Hi. I’m Gabriel
UX Design is kind of my thing. Here's how my hobbies and education all fit together into crafting memorable and enjoyable experiences.
My UX Principles
Greater Process Equals Greater Results
I started drawing when I was in high school, and art and creating have always been a part of my life. At first, I just drew whatever I could think of off the top of my head. I found that my drawings were good, but inconsistent. They were missing a framework, and process. Everything changed when I began my journey into UI UX Design.
Approaching any project requires thoughtful strategy, and careful planning.
Feedback and Iteration
As a character concept artist, a huge part of growing and learning is being able to admit that your art isn't perfect, and receiving feedback to improve is a crucial part of the process.
Not only that, but being able to review old designs, see what worked and what didn't, and constantly improving upon them, is key if you want to create a design that tells a story about your character, rather than just saying "Well I thought it looked cool".
Designing a character is very similar to designing a website, or an app; by taking one look at your character design, you should get an immediate response.
Your design should convey an emotion, or tell a story about who this character is before they say a single word. Any of that sound familiar?
Tell A Story. Don’t just talk.
Writing is one of my favorite hobbies, and something I've spent countless hours investing in.
One of the most important aspects of design is stopping at every opportunity to ask "How can I tell a story here?".
This can be done in just about every part of the process as well; between user interviews, presentations, and of course, the experiences users part take in.
I love finding ways to incorporate emotion and feeling into my work, coming up with new ways to introduce a concept or a character, something to inspire people, or something to make them laugh.
People won’t remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.
User-First, User-Centered Design
I've always had a great interest in the human mind, trying to understand behavior and intent. That insatiable curiosity led me to pursuing a degree in Psychology, and I loved all of it.
The most important factor of good UX Design always considers how a user will feel.
You should ask yourself at every step "How will a user USE this? How will this make them feel?"
Buttons, text, images, every object your user will interact with should have purpose, and supported by data and research.