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Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#161

Post by quickthrower2 »

ianlevesque wrote: post #94
andrei_says_ wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Made the bullet list readable on mobile: * Visual hierarchy (I.e. the same way you divide your code in modules and functions, you need to divide the visual space in a clear hierarchy). * Basic on typography (It makes a big difference even if most people don't notice it) * Understanding what's UX (I.e. reading "Don't make me think"). Just "caring" and "thinking" about UX will improve designs, even if you don't have mu…

This is so ironic with a comment about UI & UX.

Is the end user (commenter) responsible for UX or the HN web designer. In this case I'd argue both are.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#162

Post by quickthrower2 »

ohkaiby wrote: post #57
d0m wrote: post #51

A lot of engineers have the mentality of "engineering is hard, but design is just whatever some color matching and styling". I'll prob. be downvoted but here's my honest opinion: I think you'll gain a lot career-wise to learn about UX and UI. You'll be able to understand products in a deeper level from the customer's side and will then be able to make better decisions as an engineer. You'll also have a much easier ti…

I actually took a 3-month crash course on Visual Design because I was weak in that area (as a front-end developer). Probably one of the best professional investments I have made. The course taught me basically the above list. I would add knowledge about grids and negative spacing to the above list.

I wonder, is this a positive externality? I spend my free time doing this course but do I get paid more? Or do I just deliver more value to my employer at the same price?

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#163

Post by thecupisblue »

sfilargi wrote: post #117
d0m wrote: post #51

A lot of engineers have the mentality of "engineering is hard, but design is just whatever some color matching and styling". I'll prob. be downvoted but here's my honest opinion: I think you'll gain a lot career-wise to learn about UX and UI. You'll be able to understand products in a deeper level from the customer's side and will then be able to make better decisions as an engineer. You'll also have a much easier ti…

> A lot of engineers have the mentality of "engineering is hard, but design is just whatever some color matching and styling". Just anecdata, but as an engineer I think engineering is easy and design is hard. For engineering you just have to follow logic, reasoning, good practices and have discipline. Also you can test your code to death to make sure everything is correct. For design you have to have an artistic natu…

There are parts of engineering that require an artistic nature.

There are parts of design where you just have to follow logic, reasoning, good practices and have discipline.

It's either art or work, the medium (code or visuals) is not important.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#164

Post by thecupisblue »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #162
ohkaiby wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually took a 3-month crash course on Visual Design because I was weak in that area (as a front-end developer). Probably one of the best professional investments I have made. The course taught me basically the above list. I would add knowledge about grids and negative spacing to the above list.

I wonder, is this a positive externality? I spend my free time doing this course but do I get paid more? Or do I just deliver more value to my employer at the same price?

Yes and no. Why do you care?

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#165

Post by tuesdayrain »

sfilargi wrote: post #117
d0m wrote: post #51

A lot of engineers have the mentality of "engineering is hard, but design is just whatever some color matching and styling". I'll prob. be downvoted but here's my honest opinion: I think you'll gain a lot career-wise to learn about UX and UI. You'll be able to understand products in a deeper level from the customer's side and will then be able to make better decisions as an engineer. You'll also have a much easier ti…

> A lot of engineers have the mentality of "engineering is hard, but design is just whatever some color matching and styling". Just anecdata, but as an engineer I think engineering is easy and design is hard. For engineering you just have to follow logic, reasoning, good practices and have discipline. Also you can test your code to death to make sure everything is correct. For design you have to have an artistic natu…

Good UI is also logical. I'm always thinking about what's more ergonomic, what's intuitive, etc.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#166

Post by spondyl »

One thing I always like to go back to is Ira Glass's video on taste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2wLP0izeJE

In a nutshell, that feeling you get where you believe your projects look crap? It's because you're seeing the disconnect between what you can achieve now, and your taste that's informing what "great" is.

It's a bit of a double edged sword in that while you'll likely not be truly happy with a project anytime soon, that disconnect means you'll also be able to constantly strive as you recognise supposed flaws in what you've created.

In the end, all you can really do is just keep at it and over time, that gap will hopefully close as your skills allow you to create what your taste envisions.

That's the dream anyway, haha.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#167

Post by matchagaucho »

I would start with diagraming the overall process/workflow the app is enabling.

Increasingly the "user experience" transcends just the web app, and involves well timed SMS messages and notifications.

Once the essential UI is defined, I use Balsamiq to iterate on a design, then over-communicate specifications for an Upwork Freelancer to bid on.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#168

Post by conanthe »

jermaustin1 wrote: post #33
pharaohgeek wrote: post #7

If we're talking webapps, I tend to go to https://themeforest.net and buy HTML themes developed by professional designers. The cost is MUCH cheaper than hiring someone to develop the UI for you, and a lot of them are extremely high quality.

I will sometimes buy themes before I even have a project in mind. For $20-60 you can't beat something that just works and now you just need to inject your code into it.

But if you get to charge someone it is not so cheap...

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#169

Post by quickthrower2 »

thecupisblue wrote: post #164
quickthrower2 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder, is this a positive externality? I spend my free time doing this course but do I get paid more? Or do I just deliver more value to my employer at the same price?

Yes and no. Why do you care?

Why do I care about getting more money? Well...

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?

#170

Post by navinsylvester »

sweetdreamerit wrote: post #88

I'm a ux designer and a professor in hci. It looks like there is still a lot of confusion between UX and UI. UX is not just what concerns the interface. UX is a process with different phases: - an exploratory phase, where the designer interviews the stakeholders, analyzes the current product (if it is a redesign), makes a benchmark of the competing products and services; - a research phase, where the designer involve…

Good set of guidelines and thanks for sharing. But in reality not all projects can afford to go through this routine.

The following is what i believe works for most time sensitive projects. It would be better to set a top level vision for the UX and give it to proven people to deliver. UI/UX is something that everyone in an organization can have an opinion very easily so your goal should be to satisfy end user and not everyone in the company. Take it as early as possible to beta testers and if your initial vision for UX is solid - it would take few iterations to get it correct.

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