The macro and micro
The job of a creative director includes many things, and over time I’ve learned that the most valuable task a creative director handles is the ability to maintain quality on multiple levels. A creative director can see the big picture and the details at any given point on a project with insightful and precise vision. I wholeheartedly believe the key to excellent and effective design is the ability to toggle between macro and micro perspectives at any given point in a project, identify gaps, and fill them expediently.
So what do I mean by macro and micro perspectives? Let's unpack it a bit. We are talking about looking at things in two different ways on two different levels.
When we look at something from a “macro” perspective we are looking at the big picture. We want to have the ability to step back from our work wherever we are in the process and evaluate the critical big-picture elements that are the connecting threads to everything we do.
Macro: high-level/big picture
Some things we consider when looking at the big picture (macro elements) in interactive design are:
The brand:
This includes the brand tone, voice, aesthetic, and customer experience. Are we designing in line with how the brand presents itself from a big-picture perspective? For example, if we were designing a project for Southwest Airlines, does the experience feel friendly, approachable, and personal? Does it align with the brand guidelines in terms of stylistic choices?
The business:
Are we solving for business goals? Are we generating revenue? Are we creating content that makes people want to return to the company and invest their time and money? Are we hitting our KPIs?
The user:
Are we delighting the customer? Is what we’re creating truly usable? Are we solving the problem in the most efficient way for the user or the designer? This comes down to user empathy and proper testing and prototyping. (More on this later)
The experience:
We always want to make sure there is experiential and visual consistency across the board. When we’re heads down on solving for a specific feature (microtask) we always want to consider how this puzzle piece fits into the whole. Does it talk the same talk as everything else? Having a consistent experience is critical for the success of a product. When the user interacts with a new interface they have to learn an entirely new system. We want to reduce the cognitive load (the amount someone has to think) in order to make our experience easy and intuitive. Some ways you can reduce cognitive load is by treating elements with consistency. Do all of the buttons that look alike perform similar actions? Does the navigation stay persistent throughout the application and keep the user-oriented, feeling safe and comfortable at any point in the experience?
The visuals:
Do all of the design elements go together visually (from a big-picture perspective)? Is the photography handled in the same style? Are you using the same typefaces and color palettes across the board? Do you establish design hierarchy in the same way?
Some great ways to maintain macro consistency is through brand guidelines. Through brand guidlines we write the story that should be maintained by anyone and everyone who handles the brand. This is valuable for any size business we work with. From the Nikes and IBMs of the world to a local real estate business, maintaining brand consistency across all touchpoints will help establish trust and generate loyalty from customers.
We take this even further and offer product guidelines for our customers and their users. This helps inventory big-picture elements and speaks to the rules that are predefined so we can guarantee that when the product scales, design will scale with it successfully and consistently.
Micro: The devil is in the details
I remember I heard this little saying at one of my first design jobs. Why hadn’t I heard it sooner? All the little details (so many to pay attention to in design) really add up. Within one interface, one logo, one layout there can be so many various treatments necessary for a design to be successful. Keeping track of all of these little *micro* details is a huge task and takes time and experience to be able to manage. A seasoned designer will recognize the micro details and make sure they are handled consistently throughout a system.
There are way too many to capture them all here, but some things we consider when looking at the details (microelements) in interactive design are:
Typography:
Are type sizes and styles clear and legible?Did you kern the static typography to make sure it’s elegant and reading correctly? Is type alignment being treated consistently?
Styling:
Are all corners rounded with the same radius? Are you using the same UI elements and iconography throughout? Are your stroke widths all the same on iconography and graphic elements? Did you create a smooth, natural-feeling gradient? Are your drop shadows, glows, etc. subtle?
Color:
Are all colors designed with the appropriate hex codes? Are your call-to-action buttons bright and attention-grabbing? Do you introduce new colors on this screen?
Grid/Alignment:
Are your designs following a systematic grid? Are you considering what happens when content is displayed on mobile?
Next time you are critiquing your work (or someone else’s) take an extra minute to consider how you’re looking at the work. Are you coming at it from the macro or the micro? Challenge yourself to look at your work in a way you don’t typically see it. Honing in on this ability to maintain both perspectives will make you a stronger designer and on the path to higher-level positions.