By Erika Hall
How did you move from philosophy into digital design? My philosophy degree is from one of the most technologically advanced liberal arts schools in the country. So, when the web came along, I jumped on it. I started in a time when everyone was self taught and making it up as we went along. Then, I got into a fantastic user-centered design agency, Studio Archetype, that provided the design framework for my skills. Philosophy is actually a very practical degree for digital design and strategy work. So much of what I do is about understanding and articulating abstract relationships among elements and defining systems.
What prompted you to launch your own firm, Mule Design? I really enjoyed client services work from the start—working on a multidisciplinary team and solving challenging problems that have a material effect in the world is very satisfying. I have a short attention span and I want to always be learning, so I love project-based work. After stints at a couple of different agencies, it became clear that the clients you choose to work with determine the kind of company you are. I wanted to have the power to make those choices, to say yes or no. And, while I really enjoyed design, I thought the ego surrounding it, and the mystique of the “creative process,” was a little absurd.
So, after Mike Monteiro and I met at Hot Studio, we found that we shared this attitude. When the technology economy crashed in the early 2000s, our best chance of having jobs in the field was to hire ourselves.
What tools do you find indispensable for your work? It’s so easy to focus on tools, to the point where they become a distraction. There is no indispensable tool. Design happens in the mind and in conversation, exchanging ideas with other people, not at the computer. Tools are for documenting. Clear and straightforward communication is the only thing indispensable to our work.
What should all designers know about research? It’s an integral part of the design process. You need to understand the problem you are solving and you need to understand the context surrounding it and the people you are designing for. Your methods of getting to that understanding may differ. Sometimes you need to do more or less research, or be more or less formal about it. There is no one right way.
What question do you ask every client? “Why are you doing this project now?” The most successful projects are those driven by important business goals that have the support of the leadership. A project that isn’t critical to an organization will lack momentum and purpose, making it impossible to do good design work.
Where do you see designers skimping on research—how does it show up in the finished work? This is most obviously the case when the design is self-indulgent and doesn’t reflect the actual needs and priorities of the intended user or audience. Or where you miss opportunities to create something meaningful or solve a larger problem. Design is creating meaning. How do you create meaning if you don’t know what makes something meaningful?
As a designer, you have control over the particular thing you are creating, but not over the wider world. And it’s that larger context that determines how people will find what you are designing and what their expectations and understanding will be. So, you are only cheating yourself and the quality of your work if you aren’t considering the wider world. Intellectual curiosity is part of the job.
What is the most exciting work in interaction design that you’ve seen recently? The best interaction design is that which doesn’t draw attention to itself. I think too many designers fall over themselves trying to be the answer to this question.
You helped to create a new responsive site for the Seattle Times. What kinds of opportunities does interaction design present to editorial publications? The fundamental challenges to editorial publications are getting attention and creating a habit. Good interaction design balances convention and novelty to give a publication a voice and a sufficiently distinctive experience, while making the experience effortless.
The big mistake that magazine publishers made in the early days of the iPad was overvaluing novelty by far. It’s like no one in the business realized that the true appeal of magazines wasn’t just the lushness of their layouts, but their fundamental ease of use. A printed magazine is the easiest type of media to casually pick up and instantly have a great experience. Learning new interface conventions is work and takes time. Never let the interface get in the way of the content. Using existing conventions isn’t a cop out, it’s a way to focus audience attention where you want it.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? If you are very clear about what you want to do and why you want to do it, you will find people who are eager to help you.
What prompted you to launch your own firm, Mule Design? I really enjoyed client services work from the start—working on a multidisciplinary team and solving challenging problems that have a material effect in the world is very satisfying. I have a short attention span and I want to always be learning, so I love project-based work. After stints at a couple of different agencies, it became clear that the clients you choose to work with determine the kind of company you are. I wanted to have the power to make those choices, to say yes or no. And, while I really enjoyed design, I thought the ego surrounding it, and the mystique of the “creative process,” was a little absurd.
So, after Mike Monteiro and I met at Hot Studio, we found that we shared this attitude. When the technology economy crashed in the early 2000s, our best chance of having jobs in the field was to hire ourselves.
What tools do you find indispensable for your work? It’s so easy to focus on tools, to the point where they become a distraction. There is no indispensable tool. Design happens in the mind and in conversation, exchanging ideas with other people, not at the computer. Tools are for documenting. Clear and straightforward communication is the only thing indispensable to our work.
What should all designers know about research? It’s an integral part of the design process. You need to understand the problem you are solving and you need to understand the context surrounding it and the people you are designing for. Your methods of getting to that understanding may differ. Sometimes you need to do more or less research, or be more or less formal about it. There is no one right way.
What question do you ask every client? “Why are you doing this project now?” The most successful projects are those driven by important business goals that have the support of the leadership. A project that isn’t critical to an organization will lack momentum and purpose, making it impossible to do good design work.
Where do you see designers skimping on research—how does it show up in the finished work? This is most obviously the case when the design is self-indulgent and doesn’t reflect the actual needs and priorities of the intended user or audience. Or where you miss opportunities to create something meaningful or solve a larger problem. Design is creating meaning. How do you create meaning if you don’t know what makes something meaningful?
As a designer, you have control over the particular thing you are creating, but not over the wider world. And it’s that larger context that determines how people will find what you are designing and what their expectations and understanding will be. So, you are only cheating yourself and the quality of your work if you aren’t considering the wider world. Intellectual curiosity is part of the job.
What is the most exciting work in interaction design that you’ve seen recently? The best interaction design is that which doesn’t draw attention to itself. I think too many designers fall over themselves trying to be the answer to this question.
You helped to create a new responsive site for the Seattle Times. What kinds of opportunities does interaction design present to editorial publications? The fundamental challenges to editorial publications are getting attention and creating a habit. Good interaction design balances convention and novelty to give a publication a voice and a sufficiently distinctive experience, while making the experience effortless.
The big mistake that magazine publishers made in the early days of the iPad was overvaluing novelty by far. It’s like no one in the business realized that the true appeal of magazines wasn’t just the lushness of their layouts, but their fundamental ease of use. A printed magazine is the easiest type of media to casually pick up and instantly have a great experience. Learning new interface conventions is work and takes time. Never let the interface get in the way of the content. Using existing conventions isn’t a cop out, it’s a way to focus audience attention where you want it.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? If you are very clear about what you want to do and why you want to do it, you will find people who are eager to help you.
As the co-founder of Mule Design based in San Francisco, Erika Hall has worked with clients including The National Audubon Society, the Seattle Times, Open Society Foundations and the Stanford School of Medicine. Author of Just Enough Research from A Book Apart, she holds a bachelor’s in philosophy from Dartmouth College.
