Career on Victor42

A funny story about AI implementation

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:42:00 +0000

The company churns out a ton of fixed-template images daily: course covers, promo banners, printed signs, desk nameplates, arm stickers, you name it. It mostly boils down to swapping out text and picking a background from a preset pool based on the category.

Having designers do this manually is a pipe dream. The ops team doesn’t know Photoshop and refuses to learn. Outsourcing it costs 20 RMB a pop.

My day job is UI design, but this chore somehow became my gig. I built a personal project that bridges Excel and Photoshop. Ops fills out a spreadsheet, designers maintain the PSD templates, and my script automatically maps the data into the templates, spitting out images in bulk. Over the past two years, it has generated roughly 150k RMB worth of design assets—enough to hire a few interns just to do the manual labor.

https://github.com/greenzorro/excel-ps-batch-export

This Python script isn’t tailor-made for the company; it’s highly versatile. Whatever PSD template you build, my script generates the matching Excel sheet. Ops fills it in, hands it back, and boom—instant image batch.

Recently, the big boss started waving the AI flag, aggressively pushing AI adoption to “cut costs and boost efficiency.” He eyed my batch-export setup and decided to make it the flagship AI demo to set the standard for the whole company.

In terms of cutting costs and boosting efficiency, my project is already doing exactly that. There’s nothing left to push. The catch? It’s not AI. It’s just a hardcoded script.

That’s a dealbreaker. Without AI, it won’t pass the boss’s vibe check. Traditional code is seen as an outdated productive force. It needs that “AI flavor”—an overwhelming, undeniable AI aesthetic.

On the flip side, since the script runs locally on my machine, the whole process bottlenecks at me. And honestly, what boss doesn’t dream of “distilling” their employees into modular digital skills?

No problem. Distill away. Deploying it to the cloud solves that. Technically, they’re appropriating my personal IP for free, but since I don’t mind (and it’s open-source anyway), whatever.

Deploying it on the company server and slapping a GUI on it would make it a complete product. Give the ops team a quick tutorial, and it’s undeniably a step up from running it locally.

But alas, still no AI. Too primitive. Middle management vetoed it. If it’s not AI, we have to dress it up as AI. The final master plan? Spin up an AI bot on the server, give it a DingTalk account, and drop it into the ops group chat. Now, ops just @s the bot every day to generate images—exactly how they used to @ me.

Perfect! Just like that, a piece of my soul has been digitized, permanently enshrined in the corporate mainframe. Honestly, if we swapped the bot’s name and avatar to mine, it would probably be even more intimidating to the boss.

The only hiccup is that a zero-cost operation is now burning through LLM tokens daily.

But on second thought, the boss probably sees this as a massive win. Finally, someone in the company is burning tokens and actually producing tangible results! The dawn of his grand AI empire is here. Sound the charge! Who cares about unit economics? In the name of AI, cost is but an illusion.

My takeaway? AI isn’t a bubble. The doomers can rest easy. Setting aside how many real-world problems it actually solves, its mere existence is a spiritual balm, offering astronomical emotional value. It’s the new tech-bro Hermès. Between economic value and emotional value, it guarantees at least one. What a magical industry!

So yeah, the corporate grind is actually pretty entertaining. If the ship is going crazy, you might as well grab an oar and enjoy the ride. At the end of the day, having fun is all that matters~

Why AI Fails at Work

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:02:00 +0000

Two big, interconnected reasons:

In most fields, AI still can’t beat the pros.
Modern business runs on specialized roles.

How so? Check this out:

Imagine this circle is your skillset. The entire white space is everything needed to run your company.

With AI, you can dabble outside your lane and be better than a complete beginner. But in your own area of expertise, AI is still no match for you.

Here’s your colleague’s skillset. Different job, but a similar-sized circle of expertise.

A company is just a collection of specialists. Everyone sticks to their job, and together, you cover all the bases.

See where this is going? There’s hardly any room left for AI to step in.

Aha! The biggest roadblock for AI is something fundamental and almost impossible to change: specialization, the very foundation of modern business.

So, back to our two points:

In most fields, AI still can’t beat the pros.
Modern business runs on specialized roles.

For this to change, one of those two things has to give.

Uprooting specialization is almost unthinkable. But if AI surpasses the pros, specialization becomes irrelevant anyway. And that would lead to a society we can’t even picture today.

But things change slowly. AI is closing the gap on the experts, little by little. You could say it’s already better than some, or at least the less skilled ones.

So AI is being used, right? Exactly.

Most employees have messed around with AI. But two things are holding them back from going all-in:

They’ve discovered AI can’t top them at their day job, but it’s a miracle worker for things they’re clueless about. So, AI gets relegated to side quests and personal tasks.
And sure, AI can save them some time on the job. But that time is already paid for by the boss. Are they really going to hand back those cleverly saved minutes? No way. They pocket the extra time, and the boss is none the wiser.

But jobs are disappearing, aren’t they?

But look closer. What kind of jobs? Which roles are being handed to AI? Why is this happening if AI isn’t even pro-level yet?

Usually, it’s the jobs that are less critical to making money. For these roles, a drop in quality to AI-level is “good enough.” On the flip side, have you ever heard of a sales team being replaced by AI? Didn’t think so.

This is nothing new. Companies have been cutting these same kinds of jobs during downturns long before AI came along. It’s not some AI-powered revolution.

AI will only get more powerful. How should we adapt?

Picture the previous diagrams as topographical maps viewed from above. The bright spots are mountains; the lighter areas are plains.

AI is like a rising tide, slowly submerging the lowlands of every profession (though the water is still shallow). Only those on higher ground will be left to shine. But even those on high ground can’t afford to be complacent. Leveraging AI is like building a boat. The flood then becomes your playground, allowing you to venture out from your mountaintop and explore every domain, including higher mountains.

But what if you’re starting from the lowlands with nothing to your name? Then AI is the ultimate learning tool. It’s your ticket to building a boat and getting afloat. You can then sail directly to the mountainside, skipping the initial, arduous climb. You still have to scale the rest of the peak yourself. But don’t mind the flood; it won’t rise faster than you can climb.

In both cases, the key is the boat. The boat is the will and determination to never stop learning.

Turning Photoshop into a Machine Gun with Excel

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 14:05:00 +0000

I heard Marketing was tearing their hair out. The boss greenlit the new course cover design, and now they needed to update all 800+ existing covers. It wasn’t a simple find-and-replace; there were tons of small differences. Marketing has only one designer, and they were slammed. Doing it in-house? No way. Outsourcing would cost 20 RMB per image, totaling 16,000 RMB – a budget buster.

Bingo! 16,000 RMB? My ears perked up. I love automation. A data geek who knows Photoshop? This was my moment. People talk about the “value of design.” But what is your value? How do you put a number on it? Saving the company a designer’s monthly salary in half a day? That’s real value. Plus, it’d be great for my year-end review. I jumped on the task.

