Wondering what the average day of a UX UI designer looks like? Get a glimpse from one of our designers, Josh Sharry, as he brings us through his day and his favourite things about his role.
What does your role as a UX UI Designer at Kooba mean to you?
I suppose it means being able to portray moods through design like shapes, colour and imagery – getting a look and feel across. Also the fast-paced environment of digital fascinates me – that it needs to be updated and has to be on trend all the time.
More specifically, it means researching other inspiring agencies, designers on Dribbble, award winners and defining the latest trends that they’re using.
What does a typical day look like for you as a UX UI Designer?
My day would consist of designing with the trends, checking in on clients and tasks, and then face-to-face conversations with both clients and the design team. The exciting part is each day is different. We forecast the day ahead, but anything can happen really.
Sometimes if I see an opportunity that may bring value to a client, I’ll give it a go and see how they respond. It’s nice to try to understand what a client wants, even when they haven’t voiced it yet.
What’s your favourite part of the day?
I like being able to design with new approaches, especially when you get a relatively strong site that still needs to be updated. It’s kind of a creative challenge when they’re not satisfied with it – when a good site needs to be even better. And more than that, trying to come up with a new approach that’s within the brand but also satisfies the client’s needs. I like the challenge of all that. I like problem solving.
What is your favourite previous project and why?
Volkswagen was my favourite– it was my first project that was in my own hands, and I had complete creative freedom. I was only given a logo – no colors or anything. It’s kind of rare to start from scratch with such a well known brand. I also have a bit of an obsession with cars, so it fit kinda perfectly with me. But I loved having a bit of freedom to take a brand logo and transform it into a vision.
Given that metrics are a key to success for our clients, tell us about how metrics play a role in your work.
Metrics take the factor of your own personal opinion out of it. If two designers are working together on a decision, they’re going to lean towards what they personally like, which can become more about having a personal opinion than having a solution-focused mindset. Using metrics is a more professional approach to solve a problem.
It’s easy to get so focused on one look, that it can be hard to zoom out and ask instead ‘Well, okay, what’s the goal?’
That being said, personal opinions of designs are equally important. And the hardest challenge is finding a balance of pleasing the personal opinion of the client while also creating a functional site that meets the metrics and goals of the client.
