Ajan Jayaram

Here's my background by myself. Yes. So myself, I'm a grammar editor for interview transcripts. I have a total of 4 years of experience in editing industry. I'm a grammar editor. And, Brief background. Yeah. So, I've done my background check basically because I like grammar and, language stuff. So after completing my degree, I did my training in grammar editing. So which is into, grammar editing actually from, a company. So after completing that, like, it's my 3rd project. First project was editing for a publishing house. Then I joined in a content creation company, and this company is like that. And, also, I'm doing freelance work at actually. So, Talking about my current role which I'm working, it's a challenging task. And here, I am, the only editor. I'm currently handling in editing transcripts for various clients. So it's a current already, ongoing project, which is to, and, I'm working on improving my skills and, making, the edited text more accurate and, easy to read for the clients, actually. That's my background, if I can say.

This is a project, and the paper will be at a high level or detail as arranged. Exactly. So if I'm talking about this, I can say that the current project I'm working on is a healthcare application, and, obviously, this was my first healthcare application. So I'm the UX/UI designer handling it. When I started working on this application, initially, it was really hard since there was no design system, color scheme, or typography. Nothing was there actually. To start from scratch was a big task for me. Also, since it's a healthcare application, most of the terminology and sentence structures were new for me, actually.

What is your approach to creating a design that can be easily implemented by others? Exactly. So let's say, before creating a lot of affiliated wireframes. So now, what I used to do is discuss with the development team and identify their constraints. And I take note of the screen sizes they are working on, based on the client requirement. Then, most of the time, I try to use MUI components, which is really helpful for the development team. And if the client needs new or aesthetically pleasing designs, I need to spend more time creating a design system separately. After creating a design system, I need to create separate components, such as models, input fields. So, I create all the components first. Then I can use the components anywhere, everywhere in the screen. This way, developers only need to create one component, and they can reuse it.

Give an example of how I have used analytics or data to inform my design decisions. An example is the health care application I'm working on now. There was a field where, as a patient, if I'm logging into the application and requesting an X-ray report, there are usually multiple forms that make the user experience very hassle-filled. The similar kind of questions are repeated in different forms. So, what we're doing is combining all the questions. If we're providing multiple forms to a particular patient, all the questions will be combined and automatically filtered. Duplicated questions will combine and become one. In that particular form, we added a few new features. The patient can mark out, for example, the X-ray or MRI of this right shoulder by drawing it using their phone. There's a separate page for this. When the client suggested this feature, nobody had a proper idea. So, I compared the Adobe Fill and Sign feature and used the same mechanism in our flow. When we provide a human body structure or a PNG file, it's easily accessible for the user to draw and annotate a particular part of the body, and they can submit it easily. These are the data I used.

So when I was working in my previous company, I was designing an application for rag picking. Let's say, most of the cities, people are very used to buying online, but they don't do online purchases. And what they do, they'll throw out all the carton boxes and soldered waste to public garbage bins. So we were working on that project. If you're implementing a new application for rack pickers, the communication between the rack picker and the end user should make for a smooth interaction between them. That was the concept. And when we thought we had a team, we got a lot of solutions in mind. But let's say, when I conducted the usability testing, after creating the low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototype, I found that most of the people liked the concept. However, there were many suggestions that I didn't think of, actually. Suggestions included a navigation bar and a separate notification feature. It could have been better, let's say, most of the time. And one more thing, in cities, people often don't know the local language. Especially with rag picking, we have to bargain for money because the end user won't be aware of the standard price. So we got a point that we need to implement: a standard price list for the user, which will help the end user not to bargain because they already know the standard price. This will make the user experience easy and hassle-free, allowing them to exchange solid waste without any issues. That was the key takeaway when I was reading out this question, actually.

I stay updated with the continuous evolution of UX design trends and tools by following YouTubers, especially those in the designing field, particularly UX and UI. I used to copy their designs and practice them initially. Then, I started following current market trends and design standards. As of now, in 2024, most designs have become user-centric, demanding micro interactions, a separate profile section, and AR/VR features. Users also allow for personalized designs. When discussing colors, peach fuzz is currently a trend. I followed all these developments. I tried to implement these trends into my portfolios and work, and clients appreciated my efforts. They told me that I was doing well. These are the things I followed to make my work standard in the current situation.