The Challenge

This is the template the marketing designer created. No use criticizing – the boss wanted this style. Simple. The basic need was also simple: replace three text areas and generate 800+ images.

Most designers would think, “Piece of cake! Define some variables in Photoshop, create an Excel sheet, and batch export.”

If you don’t know how to batch output with Excel and Photoshop, check out this tutorial: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/33725280

Yeah… that’s the gist. If it were that easy, you could just follow the tutorial, and this article would be done.

But, once I saw the template, I realized it was much trickier. The variations were crazy:

Over a dozen course categories, some with unique backgrounds, others sharing.
The top category wasn’t always text. Two (Taobao and Tmall) used logos – images.
Course titles: one or two lines. Single-line titles needed vertical centering.
Text color changed with the background – a tinted shade, not pure black.
The bottom description text wasn’t always there. If missing, its decorative box had to go too.
The box’s line color also changed, matching the text but brighter.

Think. Could you handle this with Photoshop variables? Sure, you could make a dozen PSDs. But I wanted just one.

Yes, it was possible.

But it needed a designer who was also an Excel expert.

Designing the Excel Data Model

The complexity meant I needed to think about the data model first.

Programmers might laugh. “Data model? For a simple image?”

Don’t @ me! I’m just using the idea. Look, if you just want to finish, anything goes. But for top efficiency, you need a data model mindset. What’s that? The operations team fills in the least info, and I do the least work per export. This was ongoing, so I needed low marginal costs. The initial setup could be complex; that cost was less important.

So, what columns did we need?

Course Category
Course Title
Description
Background Image

Obvious ones. Adding the variations, the real list was:

Filename: Controls the output filename, arranged logically.
categories: The dozen-ish categories, shown at the top, determining the template.
Title Line 1: Titles can be one or two lines, split for manual line breaks.
Title Line 2: Optional; if blank, it’s a single-line title.
Description: The optional keywords, determining if the box below is shown.
Taobao: Yes/no, toggles the Taobao logo, based on Category.
Tmall: Yes/no, toggles the Tmall logo, based on Category.
Single Line: Yes/no, controls the single-line title layer, based on Title Line 2.
Two Lines: Yes/no, controls Title Line 1 and 2 layers, based on Title Line 2.
Has Description: Yes/no, controls the description box, based on Description.
Background Image: Path for the background image.
Foreground Color: Path for the color image, used for title text color.

Explanation: I had three title layers. One for single-line, two for two-line titles.

Giving this to operations would be brutal. Most could be calculated. Operations only needed: Category, Title Line 1, Title Line 2, and Description. I made an online spreadsheet with just those four and sent it out. We had 5-6 people working, each taking categories. They finished fast.

The hard part was mine: calculating the rest, all needed for Photoshop. None could be skipped. Category was key. It determined the logos, background, text color, and filename sorting. So, I made a separate Category table, a dimension table, where each category was like a product. The image content table was the fact table, like an order. Category name was the dimension table’s primary key, a foreign key in the fact table, pulling in category info. One fact table (CSV) and one dimension table – a simple star schema, or maybe “Earth-Moon schema”?

These concepts are from data modeling and databases. Simply, it’s defining attributes on Category. Anything in a category would auto-read the background, color, etc., based on the name. This matched the requirements.

All the operations data (4 columns) was now in my Excel. I referenced it, added the calculated columns, and formed a complete table. I updated, saved as CSV, and gave it to Photoshop.

These calculated columns tested my Excel skills:

vlookup was crucial for looking up category attributes.
Filenames needed text concatenation. I could combine them freely, deciding the output order.
I used string replacement to remove spaces in titles, ensuring centering even with accidental spaces.
IF checked for empty values, preventing 0 on empty rows.

These are easy for Excel users, so I won’t detail them.

Merging Tables with Power Query

But, two questions remained:

How did operations’ data get into my Excel?
How do I update it?

First: The online spreadsheet let people work independently and update in real-time. My table was local because I needed Excel’s Power Query for merging, which most online spreadsheets lack.

For each batch, I downloaded the online spreadsheet (Course Cover Content Collection.xlsx) to the same directory as my table (Course Cover Content.xlsx). The data link would stay as long as the location didn’t change.

I used Power Query from the “Data” menu. Think of it as a visual SQL. It reads data from local tables, web pages, databases, and Azure, and cleans, transforms, and aggregates it. I used its local table reading.

The Power Query interface is both familiar and strange to basic Excel users. Familiar: “Tables!” Strange: “What’s all this?”

Understanding Power Query: It does three things:

Specifies the data source.
Sets rules and conditions.
Executes and loads data, one request per sheet.

Step two is crucial. The left list is a series of requests, executed in order.

Each needs “Use First Row as Headers” and removal of empty values.

It’s not just filtering and sorting. I used its table merging. Operations’ data was scattered. I couldn’t copy-paste, right? I queried each sheet, then created an append request, combining tables with the same format, like SQL’s CROSS JOIN.

Its merge query is also useful, like SQL’s JOIN and LEFT JOIN.

“Close” (actually save) made a bunch of sheets appear. I deleted unneeded ones. I added a sequence number for filename sorting.

All operations data was now in.

Second question: updating?

New batch? Download, overwrite, open the data table, “Data” menu, “Refresh.” Simple.

Why compare to SQL? It records query conditions, not results. Results are shown, but it’s a preview. It records requests and re-queries on “Refresh.”

After complex initial setup, the pipeline was set. Use was simple: download, overwrite, refresh, save as CSV – Photoshop’s data file.

Batch Image Generation in Photoshop

Photoshop had five steps:

Organize/rename layers.
Define variables.
Import data.
Batch export PSDs.
Batch convert to JPGs.

1. Organize and Rename Layers

Not hard. Merge, reorder. Name layers according to table headers for easier variable definition.

“Filename” is special; it’s not visible. I created it manually. Style doesn’t matter. Hide it.

“Foreground Color” needed special handling. Variables can’t directly change text color. For background-based changes: group the text, create a solid color layer, and use a clipping mask. This gives unified control.

The box’s line color? Related to text, but not the same. Add a Hue/Saturation layer for the lines, increasing saturation and brightness. Brown becomes orange, dark green becomes grass green… This needs color theory and Photoshop knowledge.

2. Define Variables for Layers

No step-by-step; the linked tutorial covers it. I’ll discuss tricky points.

Common use: “Text Replacement.” Non-text layers become “Pixel Replacement” – image change. Background is replaced this way.

Foreground color is similar. Prepare color images, define the clipping mask as a variable, select based on category.

Visibility variables are useful. TRUE/FALSE control display. Can be used with text/pixel replacement. Description text: text replacement changes content, visibility controls display.

