Why I HATE Your FAKE Redesign
I'm sick of seeing new, honestly absurd redesigns of Facebook, Skype and Twitter in my feed. Why not do something useful instead? Stop propping up these redesigns with likes, shares and articles on Muzli, Medium, Designer News and the like. You're being complicit in mindless work. Their authors can end up believing they're real professionals and thinking they know better than the actual creators how the most popular services should look.
Heads up: I don't think every redesign has a dumb, unappealing UI, but 99% of them do. If you read this article to the end, maybe your redesign will land in the remaining 1%.
From where I stand, people redesign popular services because:
- They're chasing clicks
- They need to make up for a weak portfolio
- They want to gain design experience
UI/UX work isn't just about making a pretty picture. It's about meeting your clients' needs by offering users new experiences and inviting them to take action. Research is essential, as is discussing ideas with product managers, understanding business needs, and validating your hypotheses. Only after all that can you start sketching.
Let me explain why lazy redesigns don't make good publicity for you, how to build a portfolio that impresses without doing absurd work, and where to get real experience on projects that make the world a better place.
Why redesigns don't make good publicity for you
If you're starting out in your career and don't have a portfolio, coming up with a Facebook redesign concept can be tempting. But you'll most likely make a lot of mistakes that any professional UI designer will spot instantly. Take a look at these redesigns:
For some reason, this designer decided to forget about the brand and use a very bold background color that looks decent but scatters attention. They also moved the account settings to the left corner, when established practice is to place them in the top right.
This is a Skype concept published on Muzli. Again, the designer forgot about the brand and made Skype look too much like Viber. I have no idea why there's such a bold purple and pink panel on the left. With this design, the user's eye is drawn more to the conversation list than to the chat they have open.
The designer probably used these colors because they thought they looked cool. Enough of that. Do it because it's the right thing to do, because it makes sense, because it will help users solve a problem, or because it will help sell the product. Don't do it just because it looks cool!
Another Facebook concept. There's a lot of work behind it, but I can't picture Facebook rolling out these changes anytime soon. Dark colors, a grid view, an Apple-style gradient button, and no ads? Seriously?
But once it's done, you can post it on your website and lead potential clients to believe you've worked with Facebook or other big companies. It's a very common trick.
A great example of how this can backfire: a design studio redesigned a well-known news outlet, built a standalone site for it, and posted it on Behance, Dribbble and their own page. They probably spent several months on that work, but within a few weeks it vanished from the internet — the original outlet wasn't slow to ask for it to be taken down.
Studios like that are often savvy about it, because their site features logos from well-known companies, which invites you to assume (wrongly) that they actually worked with them. In reality, they only have redesign concepts.
If you still decide to redesign a popular service:
- Don't forget about the brand
- Try to get as much analytics data as possible
- Include monetization elements (ads, banners, etc.)
- Try to improve the whole user experience, not just the UI
Take a look at this designer's approach.
She did a lot of research and proposed genuinely good UX improvements. It's a great example of what you should do in a redesign.
How to make the world a better place and get real experience?
Charitable foundations around the world try to help people, but they often have terrible websites. I'd venture to say they'd welcome free help with design, so offer! It's also a great way to boost your karma. :)
Not convinced? You could also pick websites of famous tourist attractions and offer them your help. They get huge numbers of visits every day, but their websites often leave a lot to be desired.
Want to try your hand at ecommerce design? Search Google for "flower delivery Paris" and pick a few poorly designed examples:
Don't hesitate to write to website owners or ask your friends: they might need your help. You'll find a real project and gain real experience. It'll improve your communication skills, help you build valuable contacts, and teach you firsthand about analytics and customer preferences.
