Last Updated on March 9, 2016 by Tim
Not to long ago we covered Scoutzie and were thoroughly impressed by its design and way to inspire us with visuals of amazing designs from outstanding mobile UX / UI creators around the globe. While Scoutzie, Dribbble, and Behance do show great works being done by great designers, they don’t let designers that are building get sufficient feedback and interaction to become better at their craft so better products can be designed.
Seriously Mobile is a community for mobile designers, which is being built with an emphasis on feedback and interaction with other great designers so something amazing you are working on can be built. Although Dribble had done a great job at providing a platform for critique and criticisms, co-founder Alexander Auld says:
“The community has changed from people showing what they are currently working on; to showing what they have worked on and polished for days. That is a big shame! We want to bring back this loop of feedback that most designers desperately need from other designers and we’re putting a lot of effort into making a community where it feels natural to give and receive feedback on finished designs and designs that are a work in progress.”
Founders Alexander Auld (@aauldy) and Holger Sindbaek (@HolgerSindbaek) are two Hyper Island students that study Mobile Applications Development in Sweden and both have a lot of experience and passion for the mobile landscape. 25 year old Alex, from New Zealand, comes with a background in multiple creative mediums along with UX and UI skills, while 23 year old Holger, from Denmark, brings web and UX/UI design skill sets to the Seriously Mobile team. Because Alex and Holger are both mobile UX/UI designers they understand the need for an educational social community for mobile designers and have built Seriously Mobile to scratch their own itch.
Below are a few screenshots, that Alex and Holger were kind enough to share with us, of the first design of the site.
When Seriously Mobile launches, designers will be able to post their past and present designs, browser other designs in a Pinterest style of way, be inspired by others and be able to see their own and others designs as they were meant to be seen – in mobile app version on the site. Seriously Mobile will build a strong and passionate mobile design community that will express their feelings, thoughts to give and receive feedback with each other. The platform will also be a place for those looking for experienced mobile designers to hire and post job listings in an opportunities section of the community so work will find the designers in this growing field. In the meantime visit their website and signup for an invite to join a community of mobile designers, who will want to grow together through feedback and interaction.
Q & A with the Founders
We were very lucky to ask Alex and Holger a few questions regarding design, mobile UX and their passions. Here’s what they told us:
Where did your passion for design come from? What / who inspires your creations?
Alex: I started designing and painting at a young age and really got a kick out of creating stuff (Canvas works at the time) inspired by artists such as Alphonse Mucha and James jean. These days I find the digital platform as my creative outlet and I draw, write, scribble and take photos to help keep my inspiration
Holger: Design is another word for creation. It is the kind of creation where someone thought about what they were creating. I have created all kinds of things, since I was a little child. Everything from smithing my own swords, making sculptures out of stone, coding web-application and of course design. Everything inspires me to create and design. I can’t stop designing and creating.
What do you hope users and other mobile designers will gain from Seriously Mobile?
Alex: I hope users will be inspired, meet great designers and get feedback on their work, its powerful and desirable thing in being able to grow and learn from your peers. I would also like to see some mobile design trends emerge and to see existing trends develop and evolve from a design perspective.
Holger: I hope they will become even better designers. Dribbble is essentially used by good designers as a showcase of portfolio-work, but it is not being used to interact with other designers and get their views and thoughts, so you can become an even better designer yourself.
What tip would want to leave a mobile designer with?
It’s always good to start out with pen and paper and just go nuts and try out a lot of different layouts. The same process goes with the first design of your application. Don’t box in your creativity on the early iterations of your design. Just have fun with it before you open Photoshop.
What should an entrepreneur know about mobile design and the mobile design process?
Alex: Mobile design can be quite difficult. There are a lot of factors a mobile designer must take into consideration such as layout and making the user interface clear to design for the best user centric experience. Apps are very personal things and are best served up with the end users experience in mind from the very beginning.
Holger: Your users don’t necessarily need an app. Don’t make one because all the other startups have one. If you do need one, then you really have to think about why your users need it. What problem is it solving? Apps are very task based. We go into an app, solve the task we wanted to solve and go out again. And last but not least, find a designer who has worked with mobile before. Designing for mobile is so different from designing for web or print. That’s the reason we need a whole community dedicated to it :-).
Mobile design is very different from web and should be thought about as its own unique field.
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