Firstly, I appreciate the existence of your channel; it provides an excellent platform for discussions. I've been contemplating the evolving role of designers, particularly how design engineering increasingly overlaps with UX Engineering, which has become a distinct and prevalent role in many organizations, often stemming from former front-end engineering backgrounds. I have mixed feeling about it. Design already shares significant common ground with Product Managers, which sometimes veers our focus away from what I believe is the core essence of design-craftsmanship. Having spent four years immersed in design systems, I witnessed firsthand the growing proximity to code. Understanding how code functions, utilizing precise terminology for effective communication with developers, these are all vital skills. However, they differ from the act of coding itself. I realized I was gradually moving away from craftsmanship, so I transitioned to a UI role, still closely tied to design systems, more focused on visual design. I believe that dedicating more time to craftsmanship would result in more cohesive product experiences. In essence, while it's essential to adapt and embrace technological advancements, we mustn't lose sight of the fundamental aspects of design that contribute to creating truly impactful and harmonious products.

@joaododesign

2 ай бұрын

In short. Good to know, but not mandatory. I would focus on craftsmanship and motion instead (which is what I am doing).

@captnoplan3926

2 ай бұрын

@@joaododesign Why motion? And can you elaborate on what you mean when you said you were moving away from craftsmanship. So you learned more about how apps are put together technically, which then didn't allow you to hone your design craft - due to time constraints?

@joaododesign

2 ай бұрын

@@captnoplan3926 Understanding motion is a crucial aspect of user perception, yet it's a skill often overlooked by many designers, except for motion designers who specialize in it. When I talk about motion, I'm also referring to its implementation through code (CSS, HTML, and JS), in addition to advanced prototyping techniques. Like many design system designers, I founded myself primarily focused on pixel-perfect details and the technical aspects such as component architecture and library performance. However, I realized the importance of returning to the craft of design-questions like, 'Is this color optimal? How does it affect accessibility? What if we adjust this shadow or padding? Does it maintain cohesion with our other products? How do different versions (A, B, C...) compare?' It's about balancing technical expertise with the artistry and user-centric focus that make designs truly effective. And yes, when you are involved in such a large company as I am, you are dealing with a massive library, lots of bugs and things to fix, so you don't have time to dedicate to craft--it's mostly brushing pixels. It's a very mechanical work.

As always, to the point and very insightful. Thanks for sharing your point of view and insights.

That is that i'm talking about.. About time.... You are seeing something deep brother. Appreciate it

I think UX and UI are different mindsets, one is closer to the human psychology while the other is closer to the machine/product functionality. Bridging them would be diluting the expertise in either and sort of create a generalist role as the functionality part taken over by AI (Devin AI etc.) leaving the human needs & wants (psychology) part truly open for interpretation & exploration as it is what the whole world & businesses is all about anyways. So, I think UX'ers should stick to bringing the unique human perspective to the table!

Bump on the request below, as a 15 year UX engineer currently serving as director i never see any information on the role and feel like i exist in a vacuum. Would love to build more of a community around this

@guacamole456

2 ай бұрын

That is great; we are on the same page. I'm trying to get more UX designers to code. It's never been easier, but they are all stuck in the "Figma" world. In any case, let's connect. I already started creating an idea called UX Engineering Mentor. Let's get it off the ground!

@merleaumerleau

2 ай бұрын

@@guacamole456 i'd love to join and be part of this! I am a UX designer for a major financial institution with some front-end knowledge. I would like to take coding more seriously and learn the intangible skills to become a UX engineer.

@ahzootube

2 ай бұрын

Apple already calls its employees in this field “Human Interaction Designer”

@x3giiina

2 ай бұрын

@@guacamole456 Would love to be a part of this community! As a UX/product designer, I've been wanting to learn how to code, especially frontend, and transition into design engineering, but there's no straightforward path to transition. Engineers don't seem to trust me when I say that I want to jump in and work on the code.