These first two steps, though tedious, are one-time.

3. Import Data Sets

Import the CSV.

Two common errors: extra/mismatched columns, and empty cells. Photoshop doesn’t support empty cells, so I used NULL, with visibility checks.

4. Batch Export PSDs

No trick; do it like this.

Define filename format. “Data Set Name” is useful; it’s the first column, “Filename,” allowing customization.

5. Batch PSD to JPG Conversion

PSDs need conversion.

Record a simple action: open, save as JPG, close. Batch process the PSD folder.

My action set has “Save as JPG”; link at the end.

One More Table

Done? Task complete, but not the matter. One crucial table is missing.

These 800+ images (16,000 RMB) are just the first batch. More will come. Shouldn’t I know the yearly savings? Even if I don’t, the boss should.

So, a statistics table, a “bragging table.” Let’s call it “Rock and Roll Table.”

I could even make a chart, showing monthly/quarterly/seasonal value. Subtract from my salary to show my cost – hiring me is a steal! Data is there; whether I do it is TBD.

Epilogue

This was cost-effective. Half a day for initial setup. Negligible time after; I ran it during lunch.

This is my strength. I don’t reinvent wheels, but I assemble them well.

After setup, I met with operations. Marketing explained the four columns. No one found it hard. Operations thought I used AI. For non-tech people, anything amazing is AI. AI is the silver bullet. It’s funny; I’m used to it.

Finally, resources. Try it yourself:

Important Update

I have since developed a more automated programmatic solution for this workflow, which only requires a Python environment.

Details: https://github.com/greenzorro/excel-ps-batch-export

Quantifying Design Value

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 10:51:00 +0000

The Story

I recently had a major clash with colleagues in a group chat. Things got heated.

I’m a designer, though you wouldn’t know it from my posts. I mostly do UI and interaction design, but I also handle data reports and PPTs. Sometimes, I even code and build websites. Our design department acts as a central hub, fielding requests from other departments. I’m juggling four projects, two of which are UI projects only I can handle. My schedule’s packed.

Why the fight? My UI work was fully booked, but another department insisted I help optimize a data report (a consumer report on jewelry). It wasn’t even advanced data viz, just finding and swapping product images in a PPT, showing it to the client, and swapping them again if they weren’t happy.

I refused. It’s intern-level work. I’d help if I had the time, but it wasn’t jumping the queue. I stood firm. They argued that since I’d done it before, I should continue, and the client was pushing. We went at it.

They ended up finding another designer. Afterward, my manager asked me to share my scheduling method. It seemed like they’d complained, but I was booked solid. A company has limited liability; an employee shouldn’t have unlimited responsibility, right?

For now, they can’t do much. But to cover my bases, in case they went to the boss, I had a backup plan. I used my work schedule data to calculate time spent on each task, assessed each task’s value, and created some charts. The monetary values indicate the salary range of a designer capable of that work.

It’s clear: their department (in brown) has a huge chunk of low-value work – finding and replacing images, adjusting alignment and fonts – and it takes up a ton of my time. The boss cares about cost-effectiveness. Having someone with a 20K+ salary doing intern work? Who knows who’d get chewed out.

The fight’s over, and I won’t dwell on it. But the data handling and analysis were interesting, so I’m documenting it.

Data Source

This analysis was possible because I regularly collect data. I organize anything I consider data in a way that’s useful later.

I created a design schedule with a multi-dimensional table tool. I set the default view to a calendar and put it in my DingTalk signature, so anyone requesting work could see my availability.

Although I add work items in the calendar view, it’s a data table. For easy recording, I kept the fields simple: project name, designer (it’s for the whole team), start and end dates, requester, and duration (in days), which is calculated automatically.

When a new project comes in, I update the schedule immediately. To avoid conflicts, I’m motivated to maintain this data table.

The raw data was ready, containing 40 workdays (nearly 2 months of data). I exported it to Excel, changed the duration from text to numbers, and started a series of analyses (from right to left) to generate the charts.

Time Analysis

First, time analysis. This tab has two tables:

The left table pivots the raw data, showing time spent on each requester.
The right table maps each requester to major business lines, summarizing the time each line takes up.

The left pivot table: filter for a specific designer (me), list each requester as a row, and sum the durations.

The right table lists the major business lines, selects corresponding requesters from the left table, and sums the totals.

Selecting data from a pivot table is easier. Excel automatically writes the GETPIVOTDATA function; you just click, avoiding SUMIFS.

Value Analysis

Next, I analyzed how well my time was spent.

The Value Analysis tab has five tables:

Table 1 is the reshaped right table from Time Analysis.
Table 2 shows the percentage of each business line’s work in different value ranges (manually created).
Table 3 pivots Table 2 for easier use in Table 4.
Table 4 multiplies Table 1 and Table 3 to calculate the actual percentage of each work type in different value ranges.
Table 5 pivots Table 4, summarizing the total percentage of work in different value ranges.

Table 1: each business line is a row, and durations are summed.

The key is the format. In “Sum of Duration” settings, I changed “Show Values As” to “Percentage of Column Total” and the number format to percentage, getting each business line’s time percentage.

Table 2 is the core, but it’s subjective. It’s not super rigorous, but good enough for arguments and review. I tried to be fair, assigning value percentages to each business line based on experience. I swear I didn’t intentionally undervalue the other department; their vendor-like nature means their low-value work proportion is high. The designer salary ranges for the value tiers are based on my 10+ years of experience.

Table 3 pivots Table 2. It’s divided by value, then by business line. This structure is for Table 4, for easier viewing and data retrieval.

Table 4: multiply data from Tables 1 and 3.

Table 5 pivots Table 4, summarizing by value.

Charts

With the analysis done, it’s time for visuals.

Level 1: Show percentages of each business line and value range, using data from Tables 1 and 5. Create pie charts, add data labels, and adjust colors.

Level 2: Show the breakdown of business lines within each value range. Treemaps are best for this two-level hierarchical proportion data. Create a Treemap from Table 4, and adjust background and label colors to match the two charts on the right.

Enable Treemap labels to show names and values, displaying each business line’s detailed percentage.

Afterword

With this value analysis system, I just maintain the schedule. I import the data, update a few pivot tables, and the charts are generated automatically.

Even with limited raw data, there’s more to analyze: monthly workload saturation, average project cycle for each business line, and value composition fluctuation over a year.

The fight’s over, and I won’t bring this up to the boss, but it’s interesting that design work can be analyzed with data.

