5 most common design mistakes
Work And Study / / December 25, 2019
1. Limited research area
There are two main reasons why the designers did not investigate thoroughly enough customer problem: time and risk.
Time
For the customer there is nothing more tempting than a quick positive results. Choosing between a few changes that will bring a small positive result after three months, and the significant changes that will a positive result in six months, most companies will choose the first option, and it seriously limits the ability of the designer to delve into the solution Problems.
Think about it, what kind of design can be done in three months? Only small incremental improvements. Which - do not get me wrong - can be very successful at some point. Minor changes are also necessary if you want to get your product developed and not standing still. But if you seek to change the behavior or thinking of people, you must first change its model of operation. If you will constantly look for quick win-win solution, you can not offer something scale.
Risk
If the customer has a mediocre, but a workable solution, it seems, that it is foolish to abandon it. After all, as a result he can get a less efficient solution than it has at the moment. Sometimes, even when the designer has done his job great, users and customers can not in what it does not accept. This is the fee for innovation.
Often this means that the very idea of searching for new areas does not rise. Everyone understands that any such offer will be rejected, because it is accepted, because there is a normal state of affairs.
Resist the temptation to use only proven solutions.
Try to negotiate. Risk in business there is always, and the exploration of new opportunities will help the company to stay one step ahead of the competition. Even though in most cases you will get the answer "no" infrequent "yes" will be worth it.
2. Designer fixate on the first idea
This is a classic design error. You begin to study more intricate problems. His head immediately appears a great concept. You make the first sketch. Oh, it looks cute. Enthusiasm is growing! You start to make a detailed prototype. And here it begins the most terrifying. How to choose a background - white or black? Maybe worth a button to make round? And here you can attach even the chips that you have come up with working on the previous project? And instead of having to study the problem and propose some interesting solutions, designers spend 80% of their time, processing and modifying a single original idea.
Perhaps this is not about you. Perhaps your first idea is always brilliant. It is possible that everything you touch turns to gold. But I doubt it. So do not fall for their first idea, and continue to investigate the problem, push the boundaries, invent various systems, models and approaches, while you are at the initial stage of the study. After all, at this stage all the visual detail - a material that should not be perfectly reconciled. He just needs to help you bring your idea to the customers who can accept or reject it.
In most cases, refine and execute the initial non-acceptance of the concept - is, in essence, the same as the swap chaise lounge on the deck of a sinking of "Titanic." Too often, there are designers who are so deeply fascinated by a single idea, they do not notice other potential solutions that could be much better.
3. Beautiful design does not mean good
Situation: A talented designer comes with a polished prototype - and the beautiful content, and professional photographs of attractive smiling people, and superinteresnym content. And all come with the presentation so impressed that he did not ask a single question.
When something looks good, sometimes you begin to believe that this is actually a good thing.
Good design execution - it's not a beautiful full-length picture, and a plurality of interconnected components, which can actually make the design work. For example, the design looks great when you use high-quality photos in high resolution and a variety of content, but what if the customer will be able to place only their low-quality site pictures? Or you come up with a lot of functions for which you need a good database, but in the existing system, such opportunities are not enough? Or you add a lot of animation, and the majority of the product enjoying an audience older phones, which is physically impossible to evaluate all of this?
Good execution of tasks - it is not selling itself design, this in-depth discussion and understanding of the technical, as well as work with the limitations that may stand in the way of ideas. And the idea is to work not only in the greenhouse, the perfect environment.
4. Simplicity for the sake of style
It is known that designers appreciate the aesthetics. And it is clear that they want their things were not only functional, but also look good. And it often happens that the result of the designer's work as "unique", is so unusual that ordinary people can not express nothing but bewilderment. Unfortunately, too often the desire to express some kind of aesthetics, style becomes the first place, and convenience of the product to the target audience is practically not taken into account.
The concept of "target audience" - the most important thing, it is only because it can evaluate the relevance and value of design as such.
If you make an application only other designers - all means, forget about standard solutions. And no matter what your mother can not figure out how to use it, as long as the target audience - designers - no such problem. But if you make an application, which are supposed to use the different people around the world use simple, proven and reliable model to resort to familiar solutions that make life easier for these people, and do not be afraid to seem non-innovative. We need to create the design is not the same as we like, and so that it fell in love with the target audience.
5. Best design - invisible design
Every designer is incredibly serious about its responsibility for product development, whether the application package or web site. Often, attention to detail applies to absolutely everything. The designer thinks thoroughly rarely used screens, such as great organizes settings page or makes an unusual page 404.
As a result, too often, the designer pays insufficient attention to the things that people will enjoy in the first place. For example, the most effective way to remind people about the value of the application - this notice. But designers who want to develop superperfect notification system is far less than those who want to make a nice visual design. Or another example: it is often necessary to choose the most opportune time for the release of new features and mark it so that it does not get lost in the flow of other innovations, because it is also the task of the designer. And yet, how about a study of connection of your application with others, so that you can conveniently use them and do not fill out the form with the data each time?
And let's not forget about marketing: how people learn about your application or any new fiche? No matter how rich your experience and how well you have thought from within the app, it is important that the people of this could easily find out. It is not only the look of your application, but also the fact that it offers users. Of course, the beautiful shell must also be. But sometimes the best design - one that is not visible.