Getting your own way as a designer could mean the opposite of what you first think.
by Nathanael Boehm on 2 September, 2010
I mentioned to my boss today how invigorating it is to have the freedom to do what I love, the way I want to do it … and I realised that as a designer “doing things the way I want” isn’t anywhere near as egocentric as it sounds.
At first glance you might assume it means going into a mode of ignoring everyone’s ideas and feedback – but as a designer what I really want is to cast the net as wide as possible. Being given the opportunity to conduct more research, more testing, consult with peers and iteratively test and workshop concepts is fantastic.
If I ever deliver something that is 100% my own ideas and thinking then I’ve probably done something wrong.
// purecaffeine.com, UX, design, social media and Gov 2.0 blog by designer Nathanael Boehm, Canberra, Australia. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.
Quasi project manager, cat herder, strategist, rationalist, pragmatist ... how many hats do designers wear?
by Nathanael Boehm on 1 September, 2010
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think designers want it all with all the hats they wear but it’s not true. Many of the designers I know just want to do their job and aren’t interested in getting in the spotlight or stoking their ego. But the fact is that in order for designers to deliver holistic, well-considered and well-integrated solutions they end up becoming the mortar that holds the building together.
I’ve deliberately dropped the “UX” in front of “designer” for this blog post because I see that UX designers don’t just look after their little part of the three-way pie as user advocates. If the technologists brought the technology, the business brought the business requirements and support and the user experience designer brought the interface and interaction design there’s still a good chance the project would fail. Three thirds do not make a whole.
Designers shouldn’t (and shouldn’t have to) be getting involved with IT infrastructure, code and deployment but they should be consulting with the development team, engaging them, bringing them along for the journey. In some ways designers are storytellers; tell a story poorly and people lose interest, lose passion and motivation. Designers shouldn’t (and shouldn’t have to) be making up business requirements or championing the project but they should be consulting with the business and project sponsor and also bringing them along for the journey, painting a clear picture of the vision and progress of the project.
Do you agree? Designers are creative and sometimes artistically talented. At the very least they’re good at visualisation, sketching, metaphors and explaining things clearly. Crystal clear and succinct communication is one of the most vital skills of a competent designer.
In some ways UX designers aren’t just designing experiences for users, they’re designing experiences for project stakeholders, developers, enterprise architects, content producers, graphic designers and executive. Do you agree?
Perhaps some of you are comfortable staying in your UX box, content to churn out wireframes, user stories and personas – and that can be totally acceptable and appropriate. Perhaps you can because you have great project managers who get the importance of people not just listening, not just understanding but coming along for the ride and know what it takes to achieve that. But I think many of you will be able to relate to this and know what it’s like to step up into this unspoken role.
// purecaffeine.com, UX, design, social media and Gov 2.0 blog by designer Nathanael Boehm, Canberra, Australia. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.