When Confidence Outpaces Competence

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:42:00 +0000

Typically, confidence grows alongside competence, and often lags behind it. You need a solid foundation of skills before feeling confident. But sometimes, your confidence outstrips your competence, making you fearless in new situations. I’ve experienced this twice since graduating:

First, a few years back, I took adult spoken English classes at New Oriental. It was awesome. My English education in school was decent, giving me a good base. I passed CET-6 in college without studying, scoring 504. But test scores don’t equal confidence. I mostly used Chinese, and my English was limited to reading and writing. Reading English news felt like a major undertaking.

At New Oriental, I spent over six months chatting with teachers and classmates in English, covering all sorts of topics. Most of the grammar was review, and I’d forgotten much of the vocabulary. I probably haven’t retained much of the actual English learned. However, my confidence skyrocketed. I could effortlessly type in English to search for information and read long articles without feeling overwhelmed. It wasn’t about understanding everything perfectly; I still needed a dictionary, but it felt natural. As a direct result, my English improved significantly after the course.

Second, when I started working with AI. My coding skills were mediocre. I’m a designer, not a coder. At a friend’s suggestion, I learned HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (though my JavaScript was basic) to build my website. Once the site was live, I didn’t consider using code for other problems. I’d search for existing tools, and if none existed, I’d give up.

After learning basic Python with AI’s help, my confidence soared again. I became bolder. Now, when facing a problem, my first thought is often: “Let’s write a program with AI to solve this.”

Today, I was organizing prompt words for AI image generation. I have categorized notes. Terms like “knolling,” “isometric drawing,” and “Dutch shot” describe specific effects, which are key for getting the desired results from AI. But sometimes, I want a visual comparison of these effects. This meant searching for each term individually.

Today, I tackled this. The goal: combine the terms, separated by commas, and with one click, open multiple browser tabs for image searches of each term.

With AI’s assistance, I wrote a working script in 2 minutes. Another 10 minutes went into refining it, handling edge cases, and improving extensibility. From problem to solution, it took under 15 minutes. Crucially, this was outside my competence zone.

When your confidence exceeds your competence, your skills quickly catch up, because knowledge and action are intertwined. In learning, building confidence is more vital than the amount learned.

It’s an exciting time to be alive. There are countless ways to boost your confidence beyond your competence and solve real-world problems. I’m not just referring to AI; seeking professional help or even purchasing services (with careful selection) can work, provided you’re willing to take that initial step.

The Efficiency of Giving Back

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Fri, 21 May 2021 17:36:57 +0000

We often work towards retirement, or at least escaping this job. But individuals and society are intertwined in a dance of giving and taking. Imagine society viewing your life. It might look like this:

Before your 20s, you mostly take, not give. Your parents provide most of this, but society also contributes through public services. From your 20s until retirement, you start giving back more, while still taking, but less. After retirement, giving decreases, eventually returning to mostly taking.

Money is merely a proxy. The real exchange between people and society involves labor, services, and even intangible contributions.

In an ideal, fair society, your lifetime giving and taking should balance out. During your working years, you naturally give more than you take. This is why we get tired, feel underappreciated, and yearn for early retirement. It’s normal – it’s how the equation works. It’s not a midlife crisis or a societal flaw.

But that’s society’s perspective; individuals may have other priorities. The personal goal is often to retire ASAP. It’s not about idleness, but about reaching your lifetime giving quota sooner, gaining options. So, early retirement hinges on: how do you maximize your giving efficiency?

Around 35, you’ve likely gained expertise. That’s the sweet spot to boost your giving efficiency. As a pioneer, you might nudge your industry forward. As a manager, you could elevate your team’s output to (or beyond) your own. Entrepreneurs create entirely new industries, with potentially massive efficiency gains.

Of course, some might save, buy properties, and open a small store. Their contribution is roughly equivalent to a dozen rentals and supplying local groceries. Value is subjective, but most would agree on the relative impact of these two scenarios.

“But I just don’t want to work anymore!” I get it. I often gripe about my job too. But does work always equal giving? Some jobs seem busy but offer little real value, actually hindering progress. Conversely, some people don’t “work” traditionally, yet create immense value, like through investing.

Thinking of investing as passive income is simplistic. Whether it’s a bank deposit or stocks, that money fuels a business or individual. They use it to grow, boosting their contribution to society. As an outsider, trying to replicate that yourself would likely fail. By simply transferring the funds, you’ve increased overall giving and receive a share of the value.

Let the experts do their thing. For most, excelling in your field is the best way to boost giving efficiency. If you’re averse to the labor, support other professionals, helping them create value, ultimately contributing to society.

In short, retirement shouldn’t be about becoming a couch potato, secretly freeloading off society. It should be about confidently saying, “I’ve given back significantly, and I’ve earned a break.” Of course, you might find you don’t want that break when it arrives, but that’s a different story.

Bricklaying and Trailblazing

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 21:17:08 +0000

Developers often joke about being IT coolies, just “laying bricks.” Outsiders often don’t get what they face daily, or why they make these self-deprecating jokes.

I recently teamed up with a classmate on a WeChat H5 page with data submission. I handled design and front-end; he took care of the back-end, server, and domain. This gave me a glimpse into back-end development, and I suddenly understood the “bricklaying” analogy. I gained a much deeper appreciation for the challenges developers face. It’s a different world compared to other professions. If you’re not familiar with development, I’ll explain it in plain terms.

We used a standard front-end/back-end separation. Think: front-end is close to the user, back-end is far away, connected by networks. My work involved creating the page’s look, displaying it, and handling user-side logic. For example, email fields need an “@” symbol to be valid. My classmate’s work involved receiving user info, storing it in a database, and handling statistics.

We needed to collaborate on the “interface” – how I’d format and send user input, and what feedback he’d send back, including errors.

We were interdependent. I finished the front-end first, but how could I test the interface code? I needed the back-end to know if my code was correct. Since his code wasn’t ready, I had to wait. Of course, developers don’t just wait around. There are ways to simulate each other’s work, which is what we did.

He wrote some Python to simulate the interface locally. I knew nothing about Python and was lost. After staring at it, I got a clue. Combining it with our agreed interface, I roughly understood it. My task: turn my computer into a mini-server, run his code, and submit content to it. His code would give feedback, letting me test.

But it failed miserably. The problem? Running his Python code. Prerequisites: First, Python. macOS comes with Python 2.7, so that was fine. Then, I needed common Python modules his code relied on. Installing these threw errors.

I first thought: macOS permissions. I tried getting superuser access, but no luck. Developer forums suggested upgrading/reinstalling modules – didn’t work. Then: Python version? I installed Python 3.6, replacing 2.7, and reinstalled. This time: syntax error. Python 3 changed some syntax. I fixed it, but the original error reappeared. A module he used was deprecated in Python 3, needing replacement – beyond my skills. I gave up on switching back to 2.7. Dead end.

I switched to a tool he recommended, simulating back-end data. Limited compared to raw code, but it worked, solving the problem.

