Daré Nicolas believes that good design is not simply about creating something visually appealing. It is about making information easier to understand, interactions more intuitive, and experiences more useful for the people they are designed for.
In this edition of Why Good Design Matters, we speak with the Product Designer specializing in UX/UI and conversion-focused digital experiences. With a background that began in graphic design and developed into UX and product design, Daré Nicolas approaches design as a balance between visual appeal, usability, clarity, and business goals.
We asked him about what makes design successful, the challenges of simplifying complex experiences, why clarity comes first when designing for attention, and how AI is changing the way designers work.
“A design can be aesthetically pleasing without actually being intuitive.”
What first sparked your interest in design, and what continues to drive your creativity today?
My interest stems from my passion for visual design and my curiosity about how we can influence people or sell a product through a visual approach. Today, my creativity is fuelled above all by observing user behaviour, new technologies and complex problems that design can help to simplify.
In your view, what makes a design successful? Is it how it feels, how it performs, or something different?
In my view, the success of a design depends first and foremost on its visual appeal, which makes the user want to interact with the product, and on the user experience, which in turn makes the product more user-friendly and accessible. It is from this point onwards that a design begins to be successful.
What do you find most difficult in your design workflow, and how has that difficulty shaped your way of working?
The hardest part is often turning a complex problem into a simple, intuitive experience, especially when you have to choose between several requirements and the client is attached to a complex design but demands a result that runs counter to their request. This has taught me to question my initial ideas more closely, to prioritise, and to design with the user in mind, based on the client’s requirements rather than my own preferences.
When designing for attention, which element do you prioritise most: clarity, emotion, or visual appeal – and why?
Can you share an example of something that didn’t work as planned? What did it teach you?
As design evolves, what change or trend are you most looking forward to – and how do you see it impacting the field?
The integration of AI into the design process is the development that interests me most, particularly when it comes to research, idea generation and prototyping. I believe it enables designers to save time on certain tasks and devote more energy to reflection, strategy, understanding users and design.
If you could go back, what key advice would you give yourself when starting out in design?
Key Facts
Name: Daré Nicolas
Based in: Cotonou, Benin
Role: Product Designer
Specialties: UX/UI Design, Product Design, UX Research, Conversion, User Experience, Graphic Design
Current work: Freelance Graphic Designer and UX/UI Designer
Previous experience: LJ Corporate, Tech2Work Agency, HKLO, NovekAI, and Digiword
Background: Graphic Design, Digital Design, and UX/UI Design
Portfolio: Behance – Daré Nicolas
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