Kyle, how long have you been in web design? How did you get into it?

I've been working with design on the web for about six years. I sort of stumbled my way in to it by designing a few forum designs for a community I was a part of way back then, things sort of grew on their own from there.

How much has your education in web design and interactive media helped you in your career as opposed to stuff you learned on your own?

The college experience provided me with plenty of contacts in the local industry that have been invaluable and helped me get my foot in the door for an internship. School was great for that, but to get better I think it was more important to teach myself on my own time. Books, magazines, websites - the information is there for the taking, and it's free.

Now you are working as a director of interactive design for AIGA Minnesota. What does this position involve?

The first goal has been a revamp of the chapter's interactive communications materials: website, email templates, etc. We're close to completion and it's been a very fun project. Designing for the AIGA has been an honor. My next task will be helping to bring interactive programming to Minneapolis - hopefully bringing some big industry names to town to speak.

You're responsible for the information architecture of the site you're working on now. What does IA involve? How important is it for a site's success? Does it look like most designers today are experts in it?

Good information architecture is very important for a site to succeed! It's the blueprints to the house. IA can involve wireframes, user research, and more. Whenever you're in the early phases of a project, it's important to spend plenty of resources on IA. Mistakes in user flow, overall UI paradigms and more can be fixed by just changing a wireframe-which costs a lot less than rebuilding an already functioning application. I wouldn't say most designers are experts at it, since it's a different way of thinking. There are a lot of talented information architect's who specialize in it and can really simplify a project.

Before working for AIGA you worked as a lead user experience designer. How is user experience studied? What tools and techniques are used? What steps can be taken to improve it?

User experience, at least in my interpretation, is the gap between information architecture and design. Thinking about the emotional and psychological aspects of using a web application and so on. So it's hard to study, per se. It's a mesh of standard usability thinking and testing as well as trying to tie in elements that give users an 'Aha!' moment, more motivation, etc. Some techniques that are easy to point out include LinkedIn's profile progress bar. It gives the users a sense of accomplishment to complete their profile which leads to fulfilling a business goal for LinkedIn: a big database of meaningful data. But there's also some parts that are harder to grasp, like the subtle animations Apple uses that make their interfaces feel different, in a good way that increases loyalty-it just feels good to use.

What type of work do you prefer - design, coding or IA? Why?

I love design more than any other aspect of a project. Usually I consider IA and design as overlapping phases of a project. You figure out which UI paradigms to use in the IA phase but you're also thinking ahead to how these things will look and feel when you reach Photoshop/Illustrator/etc.

Please explain your "passion for simplicity." What virtues do you see in it? Can you give a few examples of popular sites ruled by simplicity?

I identify with German design principles quite heavily. Dieter Ram's 10 principles of good design is like a religion to me. As designer's our role is to make it easy to accomplish a task while trying to put as much enjoyment into it as possible. Design should result in clean, functional, and easy to use. It's not a mode of thinking I think everyone agrees with, and that's fine, the world needs variety.

You have three personal projects: your Astheria blog, the Needs/Wants magazine and Typesites. Could you tell us a bit about each one? How do you find time to keep up all of them?

Astheria is a personal blog where I write about topics in the design and interactive industries, Needs/Wants is a curation of products that are beautifully designed, and Typesites critiqued websites with interesting typography to help provide understanding for those who wanted to learn more about type on the web. Unfortunately it's very difficult to keep up with so many personal projects. Typesites has retired in a way, as type on the web is blossoming and I'm not sure the need for it is there anymore. I've been lucky enough for guest authors to step forward for both Typesites and Needs/Wants, which has helped keep them fresher than I could alone. I am, however, starting another site in the near future that should provide an entertaining learning and inspiration experience for designers.

What got you deeply interested in typography?

Typography is so integral to good design that every designer should be obsessed with it. Many designers overlook the details of kerning, tracking, leading and so on. Without paying attention to the details, what could be a great design will always be limited to just being plain old good. It's the details which make the great designers so great.

What does "astheria" mean? How important is the blog for you?

I wish I had a good meaning for the name Astheria, unfortunately it was a randomly generated 'handle' that I've used for about 10 or so years around the web. It's a bit late to change the name of the blog!

You launched the Need/Wants recently. Is it achieving the goals you set for it? Do you have any financial motivation for publishing the magazine?

Needs/Wants has been exceeding what I hoped it would be since launch. I really just wanted a place to archive products that I would love to own or own and love. That idea snowballed a bit and became Needs/Wants. I wouldn't list any financial reasons for its publication. I'm limiting the site to a single ad to help cover hosting costs and hopefully begin to compensate those who help contribute to Needs/Wants for their time.

Do you have any free time left for freelance projects?

Freelance projects are actually what takes away from my time for personal projects! It can be tough to find time for both, but paying the bills unfortunately takes precedence over pet projects. Perhaps that will change over time-one can only hope!

Can you name a few favorite pieces of work from your design career?

I'd have to say most of the pieces in my current portfolio are favorites. The AIGA Minnesota website, 365 Days of Astronomy, and Needs/Wants have all been really fun and rewarding.

What is your advice to beginning designers?

Go home from college, or work and spend your evenings learning. Go to art museums on the weekends, watch movies, read books. Being a designer really means knowing the difference between the well designed and the not quite well designed, and to do that you need to develop taste. Taste takes time to acquire so just keep at it, like all things, design just takes practice.

Thank you for your great answers, Kyle.

Lillian Wells

Lillian Wells has worked on the web for a while but has only recently discovered the joys of blogging. She combines her teaching career with what gives her the most satisfaction - following web trends and taking interviews from outstanding professionals. Her inbox is always open for comments and suggestions. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Get in touch with Lillian: designinterviews@gmail.com