10 Questions with a Product Designer!
We’ve got some seriously impressive design experts on board, and today we’re featuring the one and only John – a dad, a designer, mentor, entrepreneur, and co-host of Brighton’s famous “Product Unleashed” meet-up. John’s been around the block for over a decade, working with some of the biggest players in industries like automotive, banking, healthcare, and education (just to name a few). He’s got some killer insights on remote working, training new designers, and even some wild passions like barefoot running (I mean, who doesn’t love a good foot workout?). Our Co-Founder Stuart has placed John into multiple contract gigs where clients were truly amazed with his work. So, kick back, grab a drink, and enjoy the read!
What would you say are the best things about designing?
For me, as a designer, I love the process of having an idea and being able to then visually execute that and make it real without getting anyone else involved. It’s a great skill to have, and one I feel forever grateful to possess!
What is your favourite element of design?
I’ve been kicking around long enough to see design change significantly over the last 15 years having started my career as a visual designer.
If you’d asked me this question at the start of my life as a designer, I’d say the creative process, brainstorming, and coming up with visual answers to briefs.
However, as the industry and my own personal journey have progressed, the thing I love most about design these days is the wider process of analysing industries, spotting opportunities, coming out of the trenches and speaking to people to find out what they really want, and then designing the products and services which are going to make their lives better.
That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning!
Remote working is a big thing in the industry at the moment, it’s one of the positive things that has happened from the pandemic – how has the lack of physical interaction affected you as a designer?
Before the pandemic, I was running a studio and had my own consultancy. This meant a physical studio space, with the fancy sofa, artwork up on the walls, coffee machine etc all the things you strive to have around you one day when you set out to do your own thing.
However, that all went away when Covid struck, and for me, I realised what a weight off my shoulders that was! The studio space was traded for a serviced co-working desk, I can move around, be free of the hassle and work with anyone, anywhere.
Don’t get me wrong, I miss wheeling my chair over to a colleague to chat through something, or the chance to pick up some real post-its to map something out, but ultimately it’s a small price to pay for working freedom.
To get my fix of mixing with my peers, I co-run a meetup which gets product people together both on and offline, which makes me feel connected! It was started remotely during the pandemic and we’ve now moved to a hybrid model.
Check it out here.
What is your “why” when it comes to design?
I love to demystify the design process and use the power of design to change the way people think. We’re blessed with a great toolkit we can get anyone involved in. Like in the movie Ratatouille, they say ‘anyone can cook’, well I believe anyone can be involved in the design process!
Design for me is less about creating design artefacts and more about embracing collaboration with cross-functional teams.
What makes great design culture in your humble opinion?
I’m a stickler for good processes, transparency and working well as a team. So wherever I go I try and push these elements to the forefront of my interaction with design team colleagues as well as the wider organisation.
How would you explain Product Design to a small child?
You find out what is making people feel angry, listen to them, make something that makes the bad thing go away, and ask them if it helps, and then you keep working on the thing until the person is happy and the world is a better place! (Note: I have two small children, so have practised this answer 😅)
What’s the strangest or funniest thing that happened to you during a project?
Too many to mention! I guess the things I look back on now from past experiences are the times when things have taken an unexpected turn, or there’s a sudden pivot in a project.
I learnt from those experiences the importance of communication and taking stakeholders ‘along for the ride’ which takes more effort initially but ultimately saves things from derailing down the line!
What are your pet peeves in the design world?
To be honest, not loads, design is in a good place at the moment. There’s a big demand and we finally have that seat at the table. I guess I just hope now ‘design has arrived’ we don’t go too far the other way and end up on a pedestal. Keep it humble, I guess is what I’m trying to say.
What things are you irrationally passionate about outside of work?
I tend to bore people with facts about cold water swimming, barefoot running or whatever other pursuit is the flavour of the month for me. Generally tends to be some kind of active and slightly niche pursuit I get irrationally very into!
If you were to train someone on how to design, where would you begin?
Start with the basics.
Design has come a long way past basic fundamentals around layout principles and visual elements, but for any designer whether visual focussed or not, get a grip on the foundations and you’ll always be able to create something which does justice to your vision.
And secondly, I’d say as well as the hard skills (UX / UI etc) put a focus on your soft skills. These are skills like communication, empathy and collaboration. They may not be asked for on a job description enough, but they will be the difference between being a designer people really want to work with, and the designer just see as another resource!
And lastly, don’t think you need to know everything. A lot of learning the craft of design is getting hands-on and learning on the job. There are more resources out there for designers than ever before, just be passionate, be a team player, get people excited for change and enjoy yourself while you’re at it!
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