Your job depends on you making design decisions every day. I'm not talking about the kind of design that uses color theory, typography, or spacer gifs (joking). Here are the kinds of things that have made me a better designer. I think they'll help you, too: • Pencils before pixels will save you tons of time. • Understanding how to start design projects where the end result isn't quite defined yet. • How to nurture (or destroy) relationships with your clients and colleagues. • How to think in extremes to help you know where the boundaries are. • Sketching is an activity, not a just deliverable. • Asking the right questions tease out the most important details. • How do you know when you're asking the wrong questions? • And lots more...

1. How to be a
better designer
Jason Robb
Harvard Web Working Group
October 13, 2010
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

2. Design better
Jason Robb
Harvard Web Working Group
October 13, 2010
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

3. Agenda
Intro
Design
People
People + Design
Q&A
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

4. Introduction
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

5. Introduction
What I am
Visual thinker, User researcher,
Usability expert, Interaction
designer, Visual designer,
Front-end developer...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

6. Introduction
What I am
Visual thinker, User researcher,
Usability expert, Interaction
Designer
designer, Visual designer,
Front-end developer...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

7. Introduction
Who I work for
Small businesses, startups,
agencies, non-profits...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

8. Introduction
Who I work for
Small businesses, startups,
People who need design
agencies, non-profits...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

9. Introduction
What else?
UX Book Club, Boston
Next book: Gamestorming
Wednesday Nov. 3rd, 7pm
uxboston.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

10. Introduction
Why I’m here
Get people excited about design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

11. Design
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

12. 1
Design
Designers
Creators of tangible or
intangible objects
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

13. 2
Design
Everyone is a
designer
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

14. 3
Design
Design (noun)
…is a plan for
the construction
of an object
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

15. Design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

16. Design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

17. Design
flickr.com/dragondrop/
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

18. 4
Design
Tools don’t
matter (much)
Use whatever medium and
fidelity that suits your practical
needs and design goals
http://dub.washington.edu:2007/projects/fidelity/pubs/
Walker_HFES_2002.pdf
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

19. Design
Mike Rohde - flickr.com/rohdesign
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

20. 5
Design
When to sketch
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

21. Design
Baking
Simple? Complex?
No sketch! Sketch!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

22. 6
Design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

23. Design
Breakfast
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

24. Design
Interfaces
Email
Password ttttttttttt
Remember me
Login Forgot password?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

25. Design
Interfaces
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

26. Design
Interfaces
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

27. 7
Design
Why?
How?
What?
Simon Sinek - startwithwhy.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

28. Design
What?
“We need a login form...”
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

29. Design
No context
Email
Password ttttttttttt
Remember me
Login Forgot password?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

30. Design
Why?
“People need access to private
health-related data...”
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

31. 8
Design
Always get
context! Manage
Value
account
prop
Email
Update
Signup
form Password ttttttttttt your status
Remember me
How to get Import
started Login Forgot password?
data
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

32. 9
Design
Vocabulary
Order, unity, variety, contrast,
symmetry, asymmetry,
rhythm, harmony, dissonance,
interval, tension, balance...
Paul Rand - youtube.com/watch?v=4yOjts0tpco
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

33. Design
Contrast
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

34. Design
Contrast
Email Email
Password ttttttttttt Password ttttttttttt
Remember me Remember me
Login Forgot password? Login Forgot password?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

35. Design
Contrast
Email Email
Password ttttttttttt Password ttttttttttt
Remember me Remember me
Login Forgot password? Login Forgot password?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

36. Design
Everyone’s a designer
Tools: fit your needs
When to sketch; when not to
Always start with “Why?”
Learn the vocabulary
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

37. People
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

38. 10 Working
with people
This is your first priority, more
important than pixels or pencils.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

39. 11
People
Who plays a role?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

40. People
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

41. 12 Listening ≠ doing
This is your first priority, more
important than pixels or pencils.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

42. 13 Listening ≠ doing
Don’t expect change. Always
reflect before acting.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

43. 14 Filter out the
bad stuff
Gut reactions are okay,
keep them to yourself
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

44. 15 Nurture ideas,
prune in time
Gut reactions are okay,
keep them to yourself
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

45. Co&ect ideas, good and bad
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

46. Share them when the time is right
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

47. 16 Building rapport
How valuable is
design to them?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

48. Mood boards
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

49. 17 Building consensus
A& good
Disagree Bad design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

50. This is the norm
A& good
Disagree Bad design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

51. Rare, painful
A& good
Disagree Bad design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

52. Rare, no design
A& good
Disagree Bad design
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

53. Design + People
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

54. 18
Presenting & Critique
Agenda. Who? Time? Outcome?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

55. 19 Use email sparingly
Phone Email
Face time IM
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

56. 20 How to ruin a
relationship
Reaction > Distraction >
Distortion > Deconstruction
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

57. 21
Resolving conflicts
Assume you’re wrong. Test it.
Get an outside opinion.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

58. Black and white?
Right
wrong
Wrong
right
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

59. Black, gray, & white
Right Right
right wrong
Wrong Wrong
right Wrong
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

60. 22
Give people choices
Choices = (eedom
No choices = slavery
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

61. Q&A
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

62. Q1
How can I get
requirements up front?
You can’t. They’re always
uncovered incrementa&y.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

63. Q2 How to get started
when the end is
nowhere in sight?
Incremental progress
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

64. Q3 How do I dumb-proof
the UI but not
patronize users?
Simple as it has to be, no simpler.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

65. Q4
Why are designers
so weird?
Curiosity, sensitive to idea
crushing, ask why first.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

66. Q5
How do I make it
beautiful?
Learn the vocabulary of
aesthetics, practice!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

67. Thank you!
@jasonrobb • #designbetter
Wednesday, October 13, 2010