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Unicorns are considered to be the rare person who can do both design and development. But, why are they considered rare? Because consider design and development to be separate disciplines. In this talk, I explore the spectrum of design and development, how designers can be empowered by learning about development, and how developers can be empowered by learning about design. I gave this talk at the Big Design Conference in Addison, TX on September 6, 2014.
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT&
Embracing the
UNLEASHUNICORN
YOUR INNER
SPECTRUM OF
Matt Baxter • @mbxtr • September 6, 2014
I’m Matt Baxter
@mbxtr
I work at
as a UX Designer
Using design
and development
Just to clarify…
This is not about bronies.
But Seriously, What’s with The
Unicorn?
A person who can do both design and development.
Unicorn
Some unicorn facts…
must have their coffee.Unicorns
only eat apples.Unicorns
love playing ping pong.Unicorns
don’t get along with printers.
Unicorns
Something you think you know about
unicorns…
Unicornsare rare and hard to find.
Unicornsare rare and hard to find.
But, why?
We think about design and development as separate disciplines.
http://sixrevisions.com/infographics/web-designers-vs-web-developers-infographic/
Designer Developervs
Left Rightvs
Unicorns are not as rare as you think.
I believe everyone has some unicorn in them.
Specifically… Designers can develop. Developers can design.
!
MY BACKGROUND
Remember when this was cool?
GRiD CompassFirst clamshell laptop
Xerox PARC MouseThe first mouse
Desktop GUI HistoryXerox, Apple, and Microsoft
“Few people think about it or are aware of it. But there is nothing made by human beings that does not involve a design decision somewhere.”
– Bill Moggridge
But, I still enjoyed development.
Design Development
or
Design Development
and
the Spectrum
DevelopmentDesign
How We Think
DevelopmentDesign
What We’ve Accepted
DevelopmentDesign
???
???
What crosses the developer boundary?
</>
Development is much more than code.
What crosses the designer boundary?
Design is muchmore than pixels.
Reality
Individuals are more complicated than that.
Software is more complicated than that.
Design and development is a spectrum.
The Right Perspective
This sounds familiar…
“Should” is the wrong focus.
The better question is…
How can knowing more about development
empower designers?
How can knowing more about design
empower developers?
“But, if I learn x I’ll get worse at y.”
If your goal is to make great software, learning more about the process
will only help you.
Tools are the wrong focus.
“Skill in the digital age is confused with mastery of digital tools, masking the importance of understanding materials and mastering the elements of form.”
– John Maeda former President of RISD and professor at MIT Media Lab
Being a unicorn is more than combining code and pixels.
</>
The true ability of a unicorn: being able to balance
design and development.
Understanding Your Job
Titles can be confusing.
I don’t just mean how many there are…
UI Developer • UX Architect • Information Architect Design Technologist • Visual Designer
Back End Developer • Front End Developer Application Developer • Software Architect
UX Designer • UI Designer • UI Engineer Web Developer • Interaction Designer • Web Designer
A developer is not just a coder.
</>
“I just built what the designer
handed to me.”
#stuffcoderssay
A designer is not just a pixel pusher.
“I designed it; its not my job to make
sure it works.”
#stuffpixelpusherssay
It’s not enough to just focus on “your” part.
Focus on the deliverables
product.
This is Bob.
Bob uses apps.
Why does Bob use certain apps?
I use this app because the code
is well-written!
I use this app because these
pixels are perfect!
SAID NO USER EVER
I use this app because I can more easily ______.
I use this app because it enables me to ______.
Users only see the final product.
Great software is more than pixels and code.
Everyone’s job is to balance design and
technology.
What will the result be?
Compromise
Everyone designs
Everyone develops
It won’t be…
Tension between design and development is good.
“Each group, then, is trying to do the right thing, but they're pulling in different directions. If any one of those groups 'wins,' we lose.”
– Ed Catmull, Creativity Inc.
It will be…
Better communication and collaboration
More empathy
Fewer assumptions
Less busy-work
Push limits of technology
Estimate development
Prototype
Designers will
Begin sooner
Adapt designs
Have less back-and-forth
Developers will
How do you begin?
It starts with your process
Typical Process
Design Development
Time
Effor
t
Better ProcessDesign
Development
Time
Effor
t
Talk to each other
Educate yourself
Wireframing
Typography
Usability
Developers
Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
Interactive Prototypes
Understand Platforms
Learn HTML/CSS
Designers
Platform Documentation http://developer.apple.com • http://developer.android.com • http://developer.mozilla.com
This isn’t rocket science.
Guess how much everyone knew when
they started?
Do you have to? Nope.
Will it make you better at what you do? Absolutely.
A little bit goes a long way.
It’s not just about learning to code.
</>
It’s not just about learning to push pixels.
(But go for it if you find that you enjoy both)
It’s knowing how to balance design and
development.
Unleash Your Inner Unicorn
Questions? @mbxtr
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