The Story of How I Improved my UI Design Skills

If only my UI design skill matched my UX design skill. That’s a thought that has become as familiar to me as the locs on my head. I’ve decided to pay better attention to bridging the gap between the two and these are the steps I’ll be taking. But first, my struggles.

I discovered the great divide between my UX and UI design skills (hereafter referred to as UX and UI skills) when I was working on my first collaborative project.

The project was with two designers with more experience than I had but who were still figuring most things out. I did really well in the UX research phase and in translating our findings into meaningful insights. With the empathy and journey maps, the user flow, and the How Might We exercise, I can say that my contribution was relevant, even though I was exposed to these things for the first time. I did great.

With actual interface design? I did not fare so well. I did not know the design tool well enough and as time has shown me, UI design is not my strong suit.

But that’s going to change. Because I love design. I enjoy hopping on Figma and getting buried in the design of an interface. I love looking at the output and thinking “oh this card can be shorter” then returning back to the board to improve on it. I enjoy that.

I love art. Design is not art. And the distinction I hold on to is on design being functional especially in solving a problem. Design can contain art and elements of art but it is not in itself, art.

However, certain clients want a lot more art in their products than I can offer. I can design a great flow. I can design an amazing experience that is tailored to my users. I can design a nav bar and cards and avatars and input fields and drop downs and buttons and tabs. And I can combine them well enough to create a usable interface. But what I cannot do, is art.

Aesthetics. I think that’s the name for it. But I call it art. You know those blobs that peep out from behind images, those tiny icons that fly around other images, the circular arrow that doesn’t need to be there but with subtlety, points at something important, and basically every other element of beauty that doesn’t serve functionality but improves the aesthetic of the design. Yeah, me and those guys aren’t friends.

It’s not that I don’t like them. I’m just bad at figuring out when, where, and how to use them. It’s not them, it’s me.

This has resulted in some back and forth with clients that sometimes leave me feeling quite terrible. I’ve learned to take feedback as opportunities for growth and after all is said and done, I’m usually grateful I was pushed to do what I thought I couldn’t. But the process is never fun. I did write down some notes that I read over and over during those times. It makes things a little bit better.

I have been studying to specialize in UX Strategy which means I will be doing less interface design. But it’ll not go down in history that Stephanie isn’t good at interface design. So, I’m fixing that.

Over the next 4 months, these are the steps I’ll be taking to improve my UI design with a focus on bettering my aesthetic design skill (is that a thing?)

1. Consume a lot of art

How I see it, consuming and studying art will train my eye toward aesthetics a whole lot more. Art is beautiful. One of the friendships I adore most is the one I have with Mide who is an exceptional artist. His art is so good sometimes I want to cry at the perfection. Especially when he works on out-of-box designs that have me looking closer than I normally would.

Other illustrators, artists, and multidisciplinary designers also do art that I respect. I’ll put together a list and share it on my Twitter. I’ll be studying them, their art, and everything in between.

If you’ve got suggestions on great artists I need to check out, please share them with me on Twitter. Will appreciate that.

2. Watch documentaries on art/design

Abstract: The art of Design, comes to mind. It is a Netflix documentary focused on design and watching the first season was inspiring. So, I’m watching it again and watching the second season for the first time.

I want to get into the minds of great designers and artists. I want to see how they think. What inspires them? Who inspires them? How did they learn? What fueled their growth? How do they describe their design processes?

If I can find the time, I’d watch some design-focused movies too. Again, I’m open to suggestions. Please send them to me on Twitter!

3. Take a course or two

I did poorly with ‘fine art’ while in primary and secondary school. Very poorly. In fact, I did so badly in it that I understand why I struggle with aesthetics now. But I’ve come to learn that I can learn anything. Learned this from the book Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck.

Plus, I know I am smart. With the right amount of effort, I can achieve anything. So maybe a beginner course on art will not be so bad. And some more on UI design. I probably should go back to the basics.

This is starting to seem like I am here to ask you for things but yeah I’m shameless when it comes to my growth. Please send me great courses that are explicitly focused on UI design. I will appreciate beginner-friendly courses in art as well. Oh, and pocket friendly. Pocket-friendly courses please (pocket friendly to me is less than $150).

4. Practice harder than I ever have

This goes without saying. To get better at a skill, you must practice it as much as possible. Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, talked about 10,000 hours of practice to become a master at what you do.

So, I gotta put in the hours. When I feel like it and when I don’t. On busy days and on slow days. An extra hour at my desk, pushing myself to push one more pixel.

It will not be easy. But it’ll be better than the feeling of inadequacy that I get. It’ll be better than feeling like a fraud. And even if these feelings show up, I’ll be armed with proof to show that that is not who I am.

5. Take the punches

I will not hide from feedback. Neither will I let it get to my mind. I’ll build a thick skin. I’ll intentionally seek criticism. Because if I’m being honest, I hide my work from people who can give me constructive criticism. I don’t want to expose my flaws and vulnerabilities and unnamed frames to them.

That comes to an end. I’ll cry if I must. But I’ll take the punches and get stronger…better. So, if you know me and I know you and I know that you’re a great designer, expect me in your DM. And if I’ve been there, expect to see me a whole lot more. And while I’m there, please let me know if there’s any way I can help you as well.

These are the key things I intend to do. As I progress, certain things may change. I may pick up new pointers that can help. At the end of the year (or the beginning of the next), I will share a report on how I have progressed. If there’s a need, I may share updates before then.

I am excited to begin this journey, even though I am a tad bit scared. I’ll get it done. And I’ll be better. I would have grown.

Growth. I love it.

Originally published on medium.com