

Ask HN: How do I validate/test if I am getting better at design? - tim_sw

I'm a software developer currently learning more about design. As I read various books and try various techniques, how do I validate my learning, assuming I don't have an existing site and users to run a/b tests on?
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woah
The thing that will enable you to design at a real level, is being able to
assess designs, including your own. "Having an eye" "Taste". Start getting
opinionated about other designs you see. Look at every detail. Be harsh in
your evaluation. Then go back to your own work and be just as harsh. (It helps
if it isn't work that you just finished).

Just keep designing and being critical of other designs. After a while, show
some of your stuff to professional designers and ask them to be honest about
it. Learn from this.

Even if you never are able to learn to do good design on your own, this
practice will allow you to direct designers much better at some later stage in
your career.

Gaining an "eye" is also the only way you can be a real designer. You can't
A/B test stuff in your head.

Putting a bunch of elements, both UX and visual together into a coherent whole
in your head, using taste is the only way you can break past local maxima and
really come up with new things. A/B testing is to polish after.

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sbuk
What do you mean by 'design'? Aesthetics? You can't. It's too subjective and
too nuanced to be 'validated'. If you want to find out if people like your
stuff, try and join dribbble.

If you mean design in the true sense of the word, are your solutions merely
adequately solving the problem or are they elegant? Have a look at the 10
principles for good design from Dieter Rams
(<https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-design>) and see if they apply to your
solutions.

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sdnguyen90
"good design" is subjective. being a good designer is being able to draw
specific emotions from viewers in my opinion

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rikacomet
apply for related jobs, if you get accepted, theirs your validation, no need
to actually join though.

another approach would be to enter online contest, via deviantart.com or
something.

