Dan Saffer of Kicker Studio written a great blog post about what separates a good designer from a great one, and I want to jump on the bandwagon (and get there myself.) Especially for innies, I think we compromise because we are supposed to collaborate, and do whats best for every team, balancing user needs against business needs. And really, whats good for the user should be the business need, but I digress.
Dan lists six characteristics that make a great designers, and one sticks out for me:
Discernment. Knowing what is tasteful, and what isn’t. Knowing what is usable and what isn’t. Knowing what is beautiful, and what isn’t. These are subjective, but great design requires a point of view. If you don’t know what a great product looks or feels like, how can you design one?
There is something to be said for our own innate talent as designers. Sometimes we just know…