When I'm considering an application, I don't know the concept of UI or UX, but I can tell you how I feel as a user. For example, if I'm choosing between Flipkart and Amazon, I'll ask which application I like to use. Both Flipkart and Amazon are applications used by users for purchasing online things. So, which application do I like? Sometimes, I'll say Amazon is easier to use, and sometimes I prefer Flipkart. Sometimes, I find other applications hard to use and feel irritated. For example, the IRCTC mobile application can be frustrating. I've heard that some users get stuck in the middle of the process and leave the application because it's too difficult to use. So, I can tell them that the UI part is the reason I'm attracted to Flipkart. They use contrast colors and focus on aesthetics. When I use an application like Amazon or Spotify, I appreciate it when the process is simple and effective. This makes things better, and that's the role of UX in design. It creates a pleasing user experience. That's how I explain the UX and UI concept. UI is like arranging elements aesthetically. To simplify it, I can say that UI is like my face, and UX is my brain. That's it.

What tool do you use for creating user invoices? I'm more used to Figma as of now. I love Figma, actually, since it's a free application and gives a lot of freedom to work on. And in my previous company, I used to work in Sketch also. Since I was using a MacBook, Sketch is also a good application to create user interfaces.

When designing a user experience for a futuristic, future-rich application, we need to consider the current system and the advancements that are happening in the industry. Companies like Apple and Samsung are investing in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These technologies are also being implemented in the furniture industry, allowing users to see how furniture will look in a room. To create a user-friendly experience, we must identify the main pain points that users are feeling. This involves understanding the features of the application and how they can be improved to minimize cognitive load. We need to stay updated on the current standards and the emerging technologies in the future. This will enable us to design an application that is intuitive and easy to use, while also incorporating the latest features and innovations.

How do you approach integrating feedback from analytics into your design revisions? How do you approach this? Yes. So, for the feedback on my design, I like to keep it open. So, a lot of people give nice feedback, actually. So, this could have been better. And one more thing, I used to focus. It's like, see, even if I'm an experienced designer, my experience is increasing, and that's why I don't always think out of the box. So, it's very essential to understand the user and how they think. Let's say it will be a small and simple feedback. That will give a very impactful result. So, changing the way we receive feedback is essential. Switching tabs. So, remember this page after a second warning. Switching tabs is impactful. So, let's say if the user is okay, he doesn't know about user experience, and he doesn't know how to design. But for whom we are designing, it's for the end user. Right? So, I used to think as what the feedback giver is like. I used to consider them as an end user. So, whatever suggestion they give, I take it in. So, again, I need to work on affinity mapping. I need to understand what are the main pain points they are facing. What are the exact root causes? He's feeling, actually. I should understand his feeling, and I should make it better. So, that's what I'm focusing on. Obviously, if I'm thinking in their perspective, I can come up with new features, or I can make the feature better.

Can you discuss an example where front-end development knowledge helps the design process? Exactly. So let's say in the current design system only. So when I started designing, I was very concerned about the design system, the color, and the typography, spacing, everything. So it was really hard. I created a few screens around 15 to 20 screens, and I sent them for review. So developers suggested that we cannot do it, and I came up with the gradient for the background to make it more aesthetically pleasing. But when I connected with the front-end developers, I could understand they have limitations, actually. So then they suggested that I spend time with them to understand their requirements and needs, especially in screen size, okay, the width, and what are the colors instead of creating something new. And to create components to reuse Mui components and icon styles, whether it is filled or outlined. All those things, I noted down and created a new and separate design system, which I can use for the entire application. And it really helped me. Like, the discussion with the vendor development team really helped me, actually. Obviously, they have the knowledge, so I can learn a lot of things from anyone. Like, let's say, if it's a manager or front-end development or, like, let's say, product owners, client, even if someone is coming in at the end, he's the end user. So he can suggest something, and I can implement it into my design. That is my take, actually. So, I can take their insights and knowledge. I need to work on it, actually. I need to segregate it and decide how I can improve that thing. That is my choice. That's what I'll do. Thank you.