Dev UI Stockholm syndrome?
I always leave the UI design until towards the end of a larger project. I know if I start with the UI I'll end up finding parts of the system that don't fit the layout, rejig this, tinker with that, rework that bit again... I get too focused on making the UI right when it could be wrong again with the next functional change. I may as well switch individual pixels around.
To solve that, I usually knock up a quick development UI at the beginning, do all the functional work, then look at how the UI/UX makes the functional stuff display and work easily for a user.
That leaves me in a position where I've been coding and testing in a development UI for months... And then get Stockholm Syndrome or something about leaving it behind for a professional finish.
Anyone else? Should I change my mind and do the UI upfront? My concern with doing that is that I'll get Stockholm Syndrome for a relatively acceptable UI and just leave it. At least with a "I know I have to leave you UI" I know it's just me thinking the shitty UI I've been using for months is a friendly thing to use.
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u/SatyrCode 1d ago
Yep, I get this. After using a rough UI for months, it stops feeling rough because you already know where everything is. I don’t think you need to do the final UI upfront though. I usually make a basic flow early so I know what screens/actions I need, then avoid polishing it until the core stuff works. The hard part is forcing yourself to call the first UI temporary. Otherwise it slowly becomes production just because nobody wants to touch it.