The Creative Media Industry

1. What type of tech professionals have you worked with in the past and present? What are the demands for these jobs?

It is very evident that we are moving towards a digital based future. All our work, particularly businesses, will move into an internet-based platform. Because of this, there will be a great demand for jobs such as web management, product designers, UI and UX design, software engineering, among others. For instance, in my company, as we work on SEO, I can see a big need for product designers for different companies. Industry leaders will be more positioned to encouraging jobs that have something to do on creating and designing online based businesses, which means that the demand and competition for these jobs will be high.

2. The global pandemic has caused some industries to shut down causing people to lose their jobs. What do you think will the impact of the pandemic on job stability and attractiveness in the tech industry? Will it create a positive or a negative effect?

There will be a shift on the job placements. Companies such as hotels and restaurants that have no online presence in the past suddenly subscribe to web services. For this reason, web developers and designers who work with tech industry related jobs like SEOs and web analytics, shift to creating websites for these companies. But overall, in my opinion, the tech industry will operate as is even after pandemic.

3. As a new UX designer, do you think that I will be able to land easily on a job once I finish my education?

UX designers are important part of our ecosystem. The responsibility of the UX designer is ensure that the customers and company partners have a seamless and efficient product design. This means that there will be a lot of opportunities for product designers in the next coming years. However, as the demand gets higher and higher, the competition also gets tougher especially now that more people (and businesses) are transitioning to an internet platform. Both must be accustomed to creating and receiving services online, which is evident now.

4. What do you think is the most important quality or skill that a product designer should have?

The most important skill that a UX designer must possess is flexibility. The tech industry is a diverse sector and to fit in, being adaptable is important. Another important skill is creativity. Being able to create something new is an ability that will help a UX designer to stand out. Lastly, a new designer should be continuously honing and empowering his/her skills and understanding the nature the industry and the job.

5. Should a UX designer be proficient in coding?

It will depend on the industry but generally, technical skills such as coding is a responsibility. Tech industry is fast paced and changing, and so one should possess the latest knowledge in technology. This is important especially in communicating with other members of the tech team. A UX designer should know and be able to speak the same language that the web developers and software engineers speak so that the tasks are easier to execute.

6. Based on today’s external influences, for instance, the global pandemic that is COVID-19, what will be the sector that the industry will focus on now, and in the future?

Our forecast is telling us that the trend will be going towards a digital workspace. This means that more and more businesses are creating an online presence. This is true especially in my company as we are growing, being an SEO company, especially during this pandemic, as more people are trying to work and find jobs online or set-up businesses online. As we are being accustomed to this way of life, I can see that this will be the greatest trend that will happen in the industry in the next coming years.

7. Let us talk about the changes in industry. What is the major innovation that you have seen in the industry?

For me, working in SEO, I think that the biggest trend that happened was introducing customer experience as a product. Most companies are not only developing the technicalities of their product, but they are also designing the experience that comes along with it. They focus specifically on product design, usability, platform and UX design, customer support and experience.

8. Can a UX designer be an SEO professional? What are the technical skills I need to do this?

Everyone can be an SEO professional. As an SEO expert, your goal should be make yourself known online and you should be able to promote a service online. Improving your portfolio and enhancing your skills are important to market yourself to be hired as an SEO professional.

Online training and subscription are available to enhance your skills in SEO. Another option to do freelance which help you learn.

9. How will technology change in the future? What are the potential technologies that will impact the way designers work in the future?

The tech industry is always innovating. There will be something new all the time. But the change that will create the most impact will be online security. As we move digitally, security will be of utmost concern especially of companies, professionals, and customers.

10. What will be the development in tech industry that will ensure that the internet will be an online space for everyone?

In Europe, the Data Protection Act of Europe governs all entities that is operating in EU which my company follows strictly. Security wise, we are always innovating. Our development team makes sure that data encryption is effective to ensure that customer information is protected.

11. Are the online authorities doing their job to make sure that the internet is a safe space for everyone?

Yes, they do. Many websites are being shutdown by violating cyber laws. However, implementation of certain policies can be difficult in Europe because each state has their own laws. Some cyber laws can violate statutory rights (freedom of speech, for instance) in some countries, which make full implementation difficult. The best protection for individuals and companies for now will be the Data Protection Act. However, some services online do not observe such which makes your data stay online.

12. How does your company filter online searches to make sure that people see trusted website to prevent misinformation?

Our company provides an SEO analytics tool which gives an analysis of the websites that are linked to your own website. This enables us to back track website that have been tagged as harmful or malicious. We are implementing stringent measure to prevent malicious activities in our workspace, and we make sure that our information comes from a reliable source.

