We are the Architects of the Web
Imagine jungles of massive concrete models and delicate cardboard structures. Steamy sessions of laser-cutting have left long-lost particles in the air, and the sound of overheated laptop fans persists long after having rendered the 3D image. My gluey fingers are marked by the constant use of my utility knife and the floor around me is covered with sketches and tediously drawn detail plans.
Obviously, studying architecture at ETH Zurich was my creative heaven.
Fast forward 6 years, I had dark circles under my eyes and a Master degree in my pocket. I was ready to conquer the architectural jungle of the real world. So, how many houses have I built since? Is there a single brick out there that I placed as my generous gift to mankind? No, not a single one.
And you know what, I feel great about it. Today, I am a UX designer at Ginetta. I craft digital experiences and create real value for users and clients through the design of apps and websites.
Surprising turn of events, I admit. But, I’ve learned that these two disciplines might not be quite as unrelated as they might seem.
The field of architecture is old, very old in fact. The first primitive huts were built more than 10’000 years ago and architecture has persisted as one of the most important reflections of human culture. Just think of the enormous size of the Great Pyramid of Giza, or the iconic arches of the Golden Gate Bridge. They are both testimonials of the age and lasting impact architecture has.
UX design, in contrast, is still in its infancy. Don Norman introduced the term “User Experience” and first wrote about it around 20 years ago. Since then, we have witnessed a rapid evolution of technology and nowadays, the World Wide Web is as omnipresent as architecture.
Does the young age mean that UX design is a less refined trade than architecture? Maybe, but its infancy brings a lot of perks with it. Mainly a higher pace in development and faster iterations. On top of that, digital products are continuously updated and modified, an attribute of which architects can only dream of when building with bricks and stones. Also, digital products have a much shorter lifespan, before they are outdated and ultimately replaced. In contrast, architecture does not only take ages to be finalized, but it is usually also made for the ages.
Architects do not have the luxury to alter their design once it is under construction, which means that the planning phase is key. Your plan must be solid and afterwards, all you can do is patiently watch the construction come to life. The effort pays off, as the physical outcome is bigger, more powerful and definitely more impactful than you could have ever imagined. This is when the structural integrity is tested in its real physicality for first the time.
UX designers, on the other hand, test all the time. All. The. Time. At Ginetta, we do user tests as early and as often as time and budget allow. For this, we build clickable prototypes that look and feel real and often trick people into thinking that they are using the real thing. And that’s the beauty of it. They interact with it as if it was real, and thus give real insights.
So, architects have to get it right from the beginning, as later alterations are virtually impossible. UX designers have the liberty of changing their chosen course while the project is already being under development, which makes it more reactive to changes. Nevertheless, the design of a product would be ever so much more effective, if designers created just as good a foundation as architects do, early on in the process. Take your concepts seriously, designers!
What both fields absolutely must do before setting the first cornerstone, however, is research.
Research is key to a solid project. For my diploma, I transformed an empty parcel of land near the Letten Viadukt in Zurich into a buzzing cultural center, and thus devoted many afternoons wandering around the site. I sketched views from every possible angle, analyzed how the sun’s shadow travels over the ground, researched the old buildings in the neighborhood and generally just soaked up the atmosphere of the site. As an architecture student, I was taught to care about the site and the surroundings, the relation to other buildings and to the existing urban fabric. For architects, it’s all about program and context.
In UX design, it’s less about the context and more about the user. Who are the users, what goals and needs do they have? We do analyses, interviews and field research to deeply understand the people we are designing for.
If I could go back in time, I might approach my architectural research differently and think more from a user’s perspective. Obviously, research is an absolute necessity for both fields, but as it focuses on the conditions that are the most stable, the target of the research is different in each field of work. While analyzing the atmosphere of a site is much about personal perception and vision, user research is not at all about your taste or opinion, but solely about the user.