This showed me how tough developers have it. Design tools are stable. Problems? Restart, reinstall. We focus on design. Developers’ tools – languages, modules, environments – are far more fragile. Incompatibility, settings, weirdness. Like a construction worker with a broken saw or drill. Fixing these isn’t development, but they spend time on it.

Front-end, which I know, is similar. Example: mobile button press feedback, like mouse hover. Hidden pitfall: code to darken a button on press might not work. You find you need a seemingly pointless line of code. Like picking up a chess knight, waving it, putting it back. No move. But it makes the effect work. Makes no sense, but you must write it. Solving this creates nothing, but it’s common. Tedious, unrewarding. Creative work brings accomplishment.

Development is amazing. Making something from nothing. Tech gurus complain about bugs, broken interfaces. Developers get stuck on unrelated technical issues. But they’re like pioneers. Venturing into the wilderness, making tools, building houses, laying railroads. Solving countless problems, creating infrastructure for later prosperity. Our stable products are thanks to their exploration.

I don’t enjoy this. I learn enough front-end to get by. I might have made inaccurate comments. With awe, I’ll stick to design!

An Icon for "Operations"

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 13:42:12 +0000

It started with a simple task: design an icon for “Operations.” We’re a recruiting company, and we needed a visual. Representing an abstract concept with a concrete image is tricky – lots of choices, but nothing feels perfect.

So, I went back to basics. What’s the core message? I’ve worked with Ops for ages, but did I really understand their role?

As a product designer, I don’t interact with Ops much. It always seemed, well, diverse. That was my vague impression. Some visual designers? They view Ops as unreliable, inconsistent, even contradictory, ignoring branding and pushing things on users. I can recall almost every time a designer I’ve worked with has vented; Ops is usually high on the list.

Of course, it’s simplistic to stereotype. My girlfriend interviewed at a startup. The CEO, in the final round, discussed her hobby, ancient Chinese history, and her pragmatic nature. He was surprised. “How can a designer be like you? Aren’t they all artsy? Concerts and museums?” I was shocked too. How far can such a narrow-minded CEO lead?

You can’t pigeonhole people or professions. You’ll miss valuable learning opportunities. You have to assume that true Ops professionals aren’t like that. I researched and talked to my Ops colleagues. It was my first real attempt to understand their work – and yes, it’s very diverse.

Operations can be split into three areas: content, user, and campaign. All are equally vital. My take:

Content Operations: Creating and maintaining content.
User Operations: Focusing on user behavior, guiding it towards business goals.
Campaign Operations: Creating growth opportunities through planning and resource integration.

Channel, community, and new media operations are categorized by medium. The specific tasks depend on the medium.

“Operations” comes from “Operate,” as in COO. “Operate” usually means to control. I liked an online analogy: If product and design build the ship, operations sails it. It’s a fundamental difference in mindset. Shipbuilders use static thinking: How’s the structure? Ideal state? Wind resistance? Sailors must use dynamic thinking: What if currents shift? Suez Canal or Cape of Good Hope? Shipbuilders can use dynamic thinking, but they can still function without it. Sailors constantly face change. Only the destination is fixed.

This is my first team with such specialized Ops roles. Seeing the business through their eyes has been eye-opening. It began with a design review debate.

We were redesigning our mobile site – a visual refresh, mainly. Functionality wasn’t the focus. Homepage requirements: “Emphasize search, de-emphasize the banner.” I agreed initially. Job seekers want efficiency, not browsing. Search is key. So, I proposed this:

The search box is larger, with a shadow for emphasis, visually dominating the banner. Mission accomplished. The 2x3 grid of job recommendations below is essentially searches for those keywords. Placing the search box nearby could transform “recommended jobs” into “popular searches,” broadening search’s scope.

The product manager loved it, but Ops objected strongly. I explained the benefits, but Ops couldn’t accept the banner being obscured. The PM surprisingly joined in, arguing fiercely with Ops. Their stances were clear: Product prioritized efficiency and minimal distractions; Operations wanted a vibrant feel and rich content. As designers, where did we stand?

How do we see banners? Annoying, mostly. Often irrelevant, space-consuming, and visually jarring. Many PMs likely agree. They see it as Ops’ domain, something to ignore. If Ops wants a say, give them a banner and let them handle it. I’ve thought that way myself.

PMs and product designers are usually rational, logical, efficiency-driven. It’s the job. As an engineer and pragmatist, I believe a good product sells itself. Perfect it, and growth follows. That’s not wrong, but if you think Ops-driven projects are less intelligent, mere grunt work, you’re mistaken.

The search box debate ended inconclusively, the design killed by a majority vote. But, something Ops said near the end resonated:

“We use this banner for partnerships, resource swaps. People will say, ‘It’s not prominent. It’s on the homepage, but blocked.’ We can’t offer that.”

We could’ve solved the blocking. The point is, did we, designers and PMs, ever care about Ops’ needs? Did we consider their role in the bigger picture?

Many companies succeed through refined products. Sketch is an example. But not every industry has that level of technical depth or differentiation. The more grounded the industry, the tougher that path. Ruthless expansion, dominating the market – that’s another, winner-takes-all strategy.

Our team is in that kind of industry, and our strength is Operations. So, why not play to our strengths? I often face situations against my design principles. I follow Ops’ lead, using design to achieve their goals, but we find a balance. Alignment is more crucial than individual principles.

What is product design? It’s not so lofty. Designers have a mental scale, measuring user experience. A slight shift can turn a well-meaning nudge into manipulative, brand-damaging dark patterns. We warn against that, but it rarely reaches that point. We represent users, defending their interests. But the foundation is helping the company profit. On that, we and Ops are aligned.

So, these colleagues deserve design support. Create unique elements for their diverse display needs. Track and improve metrics for their monetization needs. Establish guidelines for their partnership needs. Shift your perspective, and you’ll see your work is still valuable.

Back to the icon: What represents “Operations”? I drew a simple bar chart: X and Y axes, two bars, one taller. It’s abstract, and Ops’ work varies greatly, but business growth is the shared goal.

If we don’t understand the sailors, how can we build a good ship?

My Roommate's Ride Home

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Thu, 19 May 2016 16:42:02 +0000

This true story about interaction design gave me some insights into ride-hailing apps. It all started with my old roommate.

The Roommate

We called my college roommate “Boss” – he was assertive, thought differently, and often dropped unexpected truth bombs. He’s an embedded systems engineer, utterly obsessed with the field. He’s also a hardware whiz.

Around 4 PM, he used Didi (China’s Uber) to visit me for dinner. He lived about 6km away. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so we had a lot to catch up on.