Tricking the eye and mind with simple design principles

Tapping into human psychology is another aspect of creating a good design. Tricking the mind, through the eyes, is a concept designers have been employing to improve aesthetics, as well as the overall organization and functionality of the product.

Scientific evidences prove that the human mind has a set of learned instincts on how they perceive their environment. Good designers use this knowledge to create a design that will transcend from the senses to emotions.

I've listed down common design principles you can use to trick your users' mind.

Visual Lay-outs

Humans follow a common pattern when they read. It goes from left to right, top to bottom. The same principle goes on how humans view websites. Studies have shown that the human eye move on an either a Z or an F pattern when they browse online. Taking advantage of this principle, designers place important elements along this path to be easily noticed. This can be the best pattern of choice when dealing with text heavy content.

While this principle can be a useful guide for designers when establishing hierarchy, you must understand that this is not set on stone. In some cases, designers break through this principle and establish different focal points within a page. The elements are arranged based on its order of importance as well as visual cues as to where to look next.

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Gestalt Principle

The human mind has the ability to organize complex ideas, thoughts, and images into simpler, generalized concepts, thus making them easier to comprehend. The Gestalt principle deducts this ability into 6 principles namely: similarity, continuation, closure, proximity, figure/ground, and symmetry/order.

Similarity

The human eye is sensitive to similar patterns. Our mind tends to group similar images or objects together, even if they are separate from each other. This principle can be applied for call-to-action buttons which are elements that need to stand out. Users also respond well to uniformity in design. A slight difference in a text alignment, or image size can be noticed easily by users if the elements are intended to look the same.

Continuation

Humans tend to follow a straight line from one end to another, and curved lines from top to bottom. What this implies is, the human eyes follow a specific line of objects. This will be helpful in presenting items for a shopping or retail website.

Closure

Our eyes have the ability to close in gaps in an image. Our mind operates in a way that it creates an imaginary line that outlines an image that has a missing part. Abstract logos are a perfect example of this principle.

Proximity

Proximity refers for the ability of the mind to determine how close objects are to each other. This is particularly useful when grouping elements together.

Figure/Ground

The brain processes negative space differently. It differentiates what the foreground and background is. In essence, your brain will interpret the larger area of an image as the ground and the smaller as the figure. In UX, this can help the design especially if the designer wants to highlight a specific focal point.

Symmetry/Order

The eyes are sensitive to balance in design. It can identify changes in symmetry, and disruption in order.

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Conclusion

Understanding the human psychology and how the eyes perceive design elements helps a lot in making design decisions. Knowing the limitations of the human mind helps the designer exploit all possibilities to build a smooth interaction between the user and the product. Employing these principles build familiarity, which is important for users to easily navigate through the product.

A 'Selfless' design approach

The biggest disappointment for a user experience designer is for his/her product to be useless. Oftentimes, UX designers, especially those with visual design background, put all their efforts trying to make a product look pretty and aesthetically appealing that they forget about making it usable. This, for me, is a 'selfish' design approach. A 'selfless' or a 'user-centric' design approach, on the other hand, is one that views the problem from the users perspective and creating solutions that is tailored to their needs. Successful UX designers utilize this approach as the gold standard for design.

There are a number of principles to create a 'selfless' user experience. Website conception begins with a rhetoric situation - a circumstance that drives the designer to create something that will address the situation. It can be a necessity, a call for action, or a problem. A rhetorical situation is consist of three components: a purpose, the audience, and the context. To start a design, you must first establish the type of users you want the product for, identify the main purpose of the product, and decide the context of the information you will present.

All these components are incorporated in a scientific method of research. A 'selfless' design is unique among other design approaches as it is focuses on solutions that are based on evidences through extensive data gathering and investigation. The best method to carry this out is by immersing with the potential users, conducting interviews along the process, and obtaining their inputs and insights.

Ultimately, it is a learning process. The designer opens himself to any possibilities and learns from them, apply them to the actual product creation, puts them out for testing and feedback, and again, learning from them. The process repeats itself over and over until an intuitive, usable product is molded to perfection. The designer then hands it to the users to utilise, and then the process repeats itself over.

The idea that every design project is an experiment makes the process more interesting. There is no guarantee of success, so the designer should always be prepared for failure. And unlike any process, failure is an integral element to make the product more successful. A 'selfless' design uses mistakes as catalysts for improvement. It is an inevitable part of the process, and a powerful tool to achieve perfection.