David Ismailov Knows Great UX

Infragistics community member David Ismailov is no stranger to User Experience, design and development. In his role as UX and 3D Technical Manager at Optitex in Israel, David relies on tools that provide quality and efficiency – tools like Infragistics’ Indigo Studio.

We had the opportunity to chat with David about his design process and the impact that prototyping has on the development of great apps. Read on to learn more!

Question:

Thanks for chatting with us, David! How did you get involved in design and UX?

Anwser:

Since my first encounter with the Maya (3D Animation Software) and its hot-menu feature (a true breakthrough UI back then, which allowed you to reach any menu item from anywhere in the software), I became fascinated by how various GUI elements work. I explored different interface solutions to technical constraints. That’s when I understood that software’s UI has big impact on productivity and ease of use.

Later on, as 3D Technical Director at Optitex, I was in charge of developing the technological strategy and defining the most efficient tools and procedures for the projects I worked on.  I was a mix of an artist and a programmer and, as part of my job, dealt with both technical and creative issues, guiding animators and programmers, and finding creative solutions to complex problems. Many times I was dealing with UX issues without even knowing it or calling it UX. Back then, no one used the UX terminology. As I dove deeper into my projects, I couldn't help noticing that our product had many UI and UX issues and suggested ways to solve them. That’s how I gained the UX Manager position in my company.

Question:

How do you approach your UX design process?

Anwser:

When approaching UX design for software, I first try to figure out the workflow/pipeline and the roles of different users in it. My main purpose is to define the problems and understand the technical limitations. Once the problems and limitations are clear, I try out different solutions, creating as many low fidelity prototypes as I can. I believe that interaction design is an important part of any UX solution, no less than aesthetics and functionality, and I use my prototypes to explore different interactions. Eventually, after testing a number of variations, I select the best one and create a high fidelity prototype.

Question:

How does Infragistics’ Indigo Studio help you make good user experience design decisions?

Anwser:

Indigo Studio helps me to find the best solutions, as it makes it easy to create as many variations as I can, quickly and efficiently, without getting into technical issues. The intuitive animation tools enable me to create and test different interactions and flows, to find out which is the best one.

Question:

Can you talk a little bit about how Indigo Studio helps you – both with design and development – in ways that tools like Photoshop don’t?

Anwser:

Indigo Studio includes many useful features that don’t exist in tools like Photoshop. For example, I find value in the ready to use dynamic element set that includes repeaters, radio buttons, check boxes, pre-loaders and other elements you can just drag and drop, instead of creating them yourself. Also, the smart guides in Indigo Studio are much more advanced than in Photoshop, and let me align elements instantly.
Last but not least, Indigo Studio allows me to create animated interactions, which Photoshop does not, so I feel it is the perfect tool for UX designers.

Question:

Aside from UX and design, do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Anwser:

In my spare time I enjoy wood carving, clay sculpturing and downhill cycling.

For more info, David can be reached via email at dima.david@me.com.