Designing UIs without a UI designer
summary
Argues that teams build UI directly in code to move faster, citing multiple client MVPs that started as coded prototypes and were later discarded by designers; recommends using napkin for sketching user journeys, reusing components from libraries like Mobin and Framebers, and trimming scope to a single core rectangle (examples: Uber, Dropbox style). Mentions concrete aids: Ching Martian Mon font, upcat library, Harmony color palettes (OK LCH), and using LLMs to draft onboarding flows and interview questions.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Introduction and context
- 1:09Why designers care about engineering
- 2:14Build UI directly in code
- 3:41Focus on key user tasks
- 5:52Stay close to users
- 6:58Don’t reinvent the wheel
- 8:20Study and draw inspiration
- 9:06Cut the scope to find core
- 10:13User possibilities over experience
- 11:36Use AI as a starting point
- 11:57Stay close to users and next steps
