It's very interesting you should say that. As a programmer who's recently started learning UI design in my spare time (for an app I'm working on), I've found my experiences very similar to your own.
I always thought requiring complete focus when programming was something required with all professions, but learning to design and spending a lot of time in Photoshop I've realized that this doesn't seem to be the case (at least with design).
It's not to say that I don't get into the zone when designing, but I've found is a different style of thinking. Where the goal of designing is to try a lot of things out, with the end goal to present information in an intuitive way vs programming where you need to get something done, and it is your goal to beat the machine into submission to perform it the way you want it to.
The good thing about programming I've found, is that if you give it enough time, you can do just about anything, whereas with design, I've found the longer you spend on a problem doesn't always guarantee you'll find a solution ...
I always thought requiring complete focus when programming was something required with all professions, but learning to design and spending a lot of time in Photoshop I've realized that this doesn't seem to be the case (at least with design).
It's not to say that I don't get into the zone when designing, but I've found is a different style of thinking. Where the goal of designing is to try a lot of things out, with the end goal to present information in an intuitive way vs programming where you need to get something done, and it is your goal to beat the machine into submission to perform it the way you want it to.
The good thing about programming I've found, is that if you give it enough time, you can do just about anything, whereas with design, I've found the longer you spend on a problem doesn't always guarantee you'll find a solution ...