some of the related skills in question are planning, executing, analyzing and drawing conclusions.
- Wireframing and Prototyping: Wireframes are designers' main communication tools to explain to other relevant stakeholders the ideas that will be realized. Without a wireframe, it is difficult for designers to convince stakeholders to realize their ideas. Meanwhile, a prototype will help designers to clearly show the product that will be presented to users.
The things that UI UX designers must master are not only hard skills, but also soft skills such as the ability to communicate and collaborate, analytical thinking, and many others. This ability must always be trained.