A Day in the Life of a UI/UX Designer

Let us introduce Doukas, AKA Duke. He is Clever Software Group’s in-house UI & UX designer and all-things-Adobe guru. Duke is responsible for creating the epic wireframes and designs that make up the foundations of our client’s bespoke software solutions. Duke is originally from Greece, but brought his outstanding flare for design and detail with him when he joined Clever Software Group just shy of a year ago.

We spoke to our resident UI & UX Duke to get a rundown of what a typical day in the office looks like for him.

First Things First

When I arrive in the office, the first thing I do is head to the coffee machine (after logging on for the day, of course). Coffee isn’t just a drink, it’s a religion and should be taken seriously.

Once I’m sufficiently caffeinated, I check through my emails. I will normally be focused on one project at a time, but there are always different iterations of on-going projects running in the background. Client’s will send wireframe and design changes via email or Teamwork. These changes will make a big difference to a desired end-user’s journey, when interacting with a website.

User journeys should be smooth, creating an enjoyable experience and environment, that will encourage them to return to a site. The work I produce for clients’ largely dictates a customer’s experience; of course, I strive to make sure it will be a positive end result in every case possible.

After working through the requested changes, I will send any updated designs to Megan, Clever Software Group’s Head of Operations, before sending them off to clients. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, so it’s good to just double check all of the details before show casing the final result to stakeholders.

Daily Stand Up

We have a team rundown around 10.15am every morning. This is so that every member of the team is on the same page and is aware of what each individual software developer is working on.

I work very closely with each member of the team. Because I produce the aesthetic road maps for the software that the developers will craft, I will spend a lot of my time testing and playing around with the work-in-progress code previews. If a software developer also needs a little more help with understanding how certain elements of a wireframe functions, I’m on hand to assist and explain in further detail. The daily stand up is also a good opportunity for the team to catch up in general.

After the morning rundown, I’ll spend some time researching current design trends and gather inspiration and muses for different projects. It is really helpful to keep up-to-date with shifts in web and graphic design in general. They are very fluid aspects and are always changing and adapting; especially now that mobile-first design has come into play, when designing with SEO in mind.

Behind the Scenes

We have an exciting project taking place under wraps in-house at the moment. A fair bit of my time has recently been spent researching different elements and aesthetics for this development. I won’t reveal what is being produced just yet, you’ll find out for yourselves soon enough.

However, with this specific secret project, I have been working closely with our Digital Marketing Executive, Gemma. It is a very extensive project, but it is exciting to work collaboratively with Gemma on this one. We are representing the business and making sure we convey the right tone of voice for Clever Software Group.  

Such as with every project, I was very mindful of how the brand is represented. Clever Software Group is a very fun and fresh custom software development company and our main aim is to take care of the difficult, so I want to convey this message within the in-house project.

Post Lunch

I will normally head off for lunch around 12.30pm. I don’t live too far from the office, so it’s a nice stroll home and a change of scenery to refresh me for the afternoon.

Once back in the office, I will normally have a client meeting in the afternoon. I will prep for this before it takes place and will usually have a presentation ready to talk through. We work in an agile development method at Clever Software Group. This entails working openly and flexibly with a cycle of regular iterations and test points. It is important to work in correlation with clients, so our software developers test as they code and produce working prototypes throughout the process, whilst adapting to client feedback.

To Wrap Up

Every wireframe and design I produce is bespoke and tailor-made specifically for each individual client and business. This is to create intuitive user experiences and meaningful design for the people that will be operating the custom software systems.

Apart from scrolling external websites to gather research, 90% of my day is spent using the Adobe suit. It is my bread and butter; without it I wouldn’t be able to go about my work properly. I interact with a large proportion of the Creative Cloud throughout the day – XD for creating wireframes and prototyping, Illustrator for illustrations and infographics and Photoshop for image alterations. Gone are the days of drawing out designs by hand; the future of design is digital and there is no other way about it.