Interview with Ana Ramirez

My passion for design comes because I am analytical and creative, and that analysis led me to create products for others that were useful and usable, if you add to this that since I was a child I went to painting and drawing classes I think the path is clear to where it leads.

I chose to be a designer but my concerns led me more along a path of technological art at a time when I was working drawing, painting, cutting and pasting. I always wanted to design by uniting technology but it wasn't until several years later that I was able to start working with the two together technology and design, interaction and usability.

I usually carry out a holistic design work, from the brand and its value, to its criteria for dealing with the client, the signage and corporate identity, as well as the development of usability and interaction of the products.

You have to work and be empathetic with the client in order to carry out a good project.

I believe that a good designer makes people feel comfortable and acquires their designs and a great designer leaves a mark on the history of design, for how he conceptualizes, analyzes and translates that thought and solution into design.

Design must be functional is the first thing I value, then I see how the problem has been solved. Good design must be timeless regardless of trends.

A design I think is successful when it meets the objectives that were created and adopted by the user that creates value.

I would like to design for the medical sector, I think there are many things to do in the patient-doctor realization, in how to follow up on therapies so that they are more bearable by the patient. That is a field in which I would like to work.

I started but for various reasons you are leaving it, the project would be a book -game to learn computational thinking based on art, music and sports.

There are no magic recipes just always work with empathy and thinking about the user.

I love the functional and minimalist design, but together with the technological research and graphic resources, developing the visual language of brands and products to make the user blend with them and feel comfortable. In this line I like Dieter Rams, Cruz Novillo or Paula Scher and I pay a lot of attention to the architect Zaha Hadid, as she investigates with materials, innovation, form and functionality.

My studio creates designs for small and large companies. Above all what matters is that the product is created for the user and sometimes it is not only the development of the product but everything that surrounds it, how to promote it, how to treat the customer, what the internal processes of the company are like, etc. On many occasions we use gamification methodologies for processes or interface development.

Design is about making life easier for people and making them feel better. Make designs that help us in our day to day.

The truth is I have no preferences, I like the UCD, the UI, the graphics as is, the typographical use. I think it is good to go through all of them although sometimes you focus more on some than others depending on the project.

I love the functional and minimalist design, but together with the technological research and graphic resources, developing the visual language of brands and products to make the user blend with them and feel comfortable. In this line I like Dieter Rams or Paula Scher and I pay a lot of attention to the architect Zaha Hadid, as she investigates with materials, innovation, form and functionality.

The first thing I designed for a company was when I was a student, it was a brand image for a shoe store chain in my city

Like all designers, I use several platforms, but my favorite is pencil and paper. I always generate ideas like this.
Digitally today there are a variety of softwares and depending on what you need to work with one or the other.

The sun encourages me to create, to see the blue sky, but creativity cannot wait for a sunny day to come out, creative processes must be followed so that project paths emerge and from there work on them

At every moment of development I focus on the process I am working on, for example in the research part of finding needs, seeing what the competition does, etc. Later in the design process itself and especially always with the user in mind.

Designing is like a roller coaster when you see that something is missing or does not work, you are low but if you have the ability to find solutions and also enjoy it, the feeling of a job well done is the most rewarding.

It is very gratifying to see your design on products. But it is even more so when you see that the user uses it without problems and their needs are covered with the product.

A design I think is successful when it meets the objectives that were created and adopted by the user.

Design must be functional is the first thing I value, then I see how the problem has been solved. Good design must be timeless regardless of trends.

I think that keeping in mind the cycle of a product so that it can later be reused or recycled is essential today. We must think about the environment, the use of the lowest costs in the development of the product, as well as that the materials are not polluting and if they come from recycling it would be ideal. As well as in our processes, they do not entail an unnecessary expenditure of energy.

My source of inspiration can be many things, above all it is what you live or like, in my case the architecture, the decoration, the comics, the Japanese culture ... everything influences although we think that we can document ourselves for a particular project , our experiences and hobbies are there.

I live in Bilbao, Basque Country- Spain. Although I look at the design of the whole world because of the fact that the culture that surrounds you and you live influences. In the Basque Country it is more austere from there it may be that I like minimalism and with its own personality that makes it reflect on the way of working, it is a very rich culture.

My relationship with clients tends to come from the fact that they understand that I am going to help them get what they want, and from there we started working together.

Generally speaking, I start by documenting and getting to know the end user, then I begin to sketch and test ideas that I test with the client and users, from there I move on to the aesthetic design of the final product. This is also tested and if necessary, minimal changes are made, it is an iterative process.

Above all it is decorative, it is the tulip table, the transparent Louis XVI chairs, the classic Braun juicer (Dieter Rams), the minimalist design of the furniture and a multiple rotring pen

After getting up and having breakfast I do some gymnastics. I prepare myself and start to look at emails first and then get fully into the work process without interruptions. Before lunch I check the mail and after lunch I follow the design process. In the afternoon I like to go swimming for exercise and then I accompany my son to the music conservatory. There I can relax listening to a concert or talking to a friend.

I think that everyone has to find their way to solve problems, design is about that, but new designers would have to read more, observe and sometimes forget about technology for a moment to see the essence of things.

Be empathetic with the user and think that the design has a goal

The most important part of all the knowledge in having empathy with the user to be able to design in order to make life easier for people.

I usually limit the phases according to the development of the project, but it is not something fixed, you can always retrace your steps if you see that something does not work, that is what Lean Ux is about, something iterative. But if it is true that you have to set times so as not to lengthen the projects, I tend to be non-conformist and this helps me since I always see improvements to implement in the designs.

Any person who believes knows that we can be with a project as much as we want, because there will always be things that we think we can improve, add or change. In the projects I have delivery dates that are the ones that will mark the limit of the project and it is where I will have to present a design product according to all the briefing that has been created and the client's objectives.

What can I do to create something that helps the user and makes life easier?

I worked for several years in an advergaming and serious games simulation and development company. There I was able to work for large companies and deal with a large client. Above all, I learned about design management.

My future plans involve working in a company that provides services to technological developments in healthcare, banking, industry 4.0, and working with the new AI technology and its adaptation to user and interface design.

Usually develop projects autonomously but for certain projects I collaborate with other designers or programmers

Through my website https://littleredstudio.es or my LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-ramirez-70528443/