I’m not an artist. I never have been. When it comes to creativity, I’ve got all the imagination of a … er … see, I can’t even think of a witty analogy! I’m that un-creative.
I’ve been a web developer for 10 years. I’ve been focused on the front-end of sites (the UI) for most of that 10 years, mainly because I have developed a set of skills that have been useful in constructing UIs. I’ve migrated slowly – but with increasing speed – to the world of UX and trying to develop a set of skills that can be useful in that particular field. I can’t help thinking that more artistic skills and more of an ability to visualise and conceptualise ideas would be beneficial to me, but I am learning.
So I really enjoyed listening to Dan Rubin’s take on how non-designers (or non-artists) can still make a great contribution to the design process. His comments on the “rules and patterns” of design make a lot of sense, and I certainly feel I can contribute to design in that way (having a slight case of OCD when it comes to the precision of things).
Highly recommended for those who feel, like me, that anything they lack in the artistic field mean they can’t be successful or well-educated UX engineers.
