Developers, you're designing experiences (and you didn't even know it)

DEVELOPERS, YOU’REDESIGNING EXPERIENCES...AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT.P.J. Onori@somerandomdude#youareux

DEVELOPERS ARE VTIALTO CREATING GREATEXPERIENCES AND SHOULDHAVE A GREATER PART INTHE DESIGN PROCESS.

PREFACE

WHAT IS USEREXPERIENCE?

Credit: Dan SafferMANY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINESWORKING IN UNISON

UX SHAPES HOW WE USE THINGS

THIS IS NOT AWEBSITE Credit: Chris Valleskey, http://chrisvalleskey.com

NEITHER IS THIS

THIS IS A WEBSITE

HOWEVER, MANY OF US WORKING ON A PRODUCTONLY VIEW IT THROUGH ONE OF THESE LENSES.

THE PEOPLE WHO USEYOUR PRODUCTS DO NOTSEE ANY SEPARATIONBETWEEN DESIGN ANDTECHNOLOGY.

BAD PRODUCTS LACK IN AT LEAST ONEOF THE AREAS

GREAT PRODUCTS MAKE IT ALL FITTOGETHER PERFECTLY

WHY ARE GREATPRODUCTS SO RARE?

THE DISCONNECT

THE ASSEMBLY LINE APPROACH ISEFFICIENT, BUT INEFFECTIVE

Maker Developer Designer ThinkerIT CREATES SILOS OF SPECIALISTS WITHLARGE GAPS IN EXPERTISE

THERE’S A CULTURAL RIFT BETWEENDESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS• Differences in philosophy• Different types of communication• Different priorities

MUTUAL IGNORANCE• Most organizations are built around a segregated, overly structured process of creating products.• The majority of people on each side have no real understanding of what the other does.• A lot of people don’t want to know.

Darcy the Danny the designer engineerEXAMPLE: DARCY AND DANNY ARETASKED TO CREATE A CAR

“The engine noise was ruiningthe driving experience, so wedecided that the car would bepowered by a nuclear reactor.That’s cool, right?”

“The weight from the seatslowered the car’s fuel efﬁciencyby 5 percent. So we removedthem.”

GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE CREATEGAPS IN EXPERIENCES.

WHY DEVELOPERSARE SO CRUCIAL FORDESIGN

WHEN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY WORKTOGETHER SEAMLESSLY, IT’S MAGIC.

DEVELOPERS ARETHE GATEKEEPERSOF EXPERIENCE.

DEVELOPERS PRODUCE EXPERIENCES• Developers ensure that software is snappy and stable.• Developers are the ﬁrst “real” users of software.• Developers have the opportunity to point out and/or ﬁll in the gaps often missed in design.

DEVELOPERS EMPOWER ITERATION• At best, we will be creating imperfect solutions to the problems we are aware of.• Design has traditionally been very bad at adjusting quickly.• Some of the most important design decisions happen during development and after the product launches.

DEVELOPERS STEER DESIGNERS AWAYFROM RATHOLES• Focus and constraints are invaluable to most designers when solving problems.• Good communication can save countless hours of misdirected work.• Informed decisions by designers encourage well-written code.

DESIGNERS ARE EQUALLYIMPORTANT FOR QUALITYDEVELOPMENT.(BUT THAT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT SUBJECT)

HOW TO MAKE THISHAPPEN

MAKE THE PRODUCT’SEXPERIENCE EVERYONE’SRESPONSIBILITY.

SCRAP YOUR SILOS• Silos isolate team members from ideas and points of view.• That isolation causes one-dimensional thinking.

FOSTER A TEAM OFT-SHAPED PEOPLE• Allows team members to make better decisions due to their broader understanding.• It also lets us help other people do their jobs better.

EVERYONE NEEDS AFUNDAMENTALUNDERSTANDING OFDESIGN• If team members touch the design in any way (implementation, testing, etc.) they need to understand the subject matter to work on it.

EVERYONEPROTOTYPES• The type of prototyping will vary (sketches, Keynote, code-based), but working in the context of the ﬁnal product forces broader thinking.• Prototyping exposes designers to the challenges of making, which creates empathy for the development process.

EVERYTHING PRIOR TO THE FINALPRODUCT IS A MEANS TO AN END• Designs mean nothing unless they are feasible and encourage stability, performance and ﬂexibility.• Elegant code is worthless unless it leads to elegant experiences.• All discussions and debates are framed around the user experience rather than the speciﬁcs of our role.

WHAT THIS AIMS TO ACHIEVE• A broader view of the product by everyone on the team.• Less divisions between groups with speciﬁc roles.• A common language to from which to communicate.• A more inclusive approach to ideation and problem solving.

Maker Developer Designer ThinkerLARGER SKILL OVERLAP ANDNO GAPS IN UNDERSTANDING.

COLLABORATION IS FUN! BUT...

THIS IS NOT EASY.

YOU DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.HOWEVER...• It expects more of individuals than before.• Forces people out of their comfort zones.• It’s no longer OK to not know. Even worse to not care.

YOU NEED TO KNOWHOW TO DESIGN APRODUCT ALMOST ASWELL AS YOU KNOWHOW TO BUILD ONE.

HOW YOU CAN GETSTARTED

TALK SHOP• Have conversations with designers about the practice of design.• Ask designers about their philosophy.• During that time, share your knowledge of development with them.

FIND YOUR HORIZONTALSTROKE• With a greater understanding of the design process, ﬁnd the subjects that interest you.• Read books, subscribe to some blogs, listen to podcasts.• Start ﬁguring ways to integrate that focus in your daily routine.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN“GOOD DESIGN”• Look at good design in a critical manner. Try to understand the thinking behind it.• Observe how it plays a role in your life (good, bad or indifferent).• It should not be limited just to software.

BE FUSSY• Pay attention to the things that bug you about products and why.• When things do not meet your expectations, try to understand the reasons behind it.• Care about details.

DESIGN EVERYTHING YOU DO• Put conscious thought into everything you make. How can you improve upon them, make them better for yourself and others.• Remember, design far from just aesthetics, it’s how people perceive, interact and use something.• Constantly dwell on how to improve that which you make.

LASTLY, AT THE RISK OF SOUNDINGNEW-AGEY...

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION• Design is learned, not innate.• Practice > Talent.• Expect quality work from yourself.

IN CONCLUSION...• Always keep at the front of your mind that you are ultimately making software for another person to use.• Design principles will make you a better developer.

THANKSP.J. Onori@somerandomdudewww.seabrightstudios.comwww.somerandomdude.com

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Developers, you're designing experiences (and you didn't even know it)

by P.J. Onori on Nov 07, 2011

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Developers, you’re designing experiences (and you didn’t even know it) — Presentation Transcript