Designer Developer
Steven Trotter Refresh Jonesboro #17

“You broke my whole
fraking design!”
kkthxbye,
The Designer

Discuss potential problem areas
during wireframe process.
Explain how you arrived at the
design solutions you’re presenting.
Find compromises when things
don’t work out perfectly.

“Oh hells no! That’s
going to take too
long to build.”
pwncakes & roflcopters,
The Developer

Explain why you really want things
a particular way. Both of you.
Evaluate with the whole team to
find better, streamlined methods.
Decide together. Will this function
make the product better? If not,
where is the time better spent?

“Why do you
fuglify my stuff ?!”
kkthxbye,
The Designer

Review the design internally before
beginning development. Point out
small nuances in your design.
Is there a reason for the styling?
C/B compliant? Is it accessible?
What’s the user experience?
Explain your point of view. Listen to
their point of view. Rinse & repeat.

“Yeeeaaahhh…
I’m kinda coming in
the back door on
this one.”
pwncakes & roflcopters,
The Developer

Brainstorm together before
beginning design & development.
Get & give input during the entire
process. Blur the lines between
designer & developer.
Review everything internally
before presenting to the client.

“Let’s throw a little
AJAX in there…
make it real slick.”
kkthxbye,
The Designer

Don’t be afraid to be a teacher.
Knowledge sharing now makes for
more streamlined projects later.
Learn to trust each other so that
you can be honest. - “I don’t know
what the hell you’re talking about. "
It’s a relationship. You’ll start
completing each other’s sentences.

”Um, yeah. We’re
not including that…
it’s completely
useless.”
pwncakes & roflcopters,
The Developer

Remember that you are not the
user. Often times, developers lack
empathy for the user’s POV.
It goes both ways: Too much or too
little – both suck.
Developing for geeks: include the
kitchen sink. Developing for task
management: a few streamlined
features.

“Let’s throw an
add to calendar link
in there. That’s easy
enough right?”
kkthxbye,
The Designer

Scope creep: Did the user request a
calendar on the site? Will this link
add to the site’s calendar or is it an
iCal file to be imported to a desktop
calendar?
Know the specs. Inside. And out.
Yes, the developers can work their
magic, but that doesn’t mean the
client will pay.

”Can’t do it.”
pwncakes & roflcopters,
The Developer

Keep in mind that the ultimate goal
is to create the best product possible.
Requirements change, and though it
sucks to complicate elegant solutions,
sometimes change is necessary.
Avoid the “knee-jerk no” & when a
truly bad idea lands on your plate,
your objections will carry a lot more
weight.

KK THX BYE
download me:
refreshjonesboro.org
http://www.twitter.com/steventrotter