Steven Walker, Product & Communication Design Manager at Groupon. Speech at Warm Gun Conference, 2011 - Deselopment - Design & Development as One! Converting Ideas into Shippable Products

1. Steven Walker
Design Manager for The Design Union @ Groupon
@to_morrow
or email me, steven@groupon.com

2. a little about me...

3. a little about me...
Groupon’s first designer, been monkeying
around for ~2.5 years

4. a little about me...
Groupon’s first designer, been monkeying
around for ~2.5 years
Design, development, product
management, people management,
sales, operations and more...

5. a little about me...
Groupon’s first designer, been monkeying
around for ~2.5 years
Design, development, product
management, people management,
sales, operations and more...
...still trying to get on that fucking Senior Team

6. I am...

7. I am...
Classically trained in
Design & Printmaking

8. I am...
Classically trained in
Design & Printmaking
Self-taught developer

9. I am...
Classically trained in
Design & Printmaking
Self-taught developer
...but I learned the most from
listening and immersing myself.

10. I am...
Classically trained in
Design & Printmaking
Self-taught developer
...but I learned the most from
listening and immersing myself.
...and off of a bar napkin drinking with my father

11. Deselopment
Design & Development As One!
Converting Ideas into Shippable Products

12. This speech has been optimized for the
viral coefficient, as measured by...

13. This speech has been optimized for the
viral coefficient, as measured by...
y/x * x =
...how quickly Hiten Shah can tweet
the title of each slide.

14. Big or small hopefully you can
take something from this...

15. Big or small hopefully you can
take something from this...
...WE ARE ALL
ENTREPRENEURS TRYING
TO MOVE FAST!

16. 1
To me design and development
are one...

17. 1
To me design and development
are one...
...it’s called building
real products with real
people

18. 2
The design of a product
start at understanding the
ecosystem it impacts...

19. 2
The design of a product
start at understanding the
ecosystem it impacts...
...the users, the industries, the code base,
the other people working on it, etc...

20. 3
Designers should be
dictating business rules,
while developers are
designing UI’s.

21. 3
Designers should be
dictating business rules,
while developers are
designing UI’s.
Fuck it

22. 4
MVC, not PSD

23. 5
“Development is blocked”

24. 5
“Development is blocked”
no it’s not!

25. 6
T-Shaped people
are a must!

26. 6
T-Shaped people
are a must!
The vertical bar on the T represents the depth of related
skills as expertise in a same field, whereas the crossbar is
the ability to collaborate across disciplines with experts in
other areas, and to apply knowledge in areas of expertise
other than the own.

27. 7
True craftsmen know
everything about their trade...

28. 7
True craftsmen know
everything about their trade...
...and learn from those better than it
than they are

29. 8
Hire designers and
developers just the same...

30. 8
Hire designers and
developers just the same...
...either will do both if you do
a good job

31. 9
Pairing...

32. 9
Pairing...
...or rather Spooning, as we call it

33. 10
Let go and depend
on others...

34. 10
Let go and depend
on others...
...it’s easier

35. 11
Let ownership happen...

36. 11
Let ownership happen...
...trust talented people and get
out of the way

37. 12
Production vs. Perfection

38. 12
Production vs. Perfection
...know the line

39. 13
Process...

40. 13
Process...
...or rather anti-process

41. 14
Frameworks build
themselves...

42. 14
Frameworks build
themselves...
...out of necessity

43. 15
Accept changing
requirements...

44. 15
Accept changing
requirements...
...well designed product absorb
these punches well

45. 17
If you can’t sell...

46. 17
If you can’t sell...
...you suck

47. We’re hiring Deselopers!
email me, steven@groupon.com
or go to groupon.com/jobs