An interview with Ryan: Ryan Singer on UI design, Frontend Development, Project Management and Inspiration (ThinkVitamin.com).
As a designer, do you need to understand frontend development?
The more you understand about frontend development, the better designer you’ll be. If you are really familiar with handcoding and you understand basic HTML markup and you know how CSS selectors work then you’re really well prepared, for example, to use the fact that jQuery and Prototype both have a way to refer to pieces of your mark-up using CSS selectors even though your not using CSS.
If you’re designing web app user interfaces, then I think it’s important to get into understanding how an MVC framework works like Rails or Django. If you can understand how your templates fit in to the view, as the “V” in MVC then that’s a huge leap. You can really start doing work with programmers and you can have ideas and you can make them into reality instead of just making designs and handing them off to somebody and hoping that someone else can plug them in.
Tim
on 06 Jul 09Wow, the Fox news anchor was a bore.
It’s wasn’t clear at all during the interview why he even wanted Jason on the show.
Nonetheless, good props Jason. That’s awesome you got that kind of exposure.
Justin
on 06 Jul 09I agree that it’s beneficial for designers to be able to understand and write code, but I recently came across an interesting counter point to that argument that I think is worth reading: http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2009/03/10/designers-are-not-programmers/
Alan
on 06 Jul 09Good points - when a designer understands code and vice versa (when a developer understands typography) - it makes all the difference in the world.
But please tell me “even though YOUR not using CSS” is merely a transcription error and didn’t make it into the final published article. Whatever happened to all the good copy editors?
RS
on 06 Jul 09Yes, that “your” is apparently a transcription error. The interview was conducted over video chat and Carsonified chose to transcribe it due to poor video quality.
Happy
on 06 Jul 09How do you manage that line between this approach (understand how your design will be implemented) and the idea that a designer should design for the need of the app, not for the framework? It seems the more a designer gets into the code, the more they run the risk of designing for convenience of implementation instead of designing for benefit of the app’s functionality and usability.
Matthew
on 06 Jul 09Fox news is a fail. I was uncomfortable watching that whole thing..
Happy
on 06 Jul 09What’s with the comments about Fox news? Is there a link? I only see the Vitamin interview.
RS
on 06 Jul 09It’s not a zero-sum game. You can do both, like a good architect. A good architect designs a beautiful house and they also completely understand the materials they are building with. Knowing your building materials gives you more knowledge and capability, not less.
Happy
on 06 Jul 09RS: Well said. Thanks.
Grant
on 06 Jul 09I really liked Ryan’s point on project management and the separation management in general can create between the people doing the work/thinking and management. I think it’s one of those things to always be aware of – even with small teams and smaller projects.
Tim
on 06 Jul 09Why did you rename this post and remove any reference to Jason being interviewed by Fox News as was in the original post.
Tim
on 06 Jul 09@Happy
This link was in the original post.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=6591957&referralPlaylistId=1292d14d0e3afdcf0b31500afefb92724c08f046
Terry Sutton
on 07 Jul 09I think it says a huge amount about the state of our current design culture that you’ve named ffffound as a major design influence, but didn’t name a single designer.
I wonder when we’ll all just get funneled into giant aggregating machines and have our ideas collectively compressed into some kind of huge idea log that someone can just take a slice of when the need something new.
I’m not trying to be negative, but it just struck me as strange that you didn’t mention any designers who have influenced you. Perhaps we no longer stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
J
on 07 Jul 09...and Terry, you just posted a message commenting on aggregators. Who influenced you and who continues to influence you today? Names please.
RS
on 07 Jul 09Terry, Fwiw, the question wasn’t “who are your influences.” Carson asked where I was going to for inspiration/news/etc as of right now.
If we were to talk about influences in general, there would be plenty to say. Edward Tufte would be really high on the list.
Jason
on 08 Jul 09I don’t know how a designer could survive designing web pages without knowing how to code HTML and CSS. I have been given designs by just those types of designers before… them asking us to use their design for a new site. My response always has to be, “sure, we’ll use it as soon as we re-design it and get your approval on it”.
Good luck to those who don’t have this know-how and are trying to design web interfaces. You are essentially a good photoshopper. Not a web designer. A “designer”, to me, is someone who can not only create a visual presentation, but see it through implementation in some way; see that it gets to become its end result. That could be on a piece of paper or on a web browser, but we design things to become something in the end.
The HTML and CSS implementation of a web interface design is a HUGE part of the design itself. Its called the “feel” of the design. Without making that part of your design process, you aren’t seeing it through.
Oh yeah, form should not follow function, but the fact is that we are limited by what browsers can do, so our designs have to follow the functions that display them (HTML, CSS, etc.)
Terry Sutton
on 09 Jul 09Apologies, but I wasn’t’ trying to be critical of RS. Over the past few years I’ve been feeling like we have been slipping into aggregation machines. I often feel like these huge sites (whether they be design, photography, or recipe sharing) are taking away value and not adding it. Not in every case, but in many.
I too would still name Tufte as a major influence, but just 3-4 years ago I would have added 10 more names to the list. Today I would, like Ryan, probably add 10 different sites instead.
Again, this is much more a commentary on web direction than on Ryan’s efforts in professional development.
This discussion is closed.