ang munting bahay ni jose

Most of the times I find myself crafting web designs and user
interfaces… I think most designers will agree that a good designer
will need to take some time to think and analyze the ui/layout and take
a crack at it "ALONE", paper sketch it, make a draft in Adobe Photoshop
or any graphic editor, then check to see if its even good. If it’s not,
he’ll make changes until he comes up satisfied and say "Hey, this is
Ok, this is already good".

According to a friend, "There should be already a task map and/or sitemap before anything is designed. UI is left to designer or to information architect to decide on."

That’s
the only time he’ll show it to his teammates (prolly a web team
comprises of a project manager, developer/designers) confidently that
his work is already a good one. The teammates now will have the turn to
check/analyze/see if it really does makes it to their likings. There’s
a 99.9% possibility that may say that you have to change this, change
this to that, and so on and so forth…

The work is taken back
to the drawing board to correct/change the team’s suggestions then
check if it’s good again (hoping), show to team or manager, etc.. etc… Cycle goes on
until all are satisfied (but remember, you will never please anyone).

It’s a sad part that most
clients/project managers think that dictating the designer on
designs/layouts, sitting behind the designer’s back, is the fastest
course to go. Well, you are downright wrong!

This wrong process does not only limit the
creativity of the designer, but also make "this" designer feel he’s under
pressure and that the client/project manager can do a better job…

This
is an enlightenment for project managers/clients who has the "can you
change this, can you change that" attitude while the designer is still
thinking how to lay it out.

Let him be on his "own" first. Give him the "AlONE" space. When
he/she is finished and calls his/her work "good", then it’s the time
you can start saying… "can you change this, can you change that…"