Steve Smith and I talk about communication and relationships between designers and developers, and suggest ways to promote positive communication and collaboration.

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DEVELOPER
DESIGNER
STEVE
DAN
SMITH
RUBIN

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Why are we here?

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I’m not included
in the process.

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1. Brainstorm together before
design begins.
2. Get input from developers
during design process.
3. Review design internally
before presenting.

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You think all I
do is draw
pretty pictures.

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1. Discuss problems to be solved
by design at the beginning.
2. Evaluate solutions during
internal design reviews.
3. Explain how you arrive at
design decisions.

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That’s going to
take forever to
build.

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1. Speak up—let designers know
what’s causing problems.
2. Decide together if the
functionality is really needed.
3. Often, the extra work results
in a better product.

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You broke my
awesome
design.

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1. Understand the constraints
of the medium.
2. Explain why you want things
a certain way.
3. Find compromise when
things aren’t perfect.

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Solutions for
everyone.

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Collective
Brainstorming.

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Blur the lines
between Design &
Development.

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Encourage
collaboration.

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Learn how to trust.

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Ask questions
(and learn how to
answer them).

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Be a teacher.

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Hire better people.

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COPYRIGHT ©2008-2009 DAN RUBIN & STEVE SMITH.