My biggest Inspirations, Part 1 of 3. The Architect

While interviewing for a new position, I get asked a lot, “Which UX designer do you draw your inspiration from the most?” 

I always give a multi-part answer, starting with the absolute truth, I don’t take inspiration from any UX designers. I have been told by one of my mentors that I am answering the question wrong, but I don’t care. It has been my experience that this question is not as straight forward as it seems. From what I gather, the purpose of this question is for the hiring manager to discover if my design style is compatible with the existing team.  That makes sense, from a practical standpoint, but don’t think that is the right way to ask that question. 

While I know that a lot of UX designers go to school for design, and study design, that can not possibly be true for everyone.  For example, I have my Batchelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in History. Then, I went and got my Master of Science in Information Management. It was during my masters that I studied User Based Design. I had a chance to take Human-Computer Interaction my final semester, but dropped it due to getting an internship in Silicon Valley, placing practical experience over classroom experience. I finished my final semester online while I was working and graduated on time. 

I dove in feet first into my first official UX project, starting with a customer dashboard as part of Tavant’s Open Kitchen project management customer portal. Because I don’t come from a traditional design background, my main focus of my work has always been around the the structural and functional requirements of the system, as dictated by my user centered design approach. I value the utility and functionality over the aesthetics.  I’m not saying that the aesthetics aren’t important. because they absolutely are, but to me, making sure the users are getting the best possible functional experience is much more important to me.  

This brings me to my first inspiration. The Architect. Mies Van Der Rohe, was born in Aachen, Germany in 1886.  He left Germany in 1937, after being his modernist Architecture style was labeled “Not German” by the Nazis. Eventually he would soon become the Head of the Department of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

While in Chicago, he designed many Skyscrapers in the Modernist Style, He is known for his minimalist design, and his steel framed skyscrapers, such as the Chicago Federal Complex, and IBM Plaza. He usually chose to coat his buildings in his signature black graphite paint, giving them an imposing, Monolithic look. 

Mies himself, gained his inspiration from the Austrian/Czech architect Adolf Loos, who was an early theorist of Modern Architects, publishing a paper Ornament and Crime shunning the old European tradition of ornamental architecture. This would lead Mies to his famous “skin and bones” style where he would profess the old adage “Less is more.” 

Like Mies, I too prefer the less is more approach, that I tend to use more in my Information Design, and Interactions Design. After fully understanding the User requirements, and User journeys, try to help the user achieve their goals in the least number of interactions possible, but at the same time making sure the process is intuitive and painless. 

My admiration for Mies is the reason I call myself a UX Architect instead of a UX Designer.