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Designing App Architecture to Maintain Quality and Speed Without a UI/UX Designer

gpt-4-turbo has translated this article into English.

Structural Design Case Study for Delivering an App on Schedule While Maintaining Design Quality Without a UI/UX Designer

We approached the situation with the philosophy that when lacking personnel, one should design processes, not tools.

Problem Recognition

We were in a situation where we needed to develop an app
but no UI/UX designer was assigned.
We had to proceed without a planner, and
all design decisions fell to the developers,
risking design quality, collaboration efficiency, and adherence to schedules.

My Design Philosophy

In situations with a lack of personnel, ‘flow’ rather than ‘function’ should be designed first.
I believe that in such times, the role of a structural designer is
to create a system that does not require communication.
Alignment rather than communication, interfaces rather than agreements are key.

Design Direction

• Adoption of Ant Design-based front-end framework
  → Even without UI design, structurally stable component-based screen configuration is possible.

• Collaboration with a publishing designer to introduce a theme parameter system
  → Visual elements such as color, typography, and spacing are variable through code.

• Design of a theme editor capable of real-time deployment
  → Designers can adjust styles directly and see results immediately.

• Viewer page-based communication system
  → Designing a feedback loop focused on results, not explanations.

Results

• Maintained UI quality without a designer
• Developers focused on components, designers on themes
• Completed app delivery without schedule delays
• Structured the same architecture for reusable form → Applicable repeatedly in Lean organizations

In Conclusion

A structure that collapses without people is an un-designed structure.
Through this case study, I reconfirmed that the role of a structural designer is not to compensate for a team’s deficiency
but to create a structure that can manage that deficiency.

In organizations that operate Lean,
it is crucial to have structural designs that can “function without a designer.”