I faked it until people believed I knew what I was doing. I had just finished school (and grad school), so I wasn't going back for another degree in engineering or design. I felt lucky to not be working at a deli or a call center, which had been my previous jobs. I spent a lot of nights and weekends trying to get things right, while making it look like it was easy. Eventually it did get easier, like with all skills.
I tell people that design is a form of engineering. Like engineering, it's about finding the optimal solution given a set of requirements and constraints. Nobody believes me, but I don't really see that there is a meaningful difference beyond the tool set. The hardest thing about design is that you cannot automatically validate it, or write unit tests, or do static analysis. You have to try it out, and be willing to look stupid, then iterate on it as soon and as often as you can.
The main qualifications for being a designer are that you can imagine the process from the perspective of someone who isn't you, and that you give a shit about it being right for them. I've worked with a lot of front end developers who are good programmers, but don't give a shit about getting it right. When I did both design and development, I think that was my main advantage, and why I eventually got pretty good at it.
I tell people that design is a form of engineering. Like engineering, it's about finding the optimal solution given a set of requirements and constraints. Nobody believes me, but I don't really see that there is a meaningful difference beyond the tool set. The hardest thing about design is that you cannot automatically validate it, or write unit tests, or do static analysis. You have to try it out, and be willing to look stupid, then iterate on it as soon and as often as you can.
The main qualifications for being a designer are that you can imagine the process from the perspective of someone who isn't you, and that you give a shit about it being right for them. I've worked with a lot of front end developers who are good programmers, but don't give a shit about getting it right. When I did both design and development, I think that was my main advantage, and why I eventually got pretty good at it.