I dropped my latest Glaringly Obvious interview clips with Carlos Yllobre, who breaks down a simple but straightforward approach to getting the most from design work: start with data, shape it into content, then build visuals to communicate the solution.
It’s a reminder that great design isn’t just about how things look. It’s about how they work, and that understanding begins well before the visuals.
This was one of my earlier interviews (around 20 or so), and I am still finding my voice. Carlos brought a thoughtful clarity to the conversation that made it easier to dig in.
In the episode, Carlos explains how jumping straight into visuals often leads to shallow solutions. Instead, he lays out a three-step path:
Data – Gather inputs to understand the problem
Content – Shape the data into meaningful information
Visuals – Translate content into a working interface
“Data is your raw material. You gather and analyze it to understand the problem and find potential solutions.”
This mindset fits right into how we use UX metrics. Before getting to the interface, you can test comprehension and usefulness to make sure your content lands. That way, your visuals are backed by real understanding, not just instinct.
Discussion
When you’re starting a new design, where do you begin? Do you work with data first, content, or visuals?
Shared my interview with Carlos on LinkedIn and contextualized it with our UX metric categories.
There’s no hard and fast rule for how metrics can be applied to the design process. We use it flexibly with test audiences.
Many companies have data, but it’s not always in a useful state to be actionable. We need to approach UX metrics collection with more intent. I know @Helge has lots to say on data usage.
Love this framing. From an ops angle, I’ve seen how messy it gets when teams jump into execution without aligning on what signals they’re looking for. This approach makes it easier to connect the dots between discovery and delivery, especially when the goal is momentum and measurable insight.
Crafting visuals from data is the right way to do it. Typically companies have a treasure trove of data points to dive into that can reveal insights about how to re-design their pages to best align with user behaviors.
In the case where you’re trying to build something from scratch, that’s where the ‘Start with curiosity’ part of the process is key, as well as having a rapid testing platform like Helio to gather the data you need on those ideas before you go into a building phase. There’s always a way to get data before design!
Discussion
