While architecture deals with physical spaces and human interaction with enclosed voids, UX Design or User Experience Design deals with the user’s behavior in a digital platform like with application in mobile or webpage. Though both the fields are completely different in terms of goals there is a lot of similarity in thinking, development, and application strategy. UX designing is one of the fastest developing and highly paid fields towards which creative designers are moving. Here are some of the factors which are crossing paths between both.
1. User Experience Matters | Architecture and UX Design
Whether it is architecture or UX Design, the end product is user-centric and the experience of the user matters the most. Architects deal with building physical environments for various purposes, UX Designer builds the digital environment, where the user explores anything on any device.
2. Designers become and user
As the product of both fields is user-centric, the designers need to think of the design from the user’s point of view. The architects generally think of putting context over the user, whereas the UX Designer puts the user in the context.
3. The workflow of revising from the feedbacks
When the end product comes to be user-centric, the feedback from the user and rectifying the problem is common in both fields. Architects generally learn from each review and change the built form, whereas the Designer rectifies the problem in the digital environment.
4. Communication of ideas needs to be done
The ideas in both fields need to be communicated among the professionals and users to get reviews of the end product. In general, architects create illustrations, sketches, design explorations, and various representations to communicate, whereas the UX Designer communicates with their prototypes which work similarly to the actual output.
5. The working strategy is similar | Architecture and UX Design
The basic workflow in both are quite similar, only the environment is different. The architects understand the site, the design program and build the illustrations and drawing, and after several reviews, the final drawings are put to construction. The UX Designer similarly, creates sketches as per the required environment, then creates prototypes and after several reviews, the final product is prepared. The working strategy of coming whole to part or from a broad overview to small detail is followed in both fields.
6. Knowledge of graphic design is a must
The basic graphic design techniques are must in both the fields as it gives the design look more composed with great aesthetics. Architects learn these basic skills in school and have their application in most of the projects, presentations, portfolios, and other designs. Whereas UX Designer needs these basic skills to enhance the productivity and user engagement of the digital environment.
7. Similar toolset
The toolset which architects use for illustration is the same as the tools used by UX Designers to create the digital environment. The common toolset includes Adobe Creative Cloud, but some tools are developed that are dedicated to UX Designers like Sketch, Keynote, Marvel, etc. Using the internet to get UX Design templates is a good strategy to start designing with Adobe Creative Cloud tools.
8. Architects get the advantage in UX Design
As the workflow, toolset, and strategy are very similar the way Architects work with their perspective to solve problems, give us architects an edge to design better. The art of problem-solving, research and application is quite similar in both fields.
9. Similar development strategy
The architects when they start to build a project start from the broad aspects of the design and then solve the problem with small details and create the physical environment. Similarly, the User Experience Designer thinks of the audience that they are targeting and figures out the most efficient strategy to increase user engagement and feelings of the user. The solution also involves having to look at the smallest details from the user’s perspective.
10. Similar application strategy | Architecture and UX Design
While the scale of the project is a lot different, the timespan of the project is also different. It takes years for architects and UX Designers works to develop a project in only a few weeks. But, the strategy to develop the design, then optimize the design on feedback, and finally giving a final touch or completing the project is similar in both fields.
There are lots of fields which have lots of similarity with architecture, among them is UX Design. UX Designer is needed a lot in today’s world as our life is getting more digitally active than physical interactions and hence a lot of people can be connected and worked with, without physical interactions. With the development of computers and the development of architecture, professionals with architecture degrees are pursuing fields of their choice. Architecture is a unique field to pursue and have lots of hidden possibilities that are yet to be explored, but in this golden age of computer science, the possibilities are easy to explore and chase the passion.
