Refactoring How I See Design

I finally sat down to read Refactoring UI properly. I'd skimmed it before, but this time I took notes. It's one of those books that doesn't waste time with theory. It talks about how design actually feels when you're building in the browser.

What stuck with me wasn't a list of tips. It was how the authors reframe design decisions around clarity and hierarchy instead of trends or aesthetics. That reframing made me rethink the way I approach layout, spacing, and visual weight.

What I took from it

The book focuses on actionable patterns: how to use spacing to create rhythm, how to balance text sizes without guessing, and how to make interfaces feel polished without adding complexity.

It made me realise that most of my design instincts were reactive. I'd adjust things until they felt right, but I didn't have a framework for why certain choices worked better than others.

Now I think about design more structurally. I'm not just tweaking spacing or colours, I'm reasoning about visual hierarchy and how elements relate to each other.

How it's changed my work

Since reading it, I've started applying those principles to everything I build. I'm more deliberate about spacing, more careful with type scale, and more confident making decisions without second-guessing.

It's less about following rules and more about understanding the reasoning behind good design. That understanding has made building interfaces faster and more intentional.

If you design in code and want to tighten up your visual thinking, this book is worth the time.