Keys to Successful Design PracticesThe Multi-Disciplined Team Environment

A Place for Everything…

…and Everything In It’s PlaceInformation ArchitectureDeveloperGraphic ArtistBusiness

Changing PracticesThe Issues of Today

Documented Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy means……a collective organizational structure, procedures, protocols and set of regulations in place to manage activity (usually in large organizations and government)Source: Wikipedia

Application DevelopmentCollective OutputBureaucratic Design

Bureaucracy IssuesI want ROI!“I know what the business needs and I have to keep things in check so that we don’t lose site of our investments.”I want practical!“I know what user’s need and I have to mediate our internal egos so that we stay focused on our constituents.”I want innovation!“Business thinks they know what creative means, IA has too many rules, and development keeps telling me my ideas are impossible…”“…BTW if someone else refers to me as the “Make it pretty person” I’ll puke!”I want reality!“You want me to do what, by when? I have to deal with creative retreating in their hole after dumping me with rounded corners and dynamic flash, business thinks in can all be coded in a few days, and IA has too many rules.”

“Same crap. Different day.”Apathy…has arrived!

Adhocracy means……any form of organization that cuts across normal bureaucratic lines with the intent to capture opportunities, solve problems, and get results fast and efficientlySource: Wikipedia

CharacteristicsHighly organic structureLittle formalization of behaviorRoles not clearly definedTendency to cluster groups in functional units for the purpose of deploying them in small, market-based project teamsA reliance on liaison devices to encourage mutual adjustmentLow standardization of procedures, because they stifle innovationSelective decentralizationWork organization rests on specialized teamsPower-shifts to specialized teamsHorizontal job specializationHigh cost of communicationCulture based on democratic and non-bureaucratic workSource: Wikipedia

Multiple Hats?Passion. Ability. Goals. Stay Ahead of the Curve.

Self Taught?Passion. Ability. Goals. Stay Ahead of the Curve.

Who Am I?

A New Breed of ThinkingThe Multi-Disciplinary Individual

“The more you know about the medium you work in, the better you work in that medium.”while (!(succeed = try()));

“For optimum efficiency, as a designer I will not only be concerned with painting the bigger picture but also building it!”Creatives Should Code

“Translating a written language to something that can be visually seen is truly an art form.”Code Is Poetry.

??Emerging Content?CommunitiesText MessagingSocial NetworkingUser GeneratedMobile AppsiPhoneSOAOffice OnlineOpen SourceMash-upsBloggingSAAS/Cloud ComputingWeb 2.0Touch ScreenYou Wanted Innovation…

“The effect of rich Internet applications has been incredible, both in breadth and depth. We're seeing everyone from Internet hobbyists to large enterprises building RIAs—and seeing their business improve dramatically as a result..”

Constantly Changing#WHATDOESITMEANFORME #WHATCANIMAKEWITHIT

“Not only should creatives code, but they should understand usability and human factors.”

Game Changing Interfaces

Turning Thoughts Into PracticeThe Multi-Disciplinary Team

Leah Culver CEO, Pownce Social networking siteRob KalinCEO, Etsy.comeCommerce engine and site for handmade artisan goodsKristopher TateCTO, Zooomr.comPhoto sharing siteDalton CaldwellCEO, imeem.comMusic and video social networking siteMatt MullenwegCEO, WordPress.orgBlog Tool and Publishing PlatformUna KimCEO, Keep (keepcompany.com)Non-Pink shoes and clothing geared towards the urban, athletic, surfer cultured-femaleGame Changers.

GoalsBe extremely productive in application developmentCreate expressive applications with effective interface patternsDeploy applications through a well-distributed, high-performance, cross-platform, cross-browser runtime environmentUse tools and technologies that scale with the size of the project and complexity of the task

Solutions-Oriented RolesInformation ArchitectureUser Experience StrategistInteraction DesignerDeveloperGraphic ArtistDevignerBusiness

The Devigner Workflow

The Devigner Workflow

Enable Hand-Off StrategiesHARVEST MODEL(Designer is removed from source – short term goal)Developers can “Harvest” assets from designers in cases where designers cannot check in files to a source repositoryThe designer may be handing off exclusively graphic assets exported from a tool, or the designer may be creating actual WPF animations, styles, and templates that are then incorporated by the developer

Enable Hand-Off StrategiesCOLLABORATION MODEL (Designer interacts with source)The designer is actually authoring the solution in tandem with the developersThe designer may be checking XAML files into a source code repository and likely will be able to compile and run the applicationBoundary between designer and developer is blurred as designers can code the presentation layer and UI developers can handle graphic and interaction design

My Current Situation

User Experience StrategyWe own everything front-end, from:User Research/EthnographyBest Practices in DesignProduct BrandDesign and CreativePrototype DevelopmentClient Testing and ValidationPattern Library Definition

Thanks!“Now, Let’s Talk About it! ”