We started talking about a classmate’s wedding, and the conversation naturally drifted to his area of expertise. He went on about algorithms, development philosophies, different ways to control electric motors, and even battery management systems for electric cars. That’s just how he is. He knows I don’t get most of it, but he keeps going, regardless. Even though I only grasped the basics, I listened patiently. His passion is infectious; it’s not painful to hear him talk about this stuff. He reminds me of my calculus professor, who would pause mid-lecture, reflect, and exclaim, “Isn’t the proof of this equation beautiful!” I hated that class, but I respected that professor.

Our major was electronic information. Maybe less than 10% of the class understood the core courses, and we were both in the majority. In our senior year, it was like a switch flipped. He suddenly became super interested in our major, catching up on previous courses and studying beyond the textbooks. He later told me he finally saw how this knowledge applied to real projects – it was actually useful! That’s when his passion ignited. With his dedication, I’m sure he’s a big shot in the industry now.

But he’s clueless about internet products. He still uses an iPhone 4, with very few apps, all on one screen. No folders, no icon organization, and the dock still has the four default iOS apps. It shows that even someone as studious as him won’t waste time on things he doesn’t care about.

I asked if he took a regular ride or carpooled (I wasn’t precise, because I also use Uber, so “regular ride” meant Didi’s Express option). He wasn’t sure, saying it was probably a regular ride since there were no other passengers. I asked the cost, and he said 14 yuan.

After dinner, around 9 PM, he used Didi to head back. I watched him, and noticed a few interesting things:

Calling a Ride

He first tried hailing a taxi, hesitated, then tapped “Hitch” (carpooling). Realizing I was watching, he asked, “Should I choose Hitch?”

I suggested Express, thinking it was what he used to get here, and it would be familiar.

He selected Express and entered his destination. He hadn’t set “Home” or “Work” addresses, so he had to type it in. He tapped the pickup location first, but didn’t realize it.

As he was about to enter his home address, I pointed it out and gestured to the text prompt: “Where are you?”.

He backed out, tapped the destination, but then realized he didn’t remember the exact address. So he backed out again, tapped the top-left menu, and went to “Trips.” He tried to copy the pickup address from his earlier ride, but couldn’t.

He went back to the ride-hailing screen and typed in his home address. The list showed several results: shops, bus stops. He just waited. I didn’t say anything, observing.

But his eyes had left the phone, and his hand lowered. He thought he’d successfully called a ride.

I had to tell him again to choose an address to confirm his destination.

He picked a bus stop, tapped “Call,” and finally got a car.

However, his Express ride back, without carpooling, only cost 5 yuan. So I guessed he probably didn’t take Express on his way here.

The Problem

After he left, I wrote down the process. Thinking about his actions and mindset, I had some insights.

His ultimate goal was to go home. Unsure how the app would react, he assumed it would understand his intentions like a real person. Since you picked me up from home earlier, you should know where my home is, and I want to go back there. His struggle to copy the earlier pickup address clearly showed his goal: a return trip – going back where he came from.

But reality wasn’t perfect. Even a real person can’t always understand another’s thoughts.

The gap between the result and his expectation created a problem. The root cause wasn’t that he didn’t remember his address; it was that he thought Didi should know his home, but it didn’t. The “Home” and “Work” addresses are designed to solve this. However, few people proactively set these, even some IT professionals.

This got me thinking. Aren’t these two separate issues?

Didi can’t intelligently know or guess my home.
Didi doesn’t offer a convenient return trip option.

In my roommate’s case, “going home” and “return trip” overlapped. But they’re not always the same, so let’s consider them separately:

Going Home

From a mental model perspective, going home is switching between “at home” and “outside.” Calling a ride to leave exits the “at home” state. Until you step back inside, you’re “outside.”

For example, if someone gets a call about a package while they’re out, they’d say, “I’m not home,” or “I’m out, please leave it with management.”

“Outside” is uncertain, but “home” is relatively fixed. By analyzing historical trips, visit frequency, and arrival times, it should be possible to guess. For users without set addresses, if the app detects frequent trips to the same area, it could prompt: “We noticed you often go to [location]. Is that your home? Or work?” Recommendations and guidance could encourage users to set addresses, making future trips easier.

Return Trip

Is a return trip common? I don’t have the data. But this scenario is typical: going from home (or work) to a place for leisure or errands, and returning the same way on the same day.

If it’s between two frequent places, “return trip” doesn’t quite fit. We’d think “going home” or “going to work,” part of our routine. A return trip implies a temporary, less frequent location, subconsciously feeling like a short “business trip” or “outing.” Like people going home for the holidays; when it ends, we need a “return” ticket to the city we live in. The destination doesn’t matter; the key is that having come here, we can get back. The “return trip” concept becomes clear.

But a meaningful “return trip” concept doesn’t mean a “return trip” feature is meaningful. The most obvious approach is a “Return Trip” button on the main screen, allowing a one-tap ride to the last trip’s starting point. But there are problems. What if the user hailed a taxi on the street? Or got a ride from a friend? The user wants to go back; they don’t care how they got there. The app can’t know this, so a return trip option would just add confusion.

The key issues are:

How can Didi track user travel history using other methods?
How can Didi know if a destination is temporary?

A mobile app alone can’t solve these. Therefore, the “return trip” concept might be meaningful, but it’s not something a single mode of transportation can provide.

The Role of a Designer in a Startup

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 10:19:24 +0000

It’s been over a year since I started a business with my buddies, and it’s been a blast. I want to share this experience and discuss my role as a designer in a startup.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer; a designer’s role depends on more than just design. If you’re confident and have strong ideas, you might lead product direction. Or, if you’re a stickler for pixel-perfect details, you can find your niche. It’s about proactively finding your place in a changing environment.

Getting Started

Our main product is a parking app, so most of my work revolved around its design. Initially, we were mostly part-time, cobbling together the prototype on weekends. No wireframes, no detailed specs – just core functionality. My job was to quickly create basic UI mockups for discussion and development. We had teammates focused on product positioning, and we were all aligned.

“Quickly” actually took a while; it was my first mobile project. I’d only done web design, with some mobile dabbling on my personal site. The first version had fewer than 10 screens, but it was still daunting. Dealing with Android’s resolutions and the iOS 6 to iOS 7 style shift was a steep learning curve. It was a new world, and I had to shed my web experience and start fresh.

In the early stages, when everything is stretched thin, you naturally do what you do best: focus on visuals and interaction, and help turn the startup idea into a reality.

Integration

Once the core product launched, the main roles were set. We realized the manpower shortage was even bigger than expected. There was a ton of tedious but crucial work: promotional materials, third-party API applications, app store listings, etc. And things not directly product-related: company registration, office space, interviews. It was tough to assign these tasks. If I could do it better than others, I did it.

Developers always had more work, and business development was limited by external factors. Designers often have more free time at this stage. I couldn’t just relax. I became a multi-tasker, filling the team’s gaps. The startup was a steel frame; I was the cement.

