Wrong things about UX/UI tutoring on social media platforms
By: Brahim Romdhane
Tags: Social Media, User Experience, Tutoring, User Interface, Career

Social Media Frustrations

A friend might recommend an Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook account for you to learn more about UX or UI. Designers are using the platforms lately to share rules and guidelines to help designers improve their skillsets and levels.

I grew to think that this is going in the wrong direction especially when it comes to young designers! I don’t really deny the fact that it is a very smart way to utilize social media helping designers audience getting better. Yet I really can spot a pattern of misuse! And therefore I’ve decided to point out the issue and speak up about what is wrong with those social media posts.

W-w-w-..ait, let me explain!

It’s in your hands, delivered on a swipe of a single finger!

Let’s talk about the format of the posts, with Instagram as the main example, Influencers usually use IG carrousel, which basically is a series of photos that stack up to a maximum of ten. With that in mind, Influencers tend to share information as much as possible with fewer details, faster to read content, and visually appealing.

Instagram Carousel Format

An author will usually add slide counts on the carousel design they made as if Instagram or whatever platform missed that usability feature?

Did Instagram say how many slides it has? Nevermind I’ll remind you inside my slide anyways 😎

They’ll give you new information! But maybe you should look elsewhere too!

Now that you are familiar with the format of those posts, let’s shed some light on the content that you’ll find yourself swiping left and right in. Mainly you’ll see the same post in different clothing going around with the hashtag #UITricks or #UXTips. A post that shares a subject “How to do that” or “Why you should do this” and the list goes on, in the post, you’ll find that the information provided represents merely 40–60% of the post space because as an audience you need to read it right?. But is it enough? You might need to go do some research of your own! You might not really understand the whole thing and that’s just the tip of the ice-burg! Maybe it is a rule maybe it is not, who am I to judge? But eventually, you won’t really know 😔! Those are the questions you’ll be asking!

Popular Slide Layout for Slides Content

An author will also fill the content with icons to remind you to like and save the Post

Don’t forget to save, like, follow, share and lick the screen 🥰

So how is this going in the wrong way? Designers are learning new things, right?

Well, not exactly... You see those posts are still missing out on major important ingredients that give a wholesome learning experience.

Pedagogy and Responsibility!

An influencer oftentimes is posting those tips and tricks even though they don’t have the expertise needed, the information needed, or the capability of structuring the information they’re sharing to their audience. You’ll find things like.

“How to design the perfect button” “How to use Spacing in UI Design” “What is Atomic Design”

Because Facebook Like Button didn’t take up to six months of work. While there’s a perfect button on the corner! Or because the spacing is like a phone, it comes with a manual! Or maybe you should stay away from Design because it might be nuclear, and sadly radiations are expected!

Vague and misleading titles to grab your attention rather than add value to your non-existent or existent knowledge!

And it is not just that, with few lines of text influencers put their audience in two ways crossroads, and none of them are pleasant! A member of the audience will either think:

HE IS A GOD! I WORSHIP HIS HOLY WORDS

The poor young designer might think that influencer is the word of wisdom, nothing will stand in the way of the word of the holy 500K Followers IG God, the designer starts stating the information he took from an IG Post as rules and not as a personal take of the information absorbed!

or,

THIS IS INTERESTING! I SHOULD LOOK FOR MORE INFO

But little did he know, the internet isn’t that much different from that IG Account... A loop of what information is reliable and what is not? Who is the best source I can look at to verify this information and who is not?

Final take! You won’t have to read long

You know who once said — “With great power, comes great responsibilities.”

I will try to follow-up with an article that provides solutions to the way we present tutoring information on social media, but until then I would love to leave you with few words.

I know that not all designer's influencers are using or taking the wrong approach. In fact, some IG accounts I follow today help me in plenty of ways to achieve amazing things in my career. Yet again in today’s social engagement era, we are blinded by the numbers— followers, likes, saves, and comments. We started missing the point of those tools and found ways to run away from our responsibilities. As designers who put users first, we should stick to the title and thrive to meet the description of our jobs. I might seem to take this whole thing in a sarcastic way! But the pain I feel every time I see the irresponsibility and the bad influence young designers are getting from those posts makes me ache and dip in sorrow! I love what we do. For me in a way we are superheroes we help people because we get to be them for a while! So please don’t let uncle Ben down!