People often ask me, “Why did I switch to design from computer science?” and I just reply by saying, “I just like it.” I didn’t have a good, reasonable answer. I kept on thinking about what makes me enjoy it, what makes designing interfaces put me in a state of flow?
The answer — not really the answer, but how I should find the answer to that — came from reading Simon Sinek’s Start with Why. Even after reading the book, I still kept thinking about my “Why” for a year. I searched about other designers’ “why,” I asked ChatGPT, but nothing felt personal, nothing felt like, “Ohhh yeahhh, this is the oneee!” — until one random day.
Design is because of people, for people. “A good design brings out the best in us.” This is a widely recognised belief, but it’s not a quote by a great designer — it’s rather something that you realise.
I was attending a lecture in my computer lab. It had tiny tables using the old, big ass, slow CPU cabinets that were kept on footrests. It had those old-school keyboard sliders, so when I put my legs on the footrest, my knees kept touching the slider & I kept pushing the CPU. My legs were all crammed up, I was not comfortable I kept moving my legs to find the sweet position, but guess what in between the lecture, it fucking came off! I was just not able to put it back — the screws came off. I did not want the college to cut my caution money, so I spent the rest of the lecture trying to fix it, & eventually I managed to fix it
I don’t remember what was taught in that class; in fact, I don’t even remember who the teacher was that day. But I realised the importance of good design — how it helps us perform better. A design that is not praised is good design; it is not noticeable to ordinary people. But a bad design is cursed. People lose money because of bad design.
This belief shapes how design is perceived. I try my best to not only reflect this belief in my designs but also in myself. I am still at the very beginning of my career. I am writing this while I’m in my final semester, waiting to graduate and start my life away from my family in a big city (fingers crossed). It might happen that after gaining experience over time, I don’t feel connected to this belief and might come up with something else. Who knows? But I know one thing for sure: I have to keep questioning my beliefs, & give room to conflicting beliefs.
Thank you for stopping by and reading till the end. I hope this was thought-provoking. Until next time, stay curious. Bye-bye!