When developers struggled with UI implementation, I learned their principles, weighed priorities, and made adjustments with them. I made detailed UI annotations. I found a tool to link UI mockups with click-throughs, clarifying the business logic. Marketing was just starting, and having a professional designer boosted results. Banners, Weibo templates, company and product websites – I’d quickly create them. I also thoroughly tested each version, providing detailed bug reports. If I wasn’t the best person to solve a problem, I’d note it for the team to prioritize. Speed was key. Early on, getting these supporting tasks done matters more than perfection.

This stage is messy and fast-paced. The goal is to adapt, integrate, and connect scattered tasks.

Review and Consolidation

As the team progressed, the product entered a stable iteration cycle. Marketing and business development improved. Design workload stabilized, and it was always less than other roles. Everyone’s work was specialized; I couldn’t help much.

I saw this as a chance to pause, review, connect the dots, and think strategically. The significance of the previous stage’s tasks became clear: our design lacked a soul. We lacked standards. The product, materials, and modules were disconnected. The external image was inconsistent, mostly improvised. It looked okay, but it was white noise, not a melody.

So I dove into iOS and Android guidelines, comparing design styles and studying leading products. I felt like starting over, but changes must be gradual.

I created the company’s VI system and applied it to all external materials. I extracted a color scheme and visual style, refined them, and wrote guidelines. App components were unified, with platform-specific differences. Standing on the shoulders of giants is wise.

Everything can have standards: visuals, interaction, animation, sound, data display, units… I wrote them down and kept adding. It’s a long-term project.

Beyond tangible standards, we needed to establish abstract ones. What impression do we want to create? What emotions should we evoke? I’m still pondering this. While this can be established early, it’s unstable. Business and product changes affect it. It takes time, iterations, and refinement for it to emerge. That’s the design’s soul; you can’t force it.

With standards and guidelines, design became simpler, and results improved. Standards drive consistency, and consistency refines standards. This should be done early. When the team grows, its impact is even greater.

I had more time, perfect for fixing legacy issues! Newbie mistakes and edge cases needed addressing. One basic mistake: tiny click areas in our early Android version, violating the 48dp standard. These problems were in core functions, so fixing them was urgent. I also revamped the product website with new technologies.

By now, the team had good chemistry. My teammates’ abilities drove the product. I couldn’t fall behind. I needed to improve through learning and apply it immediately. I learned more that year than in the previous three combined: mobile development, responsive design, HTML5 animation, AE motion graphics, browser APIs, even drawing. Most importantly, my design skills improved.

Keep exploring, venturing beyond design, injecting fresh ideas. Think of yourself as a one-person Google X – a job to get designers’ hearts racing.

Conclusion

Starting a business is exciting, but tough. If you’re prepared to start or join a startup, you’re not just a designer, but an entrepreneur – a problem-solver. Your responsibilities include anything you’re good at that helps the team. It depends on your expertise, personality, and thinking. You’re part of the team, driving it forward.

Level Up as a Designer

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 13:45:47 +0000

I’ve had a reflective year. Being a designer is hard, and I felt stagnant, which was disheartening. But I also learned some key lessons about self-improvement. This year, I’m acting on them to break through. And I’m sharing them with fellow design enthusiasts:

Sharing is the first step. Explaining what you know is a review process. It doesn’t instantly grant new skills, but it lets you slow down and truly grasp the core concepts.

A friend asked how to improve color sense and matching. I was initially stumped. Color is tricky. Finally, I suggested paying attention to everyday colors – packaging, cookbooks, clothes, ads. Try recalling them; the details will fade, leaving only the key colors. That’s the essence of color matching. Also, study photography and monochromatic designs. Same idea. I surprised myself with that answer. Had I used these methods? On reflection, I had, but I’d only just realized it.

Answering her question helped me summarize a key design skill. The benefits of sharing are often subtle, things you won’t find in books. Don’t miss them.

2. Work Hard, Network Harder

I’m not overly talkative, but I’m not an introvert either. I make friends, but I don’t actively expand my circle. I value my close friends, but I’m not driven to meet new people. This is a drawback for a designer. Design isn’t solitary; it’s about understanding others. Designers need to connect, especially with peers.

After my article, “How I Became a Designer”, gained traction, my blog became less isolated. Designers and enthusiasts I’d never met reached out, shared experiences, asked for advice, discussed careers, offered projects, invited me to join startups, or just sought encouragement. I was overwhelmed but also touched. After three years of working mostly alone, I found a design family, a sense of belonging. These were real people, not just a forum. Everyone had unique experiences and passion. Most importantly, they were good people, worth knowing.

Cultivate your design network. Beyond the information you’ll gain, the mutual support is invaluable.

3. Every Field is a New Challenge, Embrace It

I did graphic design for six months and then moved to web design. I can confidently discuss web structures, resolutions, browser engines, and common hex codes, but should I stop there?

No way. I can’t ignore the mobile boom. I created a mobile version of my blog early on, and even though I was still in a PC mindset, it showed me mobile is a different beast. Shifting screen sizes, different units, touch interactions – there’s much to learn. For Apple’s Retina screens, you double background image sizes and then compress them with CSS. You only learn this by diving in.

And “design” is broadening. App animations are becoming crucial. Button vibrations and sound effects are now design considerations. Design is no longer purely visual.

The more media you explore, the broader design becomes. How do you design for a colorless e-reader? What’s the difference between a smart TV interface and PC software? How should a blind person use a phone? Open your eyes, and the hidden depths of design emerge.

4. Build Willpower, Cultivate Habits

I was a gaming addict in college, playing World of Warcraft constantly for almost two years. While I gained something (understanding good game design), three months would have sufficed. I uninstalled and reinstalled it several times before finally quitting, even though I enjoyed it.

If breaking a habit is tough, forming one is even harder. You need subconscious actions to train willpower.

Since my student days, I’ve consistently written – about life, movies, even weird dreams. Maybe that showed me the value of habits. Whether the habit is useful or not, forming it builds willpower.

I decided to do something meaningful, long-term, anything. I had a great idea: translate a foreign design article weekly and create a WeChat account, “Me,” to share them. I love English and wanted a long-term way to use it. I’m a designer, and foreign articles are helpful. I enjoy writing, and translation is creative, plus it enriches my blog. So, I’ve kept up this habit, hitting multiple goals, for seven months. If there’s anything else I want to do long-term, I’m confident I can.

5. Happiness First

The previous points indirectly improve skills, but this one directly impacts your work. An unhappy designer struggles to inspire, and their skills rarely grow. I know this from experience, having had several miserable jobs.

