How Sociology Helps Me Be a Better Designer
I’m no stranger to changing paths in life.
As I mentioned in my previous post titled “What is Design and Why am I Exploring it?”, I was set on going to design school. But then I decided to study Sociology at A level on a whim and quickly realised my passion for it greatly exceeded my ever-increasing artist block — thanks A level Fine Art.
If there’s anything I’ve learnt over the years, transferable skills and experience are invaluable. So now that I’m pursuing a career in UX Design, how does my Sociology Degree relate or help?
Research, Research, Research.
Whether it was trawling through academic journals to find relevant sources for my many assignments or group projects (oh boy), research was a theme that was drilled into our minds from day one.
Even though Qualitative and Quantitative Methods were modules that were *boring*, they definitely came in useful when developing and researching my dissertation.
The foundation for the importance of solid research was laid for later in my university life and… now with UX. Of course, UX Design is no stranger to good research.
Research underpins the assumptions that a designer makes for a product or service. Although you may not have the luxury of conducting user interviews over several months, impactful and helpful research is a key part of the process.
At its core, rapid research is about developing and iterating on the templates and processes you use to arrive at a streamlined and efficient research approach. — Heidi S. Toussaint
People first.
Sociology is, in short, the study of society. And people make up society.
I’ll admit, debating abstract concept and theories sometimes detach us from the realities of day-to-day life for most people and project constraints and demands from stakeholders may steer a designer/design team away from design principles…
But at the heart of it, people dictate what happens.
For example, my dissertation “How Do British East Asian Youth Develop Their Bicultural Identity” was shaped by interviews with the participants. Their responses confirmed my themes but also exposed some assumptions I’d made. Ultimately, for them to be raw and vulnerable in expressing their pains and needs with me was an honour.
Similarly, the responses of users influence the direction of a product or solution. At the end of the day, if no one is going to use your product, what’s the point?
Think Big Picture, Work in the Details.
The biggest thing I’ve learnt from studying Sociology is that structures and processes drive change (or cement the status quo), yet it’s the interpersonal micro interactions that form the cogs and wheels of the change.
It’s important to remember that every action, product or service is situated in a particular context for a particular user. Which is why considering context is crucial — e.g. accessible design.
Then, translating that into the application of theories and design will really make an impact on people’s lives.
