Art and Science in the Digital Age

All learning and practice had shown to me: web design is not the search for aesthetics at all but an art of attracting visitors by the use of visual expression and layout. I got to understand the use of color schemes, images, font choices, and general layout to design pages beautiful and appealing.

Going deeper, I learned that the scope of UX design goes far beyond traditional web design. Indeed, this is a far more extensive area, covering in addition to the visual aspect, usability and ease of use of the website in general, and how it meets user requirements.

That has taught me that the ultimate goal of UX design is in producing products that offer a positive experience and enable its users to accomplish what they want to do in the easiest way possible, hence promoting brand loyalty and maximum user satisfaction. Technological innovation also deeply influenced my learning and the design process. With new front-end technologies emerging, like HTML5 and CSS3, I had the ability to make my websites reach an entirely different level of dynamism and interactivity. Such technology advancements allow for complex design and animation, while at the same time giving an added interactivity and eye-candy to any website.

I experience firsthand how changes in the market and evolving user behavior impact design concepts. The boom in the use of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, has changed the way people reach websites. This makes me think beyond the visual effect of desktop browsers in designing, but also it’s necessary for me to optimize the browsing experience of mobile devices. Responsive web design became an important part of my learning and was the key milestone in the transition to user experience design.

Over time, I’ve found that user expectations are constantly changing. This is what actually gave rise to the reason for my change in focus from visual design to the aspect of being able to deliver a quality user experience. Modern-day users expect from websites not only to look great but load fast, be easy to navigate, and have a consistent experience across devices. Throughout, my design philosophy and practical approach have continued to be nurtured further in a way that always I am committed to meet and exceed user expectations in my design executions.

Smashing Magazine. “Smart Transitions in User Experience Design.” Smashing Magazine, 2013, https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/10/smart-transitions-in-user-experience-design/.

Interaction Design Foundation. “How to Change Your Career from Web Design to UX Design.” Interaction Design Foundation, n.d., https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/how-to-change-your-career-from-web-design-to-ux-design.

Adobe. “From Web Design to UX Design: Understanding and Making the Transition.” Adobe Blog, 5 Oct. 2017, https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/10/05/from-web-design-to-ux-design-understanding-and-making-the-transition.

Springboard. “What Is UX Design?” Springboard Blog, n.d., https://www.springboard.com/blog/design/what-is-ux-design/.