Knowing some front-end, and mostly working in startups, I naturally did two people’s jobs. But front-end developers are scarcer than designers. My coding work increased, and eventually, the company hired another designer and had me focus on slicing. My front-end skills improved, but that wasn’t my aim. I should have said no, but it happened, and it soured my mood. The physical toll of overtime and the anxiety of wanting out drained me, leaving no energy for design. It ended with me quitting and starting fresh.

When you’re happy, a designer’s mind is supercharged. Amazing ideas flow, and you create interesting things in your spare time. Party posters, crafts, concept designs – practice is vital for growth.

Conclusion

Being a good designer isn’t easy. But the charm lies in the breakthrough after the struggle. It’s like Neo flying his ship towards the Machine City in The Matrix. Under attack, he bursts through the clouds and sees the warm, bright skyline.

So, for the sunshine in your hearts, designers, full speed ahead in 2014!

How I Became a Designer

hi@victor42.work (Victor42) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 14:59:42 +0000

People often ask me why and how I became a designer, given my electronics background. In interviews, I have plenty of answers for “why.” But with friends, I’m stumped, because they’re asking “how.” Recently, a UISDC editor asked me the same thing. I couldn’t answer immediately, so here’s my attempt, at least to clarify it for myself.

First, a disclaimer: this isn’t a how-to. It won’t make you a designer. It’s just my story.

I think most people feel their lives really begin in college. We’re asked what we want to be, but it takes a decade to truly answer. Dreams and college, however, are different beasts. My reason for choosing electronics was simple: I disliked my city. The easiest escape? A so-so major at a so-so university elsewhere. My application became about picking a city, which simplified things.

Electronics was duller than expected, at least initially. It was clear this major, focused on capacitors, resistors, and circuits, wasn’t for a right-brained person like me. After failing to switch to English, I knew I had to do something.

The library was full of options. After some novels, my first turning point came: an advertising magazine. Advertising was a lifeline for many confused young people – inspiring, passionate, individualistic. But I got sidetracked. I grew to dislike the clever marketing and focused on the beautiful visuals. This might have been my first encounter with “design.”

Photoshop seemed like the answer. Luckily, I’d dabbled before, so it was easy to pick up. But I fell into a trap. I spent six months on videos and tutorials, learning all sorts of effects, yet I couldn’t design a simple book cover.

In my sophomore year, I interned at a graphic design company. That’s where I got on track. After learning some software, I was tasked with designing a business card. The result was predictable, but some details were praised – thanks to imitating good designs, not Photoshop tricks. Imitation is key initially, as my boss later confirmed. I spent a long time copying flyers, brochures, and real estate pamphlets, which made color matching and composition my strengths. By graduation, my boss said I was at a senior graphic design major’s level, and he wasn’t wrong.

So, I started in graphic design, on par with design majors. But that became irrelevant. My first job showed me that a typical graduate’s skills aren’t enough. I struggled with an 8-page brochure for a month, needing help from an experienced colleague to finish. Simultaneously, the company’s website development needs were huge, so I assisted the front-end developer, beginning my journey into front-end tech.

On-the-job learning is incredibly effective. I learned by doing, and within two months, I was comfortable with HTML and CSS, creating pages without animations. Later, I realized front-end skills are valuable for designers. I recommend learning them quietly, or at least understanding the principles. Why quietly? We’ll get there. The company finally found a use for me. I handled daily news feature pages. Initially, senior designers designed, and I built. Gradually, I could create decent pages myself, and my work stabilized.

Once, with free time, I was sent to the advertising department to create brochures. My first client project, and a government one at that. I couldn’t communicate directly with the requester, leading to endless overtime and revisions. The contact was a short-tempered, harsh guy who’d also studied design, so I was bossed around and mocked for two months. I don’t know how I survived. Though we were never going to be friends, I learned some design from him. And one more thing: don’t get angry needlessly.

I’ve changed jobs, but always stayed within the Internet. I also built and redesigned my personal website several times, improving my design and front-end skills, and giving me a broader perspective on products. So far, my work has been mainly web design, sometimes front-end. However, holding two roles isn’t a badge of honor, but the start of a vicious cycle. I realized this late, and it was hard to reverse.

Specialization is crucial. Design and development are distinct mindsets. Switching constantly hurts efficiency. Limited time and energy are split, reducing output. I feel this with every job change and my thin portfolio. So, learn front-end, but discreetly. Don’t flaunt it, unless you’re in an early-stage startup. Some may disagree, but for designers, personal growth trumps company tasks.

Is that all it takes to be a good designer? I thought so until I joined a PC software company. My first encounter with software products. Their complexity far exceeded regular websites. Function trumped content. Four interfaces spawned dozens of PSDs. Fortunately, I led the design from start to finish. Unfortunately, massive layoffs killed the project.

This made me rethink the definition, or categories, of designers. Design has two mindsets: content and product. Print, banners, event pages, and some corporate sites are the former; social products, e-commerce, management systems, and most apps are the latter. They overlap, but the former emphasizes visuals, the latter usability. A great designer needs both, but for me, “warped” by front-end, the latter is a better entry. This doesn’t mean narrowing your focus. Broad exposure is vital, mastering trends in graphic, web, UI – all are welcome.

The direction became clear. As tech deepens its reach, product thinking will become increasingly important. User experience is now a must-have for designers. Learning resources aren’t structured. What matters is a love for technology and life, and a “no compromise” approach.

Before I finish, one question remains: Do I really like design? Well… it’s my favorite among all professions I know. The brainstorming and inspiration phase is the most fun, and the focused execution the most rewarding. Though progress becomes harder to see with time, looking back at my work sometimes surprises me – I actually created that.

Once a designer, it’s a lifelong commitment. Even if I stop designing professionally, I can’t stay away.

It’s become my worldview.

Career on Victor42

A funny story about AI implementation

Why AI Fails at Work

Turning Photoshop into a Machine Gun with Excel

The Challenge

Designing the Excel Data Model

Merging Tables with Power Query

Batch Image Generation in Photoshop

1. Organize and Rename Layers

2. Define Variables for Layers

3. Import Data Sets

4. Batch Export PSDs

5. Batch PSD to JPG Conversion

One More Table

Epilogue

Quantifying Design Value

The Story

Data Source

Time Analysis

Value Analysis

Charts

Afterword

When Confidence Outpaces Competence

The Efficiency of Giving Back

Bricklaying and Trailblazing

An Icon for "Operations"

My Roommate's Ride Home

The Roommate

Calling a Ride

The Problem

Going Home

Return Trip

The Role of a Designer in a Startup

Getting Started

Integration

Review and Consolidation

Refinement and Exploration

Conclusion

Level Up as a Designer

1. Share and Share Alike

2. Work Hard, Network Harder

3. Every Field is a New Challenge, Embrace It

4. Build Willpower, Cultivate Habits

5. Happiness First

Conclusion

How I Became a Designer