Developers, learn design

PRESENTED AT BOOSTER CONF, BERGEN, MARCH 2017

We designers have been told for ages to learn how to program because we needed to know the technology. On the other hand, very few developers bother doing the same with design. This usually leads to worse results than necessary, and robs us of the opportunity to play on the same team.

This presentation is meant to contribute to the much needed discussion about how developers and designers can work together to achieve excellence without losing their minds. Attendees should leave the room afterwards with a certain insight in how ignorance hinders best outcomes and how they personally can improve the situation.

Transcript

1. troubalex DEVELOPERS, LEARN Alexandra Leisse DESIGN
2. troubalex
3. troubalex LEAVING THE COMFORT ZONE
4. troubalex APPRECIATING THE WORK WE ALL DO
5. troubalex ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
6. troubalex KNOWING WHERE NOT TO WING IT
7. troubalex “Developers are just !”
8. troubalex COLLABORATION NEEDS SHARED SKILLS
9. troubalex SHARED VOCABULARY
10. troubalex SHARED UNDERSTANDING
11. troubalex Katie Kovalcin on A List Apart “[The developers] began to understand the thought process behind our design decisions, and everyone could holistically understand the system we all were building together.”
12. troubalex BETTER QUALITY IN LESS TIME
13. troubalex Jeff Gotthelf in Lean UX “Get out of the deliverables business.”
14. troubalex SOLVE PROBLEMS TOGETHER
15. troubalex YOU ARE ALREADY DESIGNING
16. troubalex “The truth is that, as a developer delves into building a project, they will have to make decisions that affect and refine the design. Designers rarely have the time to consider all nuances of a website. The rest fall to the developer.” Paul Boag on Smashing Magazine
17. troubalex MAKE INFORMED DESIGN DECISIONS
18. troubalex
19. troubalex
20. troubalex How To Make Sense Of Any Mess
 by Abby Covert
21. troubalex Design For Hackers
 by David Kadavy
22. troubalex The Inmates Are Running The Asylum
 by Alan Cooper
23. troubalex About Face
 by Alan Cooper
24. troubalex The Elements Of Content Strategy
 by Erin Kissane
25. troubalex Google Design
26. troubalex Facebook Design
27. troubalex Boxes And Arrows
28. troubalex A List Apart
29. troubalex Smashing Magazine
30. troubalex Intercom Blog
31. troubalex LEARN ON THE JOB • Ask your designers to explain the decisions they’re making • Ask to be included already in early design discussions to learn • Ask to be invited to usability tests • Be aware of the decisions you’re making and the impact they have • Dissect interfaces of applications you’re using
32. troubalex QUESTIONS? @troubalex Psssssst… I’m hiring design interns.
33. troubalex THANK YOU That’s all folks!
34. Lean UX: Getting Out Of The Deliverables Business 
 by Jeff Gothelf
 http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/03/lean-ux-getting-out-of-the-deliverables-business/ Why You Should Include Your Developer In The Design Process 
 by Paul Boag
 http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/11/why-you-should-include-your-developer-in-the-design-process/ 80/20 Practitioners Make Better Communicators 
 by Katie Kovalcin
 http://alistapart.com/article/80-20-practitioners-make-better-communicators On Design: Ilse Crawford 
 by Edward Housden for NOWNESS
 https://www.nowness.com/series/on-design/ilse-crawford The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is (Part 1) 
 by Errol Morris for The New York Times
 https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/the-anosognosics-dilemma-1/?_r=0 SOURCES