Doris
設計師是一個介于技術工人和藝術家之間的職業。作為一名設計師，你一定也陷入過這樣的困境。自己熬了幾個日夜的工作成果得不到客戶認可，反而被說成是在自嗨。盡管作品已經深深地感動了自己，甲方卻一點也體會不到你的細節，創意和巧妙的用心。于是乎你感慨世風日下，曾經被珍視的良好品質不再被人看重，客戶的眼睛里只有大眾需求，效益曲線。即便是做出了一個對方滿意的作品，卻連發個朋友圈的勇氣都沒有，覺得這樣的設計，反而在同行面前拿不出手。那今天咱們來聊聊，要想成為優秀的設計師，取悅客戶，感動自己，哪個更重要些？
設計師，感動自己很重要
“藝術家首先感動自己，然后感動別人。” 這句話放在當代社會，似乎太理想化了一些，但卻蘊含著永恒的道理。作為一名設計師，首先要有感動自己的能力，用通俗點的話說，要有雙會流淚的眼睛。一個不敏感的設計師，必然不能體察用戶的實際需求，也難以把握細節。
更何況，作為設計師，許多不認可，都只是暫時的。多年前一個領導對我說，世界上沒有差的設計作品，即使有，也只是沒有出現在合適的時間，地點，和環境罷了。我們的確需要相信自己的專業能力，不要因為客戶的一句“別再自嗨了好嗎？”而喪失信心。
另一方面，一個設計師，如果想要長期從事設計行業，自我認可就顯得非常重要。熱愛是堅持的源動力，很少有人能在毫無成就感的時候對一件事保持熱愛。作為設計師，在與客戶產生矛盾時，要相信自己的專業能力，這里不僅僅是使用Photoshop,Mockplus等設計工具的能力。還要相信，靠自己的邏輯思維和像素眼做出的產品，如果能感動自己，也一定有感染他人的力量。
設計師，滿足客戶是必須
作為一名設計師，在具備感動自己的能力之后，也要能滿足用戶的需求。這并非是迎合市場，取悅他人，而是一名優秀設計師必須具備的素養。原因可以歸為以下三點：
（1）你了解設計，甲方卻了解市場
術業有專攻。混跡設計界已久的你能輕松分辨上千種色彩。但市場需求，大眾心理這些東西，坦白講，還是甲方比較在行。設計師常常誤認為自己比客戶更懂需求，這絕對是幼稚的想法。畢竟，你從最適合人性的，最理想的角度出發設計出的作品，未必是用戶當前所能接受的。
舉個簡單的例子：理發師永遠剪不出你要想的發型。即使你已經清楚地描述了自己的需求，期待的發型和他們剪出的樣子依然相差很大。你質疑，他卻說 “你不適合那種。”此時理發師和設計師的心理是一樣的，都是從自身的審美和理解出發，將自己的好惡強加給別人，沒有真正考慮客戶的感受。因此，作為設計師，越俎代庖，幫客戶做決定，是不可取的。
（2）內心可以小眾，工作時面向大眾
作為一名有品位的設計師，你聽小眾民謠，看公路電影，時不時再看個畫展，聽個歌劇，這些都無可厚非。但內心偏向小眾的設計師，在完成任務時也難免受到小眾思維的影響，此時，則更要用心，而不是用耳朵去傾聽客戶的需要。作為設計師，我們看到的世界和客戶大不相同，所以才會有：好不容易選出了一個合適的字體，卻被甲方要求換成一個巨丑的。你在界面上的留白，在客戶看來是空白。在這種情況下，思維的轉換，和同理心就顯得非常重要。
（3）影響力是后話，項目能力是前提
有前輩曾說，一個設計師，如果想不斷進階，成為頂級設計師，必須不斷提高自己的影響力。的確，設計這個事如果想當成一輩子的事業，就不像開始時只做項目那么簡單。但客觀地講，在前期，一個合格的設計師首先應具備良好的項目能力。這里的項目能力包括：能否獨立完成交互方案；能否用簡單圖形表達復雜體驗；能否在客戶不愿預付款時全心投入，發揮最佳水平；能否為完成作品連續十幾個小時畫圖；能否在用戶需求沒有表達完整時，提前為他們想到后續事宜，留出合理空間。這些都考驗一個設計師的項目能力。因此，作為一名設計師，尤其是設計新人，想要堅持自己的想法，或拓展自己設計的影響力，前提都是要保證良好的項目能力。一個具備優秀項目能力的設計師，不愁得不到客戶的認可，也不愁沒有發揮的空間。要知道，藝術范的設計作品，未必成功，但成功的設計，大都是藝術品。
說到這里，作為設計師的你，也許心中已經有了答案。好的設計作品一定能感動自己，但封閉式的自我感動意味著停滯不前。或許每位設計師在選擇這份工作時，都想把它當成一輩子的事業。既然如此，要鉆研的就不僅僅是理論知識，還有與客戶高效溝通的方法。要首先確保自身的項目能力，得到客戶的認可，才能有更多施展才華的空間。相信你一定能成為優秀的設計師！
Designers’ Dilemma: To Compromise or Not? That’s a Question
As a UI / UX designer, a job falling in between technical worker and artist, you must’ve ever been in such a dilemma: the client doesn’t like your design, which you’ve spent a couple of days and nights to complete. He even thinks you were blindly feeling good about yourself. The design, which is full of your originality and ingenious details, can’t be understood by them at all. You start to complain about the twisting values of the day, where the clients see nothing but public demands and efficiency curve. Say, you finally made a design they like, but you feel ashamed to share it on social network, since it’ll win no respect for you from fraternity. Therefore, in this article, I want to discuss this with you: asUI / UX designers, whether we should compromise to satisfy our clients?
It’s Necessary to Follow Your Own Heart in UI/UX Design
“An artist, whose work cannot even touch himself, will never influence others.” This might be a little old-fashioned these days, but still tell the truth to some extent. As UI / UX designers, we should above all have the ability to touch ourselves. In other words, be sensitive enough; otherwise we cannot get the exact demand of our clients and master the details.
Years ago, a superior told me, “There’s no bad design, but only a design that appears in a wrong time at a wrong place.” He’s right. As UI/ UX designers, we need to have confidence in our professional competence. Don’t get frustrated only because of some negative words by our clients.
