How to be a better designer

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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...

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Harvard Web Working GroupOctober 13, 2010

Jason Robb

How to be a better designer

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

Harvard Web Working GroupOctober 13, 2010

Jason Robb

Design better

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

AgendaIntro

DesignPeople

People + DesignQ&A

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Introduction

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

What I amVisual thinker, User researcher,

Usability expert, Interaction designer, Visual designer,

Front-end developer...

Introduction

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

What I am

Designer

Introduction

Visual thinker, User researcher, Usability expert, Interaction

designer, Visual designer, Front-end developer...

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Small businesses, startups, agencies, non-profits...

Who I work for

Introduction

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Small businesses, startups, agencies, non-profits...

Who I work for

Introduction

People who need design

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

What else?Introduction

UX Book Club, BostonNext book: GamestormingWednesday Nov. 3rd, 7pm

uxboston.comWednesday, October 13, 2010

Why I’m here

Introduction

Get people excited about design

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Creators of tangible or intangible objects

Designers1

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Everyone is a designer

2

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

…is a plan for the construction

of an object

Design (noun)3

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

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

Design

Tools don’t matter (much)

4Use 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

Design

Mike Rohde - flickr.com/rohdesignWednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

When to sketch5

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Baking

Simple?No sketch!

Complex? Sketch!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design6

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Breakfast

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Interfaces

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Interfaces

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Interfaces

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

How?What?

Why?

Simon Sinek - startwithwhy.com

7

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

“We need a login form...”What?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

No context

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

“People need access to private health-related data...”

Why?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Always get context!

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

Signup form

Manage account

Update your status

Import data

Value prop

How to get started

8

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Vocabulary9Order, unity, variety, contrast,

symmetry, asymmetry, rhythm, harmony, dissonance,

interval, tension, balance...

Paul Rand - youtube.com/watch?v=4yOjts0tpcoWednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Contrast

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Contrast

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design

Contrast

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

ttttttttttt

Login

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Remember me

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

DesignEveryone’s a designerTools: fit your needs

When to sketch; when not toAlways start with “Why?”

Learn the vocabulary

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

People

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

Working with people

This is your first priority, more important than pixels or pencils.

10

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

People

Who plays a role?

11

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

People

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Listening ≠ doingThis is your first priority, more important than pixels or pencils.

12

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Listening ≠ doingDon’t expect change. Always

reflect before acting.

13

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Filter out the bad stuff

14Gut reactions are okay,

keep them to yourself

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Nurture ideas, prune in time

15Gut reactions are okay,

keep them to yourself

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Co&ect ideas, good and bad

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Share them when the time is right

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Building rapport16

How valuable is design to them?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Mood boards

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Building consensus17

Disagree Bad designA& good

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

This is the norm

Disagree Bad designA& good

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Rare, painful

Disagree Bad designA& good

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Rare, no design

Disagree Bad designA& good

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Design + People

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

Presenting & Critique18

Agenda. Who? Time? Outcome?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Use email sparingly19

Face timePhone

IMEmail

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How to ruin a relationship

Reaction > Distraction > Distortion > Deconstruction

20

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Resolving conflictsAssume you’re wrong. Test it.

Get an outside opinion.

21

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Black and white?

Rightwrong

Wrongright

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Rightright

Rightwrong

WrongWrong

Wrongright

Black, gray, & white

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Give people choicesChoices = (eedom

No choices = slavery

22

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Q&A

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010

How can I get requirements up front?

You can’t. They’re always uncovered incrementa&y.

Q1

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How to get started when the end is

nowhere in sight?Incremental progress

Q2

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How do I dumb-proof the UI but not

patronize users?Simple as it has to be, no simpler.

Q3

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Why are designers so weird?

Curiosity, sensitive to idea crushing, ask why first.

Q4

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How do I make it beautiful?

Learn the vocabulary of aesthetics, practice!

Q5

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Thank you!

@jasonrobb • #designbetterWednesday, October 13, 2010