@MigWorld

2 ай бұрын

Would love to be part of this community as well I am a Ux designer and currently exploring flutter cause I love mobile apps

Hej Vy - interesting perspective. I am curious, where would you place Service Designer in your schema?

I think this is a coming back to the origin. Web designers used to know how to code and design. Then everybody started to specialize - and generalists got lost in the weeds

@guacamole456

2 ай бұрын

good point! The role of web designer got lost in the shuffle.

@DeepfriedBaby

27 күн бұрын

It got split up because user interfaces got so complex, stylized, etc. Coding got too complex than simple css/html with Ajax, browser compatibility, building everything from scratch. But those got figured out, UIs got simpler with flat design. AI is finally a real productivity booster

@k-yo

25 күн бұрын

​@@DeepfriedBaby Coding definitely got harder, but I still followed through with learning the modern front-end status quo while still doing design work for companies that are open to the UX Engineering role, and I have to say I've never felt happier in this industry. It is a very rewarding experience doing this sort of end-to-end work. Smaller companies often really appreciate the impact you can bring to the table.

What about the good ol' interaction designer. A requirement for an interaction designer is to know what's actually possible with the medium you're designing for. And that should be true for any designer. And one way to become familiar with the medium is to get your hands dirty in the actual medium, i.e. build things and not just stay in Figma etc. A carpenter doesn't just stay on paper sketching things.

Awesome topic. Also, can we have a video about UX engineering?

@vaexperience

2 ай бұрын

What about it? what would you like me to share?

@anujpan

2 ай бұрын

@@vaexperience Would love to have a breakdown on the role it serves in a startup capacity as well as the role it plays in larger companies / consulting firms. An interview with someone experienced in that would be amazing too... having said that feel free to connect with me as i have experience in all those applications haha

@guacamole456

2 ай бұрын

@@vaexperience thanks for replying to my comment. It would be great to have a show where we can talk about the technology being used by UX engineers, how AI is influencing technical coding roles, and how UX designers are starting to think more about systems and app architecture.

How do I start advertising myself for this role?

Even though I'm a designer but I often operate like an engineer.

Does being a Ux designer and knowing flutter for mobile development count as design engineering?

In a lot of discussions I hear the dearth of the UX Designer and how this part of the job will be automated in relation to Software engineering, excuse me if I am wrong, but I feel like design and human need drives innovation MORE than engineering, for example the original iPhone merging music, phone and camera only came about because of human need and design meeting engineering innovation. I feel as if UX would be the “champion”, if not only to champion the human element of design.

What about Digital Art Direction? Its has a chance to get more buzz around it? Because are people (like me) who like set the tone and feel of a product but i dont want to get in all the product process... I think art directors are more in graphic design side that bring so much aesthetic knowledge, i notice that much UI and Devs not have too much good eye for design, they just for the basic rules

@vaexperience

Ай бұрын

Yes, but the role will likely become a producer hat someone will wear - instead of working with individual contributors and more junior designers you'd likely end up directing a squad of AI models. There will likely be less need for as many art directors, but the ones that are heavily invested will prevail. There's will always be need for human led and humanity focused design, ux or not.

there is somthing like UX Analysis .. and which is more like research and design work

In other words, the future is forever get paid less to do more. How can junior roles exist when the bar continues to scale indefinitely.

sounds similar to Design Technologists

Hard to take the call seriously when at 2:34 the explanation of what is product design is so misleading.

@clairefenart3480

Ай бұрын

The product designers that will stand will be the ones that embrace this design engineering mindset, but evolution and curiosity is already part of their DNA. A product designer is a Form of product manager specialized in design..

So eventually we're going to innovate ourselves into obsolescence. Nice.😒😕

I hope by the time ai takes over the design and engineering world I'm retired.

design engineer is not a digital title.

@vaexperience

2 ай бұрын

Sadly just like with product designer the digital is taking over