We should follow our heart and believe in ourselves timely, as self-recognition plays an important role in the career of UI / UX designers if we want to be engaged in this industry for a long time. Passion is the source of persistence, and it’s hard to keep the passion when you have no sense of achievement when doing a work. Therefore, we need to have confidence in our professional competence when there’s a disagreement with our clients. Here the “professional competence” refers not only to a master ofdesigning tools like Photoshop and Mockplus, but also our logics and thinking modes. The design we made will definitely affect others if we ourselves really get touched by it.
Good UI / UX Designers Are Able to Satisfy Their Clients
A good UI / UX designer can not only make a design to his own satisfaction, but also meet the needs of his clients. This is in fact nothing about catering to the public taste. Following are the two reasons:
(1) Designers Know a Lot about UI /UX, but Little on Public Demands
Designers might be an expert on colors, interactions and user experience, however, as for public demands, market situation, etc. we’re probably not better than the clients. UI / UX designers sometimes have an illusion that they know more about public demands than Party A, that’s, frankly speaking, a little stupid. It’s common that a really humanist and ideal design couldn’t even find its place in real life.
A good example to explain this is to go to the barbershop. The hair designer never gives what you want even if you’ve put requirements very clear. Finally you get a stupid haircut and became speechless when he told you the one you want doesn’t even fit you. At that moment, the barber also imposes his opinions on others, just like us designers. Therefore, as UI / UX designers, it’s not wise to make choices for our clients.
(2) Project Competence Is More Important than Influence at First
Some people believed that a designer, who wants to grow up to be one of the top-class, should gradually increase the influence of his design. That’s right. However, at the beginning, project competence is more important than influence. Whether you can realize the required interactions independently;show complicated experience with simple graphics; concentrate on your work and give best performance when an advance payment is denied; sketch for a dozen of hours to finish the design in time; think more than your clients when they didn’t tell their demands completely and leave a reasonable space for them in design. All of these are what we called “project competence”. Therefore, as a new designer, if you want to adhere to your own ideas or increase your influence, project competence is the premise. We have reasons to believe that a designer who has excellent project competence will definitely win clients’ respect and get the chance to show his talent.
Until now, you might’ve already had your own answer to this question. It’s good to follow the heart in UI / UX design, but you won’t make progress if you blindly follow your heart, without listening to the advice from outside. If you love design so much and want to make it a life-long career, just take actions now. Learn not only those professional skills, but alsoeffective ways to communicate with your clients. I’m sure that you’ll become an excellent designer some day!