One is old, one is new, both are ubiquitous. One is tangible, one is clickable, both create first drafts. One is context-oriented, one is user-oriented, both rely on research. Architecture and UX design are like two worlds apart, it seems. But…
There is one thing I learned that shaped me the most while working on architecture projects. The variable that makes or breaks a project is always the concept, the one and only idea that is at the core of your project. It guides every decision and is responsible for the identity of the construction, so it had better be strong, infallible and most importantly: inspiring. You should be able to summarize the soul of your concept in a single sentence, such as: “I imagine a building in the shape of a cube, with a sphere at its core.” Perfect. Pitch your idea as such, and I can already see the expression of satisfaction on your professor’s face, while other concepts with so much more detail just don’t quite hit the same mark. Simple is usually always better.
In UX design, concept matters just as much. It’s not accidental that the first phase of UX design is the conceptual phase, of which the outcome should be three, guiding design principles. These will guide us through all the following design phases and ultimately lead us to the final product. They are our Ariadne’s thread.
So, tell a story so good that it sounds absolutely, unfailingly logical and seems the only perfect way to approach and solve this exact problem (no matter if this problem is based on stones and concrete, or buttons and headlines). Do that, and you will ignite the same spark in the mind of your listeners and the echo will surely be: ”That makes perfect sense”, “Why did we not think of this before?” and “Sure, let’s do it!” I promise.
Ahh, so there really are some similarities between architecture and UX design…
My architecture professor once told me: “Kill your darlings”. Translation: Do not get obsessed with the ideas you’ve come up with, no matter how much you love them. Unpolished ideas are not valuable. To become valuable, they have to be turned upside down and be discussed by yourself and by others, reviewed and taken apart again and again. Get rid of bad ideas asap. Do not be afraid to let go and start over.
In UX writing, it is the same. Remember that great idea for the lead text you invested hours and hours of sweat in? Cut it. Good copy takes (even more) time and is usually way shorter than your first draft. Let your beautifully elaborated darling paragraphs die, before getting caught up in them without them having any potential to become anything near perfect.
Throughout my architecture studies, I realized that I should give up brooding over a weak idea much faster, and instead find new inspiration and go from there. Today, I try to do the same in UX design: Build a solid foundation and only go into detail once the main concept is set. Working on architecture projects, I used to print out digital plans and start drawing over them. Even if you have a digital design, you should sometimes take a step back. Or two, if you’re feeling especially brave. Go analog, print it out, use markers and scribble all over it to further develop your design, and your creation might just reach the next level.
Remember the last time you tried to push open a door, and you stood there like an idiot because you actually had to pull? Don’t worry, seems like someone in the design department isn’t the brightest either. A door to push open should look as such. If someone gets confused, you failed as an architect. This applies not only to doors, but to every detail in any construction: Navigation throughout a building should be intuitive and finding your way should be natural.
This is also true for good UX design. A button has to look clickable. Good design makes a product easy to use and tells you how to use it (without literally telling you, but implicitly). Navigation throughout a website should not be a frustrating experience for the user. Simply put: users should find information exactly where they expect it, in order to successfully complete their mission. This magic is also called good IA, the Information Architecture of a website.
So, take your users by the hand. Guide them through all the steps on their journey, whatever the built environment might be. Any navigation should bring the users to the exact destination they are seeking. How do we achieve this? With empathy, the ability to understand the world through other people’s eyes, as it allows us to fully understand and address others’ needs. Empathy plays an important role in ensuring inclusivity as well. This journey should be accessible for everyone and not forget people in wheelchairs or with visual impairment. Good navigation can be understood by everyone, makes sure you always know where you are, where you came from and where you can go to next.
Wait. Where are we and where did we come from?
It feels as if the principles of architecture and of UX design are blending into one and the same. Hell, I’m not even sure anymore myself if I am talking about the architecture or the UX design part. And you know what? Maybe, we’re talking about the same thing in both cases… User experience.
2000 years ago, a bearded old roman by the name Vitruvius wrote the first book about architecture. It described 3 principles for architecture: Firmitas, utilitas et venustas. Firmness, is it sound and strong? Functionality, is it suited to the purposes it is intended for? Beauty, is it beautiful?
These principles are still valid today. At Ginetta, we call them fast, simple and beautiful.
So, regardless what your next project will be, the chances are high that you are creating some kind of user experience. Why not try to incorporate the best of both worlds: An inspiring concept, built upon a solid foundation, tested with real users and made to withstand the ages.
We are the Architects of the Web
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