Explore - UX Secret Sauce
A UX designer should have good exploration skills and always try to discover new things.
This is an essential part of the UX process because a design without research is based solely on an individual's limited and potentially inaccurate understanding.
Here are some tips on how to improve your initial creation phase:
1. Steal Wisely
Sometimes we think that we need to avoid looking at others' work in order to produce something impressive and come up with solutions on our own, without taking ideas from someone else.
So, don't let pride get in the way of learning from others or imitating them!
In fact, even if you try to imitate an experience, it will never be exactly the same because everyone has their own unique touch and style.
Therefore, search for similar cases, experiences, and examples that you can build on.
In short, the secret to success is to always search for similar cases, experiences, and examples that you can learn from and build upon.
Don't be afraid to take inspiration from others, but always put your own unique spin on things.
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso
2. Don’t start from scratch
Fueling your mind with ideas is essential to building anything worthwhile.
Just like a car needs fuel to move, our minds require inspiration to create. Building something blindly without first fueling your mind with ideas is nonsensical and will leave your mind empty.
Starting from scratch on a blank page can be overwhelming and lead to wasted time and effort. Instead of trying to create something entirely new, take what you find and build on it.
Use similar experiences and enhance them. Build on them and tweak them to fit your business needs.
Avoid starting with an empty rectangle and then putting elements inside it. Doing so is a recipe for failure!
3. Previous experiences
One of the benefits of building on previous experiences is the wealth of knowledge that can be gained!
The opportunity to learn from past successes and failures is crucial for any designer looking to grow and improve their skills.
By taking the time to observe and analyze different works, we can gain valuable insights that can be applied to our own projects.
And by applying the lessons learned from past experiences, we can create more innovative and effective designs that better meet the needs of our clients and users.
Furthermore, the process of learning from past experiences can also help us to develop a more critical eye, enabling ourselves to better recognize and address potential issues before they arise.
The benefits of building on previous experiences extend far beyond simply avoiding the need to reinvent the wheel!
4. Keep learning
In the field of UX design, it is important to constantly learn and enhance your skills. This not only allows UXers to add greater value to their products, but also to themselves as professionals.
Learning new things, such as new tools, techniques, and methodologies, can help you stay current and adapt to changing trends and technologies.
In fact, learning new skills can even save you time and effort in the long run. For example, a task that might take two days to complete could take only one hour after learning and expanding your skills.
Therefore, one of the most important aspects of exploring and researching in UX design is to keep learning.
Never stop observing, reading, studying, and researching. Keep an open mind and be willing to explore new things. By doing so, you can continuously improve your skills and stay ahead in the field.
Take Away
Always research, explore, and build on previous experiences instead of starting from scratch.
Constantly learn and enhance your skills. Over time, you will be able to create more innovative and effective designs that better meet the needs of our users as well as the business needs.
About the UX Secret Sauce
"The UX Secret Sauce" is a series of stories, where each story reveals a secret to conquer a unique challenge. However, the challenges I share in these series are different from the typical technical UX challenges.
Lately, I have read numerous articles and posts about UX. I have noticed that most of the shared knowledge is focused on technical aspects such as tools, implementation, principles, and guidelines.
Throughout my career, I have met many UX designers who were highly skilled technically but lacked an important skill that is often overlooked: the "how" - the mechanism, dynamics, and operations. I call this skill the UX Secret Sauce, as it is rarely worked on and often hidden.
So, I have decided to share my knowledge about this secret. Let's start digging into the UX Secret Sauce - the hidden key to a successful UX career and the secret to stand out from the crowd!
There are many secrets, and this is one of UX Secret Sauce: Explore.
Stay tuned for the next secret!
Thank you for reading!
I hope you found this helpful. If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out. randavictor.com
Explore — UX Secret Sauce Randa Victor | June 2023