​Design Will Replace Development in the Future - Talk with Mockplus CEO Sean

“In the the past, design served development; at present, design drives development; in the future, with the blossom of AI, big data and cloud computing, design will replace development. Mockplus is taking actions to achieve this goal.”

Recently, UXPA China conducted an exclusive interview with Mockplus CEO Sean. UXPA China, established in 2004 and renamed to UXPA China in 2012, is the first non-profit design organization in China. In the next 10 years, UXPA China is committed to boosting the development of User Experience in China.

Q: "With the development of user experience in China, more and more enterprises have realized its value. What do you think about it?”

A: “I am very optimistic about the user experience industry. Mockplus is taking actions on it too. We have a goal, that is, to let every app around the world has the value created by Mockplus.

Nowadays, even the farmers who sell vegetables are using a smartphone in China. You may hear they are complaining that the user experience of some apps is too bad. The user experience has become a key factor to the success of an app.

What is exactly the user experience? In my opinion, the user experience is derived from product design, which is carrying more and more weight in the process of building an app.

In the the past, design served development; at present, design drives development; in the future, with the blossom of AI, big data and cloud computing, design will replace development. Mockplus is taking actions to achieve this goal.”

Q: “As the CEO of Mockplus, you must have encountered lots of difficulties on the way to start and lead a startup. Would you like to share one of the biggest challenges with us? ”

A: "Actually, I’ve made starting and leading a business a part of my life. I face challenges everyday, but I am getting used to it.

There is a saying in China,‘if you can beat the opponents, you are powerful; if you can conquer yourself, then you are unbeatable.’ The biggest challenge is not from your competing opponents; the biggest challenge is to overcome yourself.

For now, Mockplus has a reputation of the best domestic prototyping design tool among the product designers in China. We has million users around the world, including Microsoft, Huawei, Oracle, IBM, Ubisoft, etc. Moreover, nearly 1,000 universities worldwide have become our happy users.

This is really a big achievement for us. I appreciate it so much. But this is not enough. We are trying to breakthrough innovations. We are committed to become a full-stack design collaboration platform in future.”

Q: “The theme of UXPA is ‘Smart Experience, Unlimited Possibilities’, how do you think of it?”

A: “The user experience will be more intelligent, which means it will turn more‘impossibilities’ into‘possibilities’.”

Q: “we have received plenty tool-based collaborative works this year, as a tool-based collaborative application provider, how do you think of the works? what are your suggestions to the students?”

A: "The Design Specifications are very important.

Many small and medium-sized teams in China often ignore design specifications. They may have a few reasons, such as, the lack of manpower and resources, the limit of time and money, etc. But this is not right. At the beginning of a product, once the user needs and product functions are determined, you should build design specifications at once.

If you start to code just based on a prototype, you are unable to ensure the user experience. Moreover, the whole design can be ruined because the design ideas and the implementation of the development are inconsistent. You may finally get a“product ”that even you can not recognize. If the styles of the whole interfaces are not uniform, it will definitely mislead the user, resulting in rework and delay.”

Q: “What’s your opinion about the students participating in the UXDA, is this useful to them?”

A: "I think it is very significant. participating in the UXDA is a good way for the students to do more practice, especially for those who committed to be product managers or designers.

To be honest, I have interviewed plenty fresh graduates. The difference between those who have real practical experience and those who have no experience is very big. I tend to choose the former to join in us.”

Q: "Do you have any suggestions for the development of the UXDA?"

A: "I think you should cover more more companies in the design industry, not only the colleges and universities. We can work together to boost the development of product design in China”

Q: “Do you have any advice to the students?”

A: "I’d like to share 3 requirements of what I have asked for the whole Mockplus staff, that is, keep learning, work hard and be responsible. I hope the students can keep this in mind.”