I can't believe I'm getting into this again, and I beg your collective pardon in advance, but I strongly suspect that -- in the absence of a particular context -- if you simply went up to John Q Human and said "What's a Designer?" You would find that "the world (outside of the industry)" would define design as an entirely visual and aesthetic pursuit.
That being said, I expect if you asked Mr. Human "what's an interaction designer" you would get back a definition of "interface designer". In my experience, and the experience of many of my friends and colleagues in this industry, we are widely believed -- except among those who actually practice Interaction Design, or who rely on Interaction Designers -- to be the people who make the site "look good." And all those times I've railed against using the term "designer" it's because of that belief. I'm very tired of spending a large part of my professional life explaining that I am *not* the person who decides it should be pink and round (or whatever). I am also not the first person to point out that in the world at large, people with the word "design" in their titles are largely diminished and dismissed. It's why Tog preferred the the title "Interaction Architect" Katie At 9:02 AM -0500 1/26/08, Mark Schraad wrote: >Thanks David. I agree that design is a 'nothingness term' but it is >also critically important if you are to define 'interaction design' >for the non-designer world. Having looked at about a hundred resumes >in the last 6 months for UI designer, interaction designers and >information architects, way less than 15% have been in my opinion >qualified for the jobs I had in mind. Yet they all applied for what >are obviously (to me) 'design' positions. Less than 5% actually >attended any sort of design school. So I kind of agree that defining >design is mostly an academic endeavor. > >That being said... here is how I believe the world (outside of the >industry) would define design: > >A designer is a person the arranges elements in a final order for a >specific purpose. Those elements can be visual, physical or >conceptual. The designer develops a strategy either prior to or while >executing this arrangement. > >A professional designer is one who generates their livelihood by >designing. > >Qualifications: > >Has been trained by a designer >Has attended design school >Has experience designing >Has achieved a level of quality consistent with the medium or domain >Proclaims themselves a designer >Displays a creative tendency >Bought a Mac (kidding) > > >As we work to further educate our audience and bring ourselves into >some consistency of message this bears keeping in mind. MBA's, >engineers, executives, HR people and biz dev people do not see >themselves as designers, but in this sense they often are. The do >however see themselves as qualified to make many many design decisions. > >Mark > > > >On Jan 25, 2008, at 9:57 PM, David Malouf wrote: > >> 1) People who have worked in and have been trained in the processes >> around >> studio/crit >> * this could be anyone who has either gone to a design school, or >> figured >> out on their own to learn what is learned in a design school, or >> gained the >> experience of design school studio through vocational experience. >> >> 2) People who practice multi-linear, exploration as their creative >> practice, >> as opposed to linear thinking >> >> I'll stop there. >> >> To me the question is annoying. Why? b/c so much of the question is >> already >> couched in this assumption that "everyone is a designer"; The >> engineer, the >> banker, my grandmother, etc. >> >> It is also a trap b/c "design" is such a nothing term, so to use >> the term >> "design" by itself, is meaningless. The contexts are important. >> >> So in my mind, most interactive designers are not designers, in >> that they >> actually apply aesthetic treatments usually using techniques that are >> derived from engineering practices more than from the traditional >> design > > school processes. Yes, there is room for hybrids in this world and >> we should >> always be willing to take the best of everything we can expose >> ourselves to, >> but I believe there is something at the core of design practice, >> methods, >> education, and systems that is worth holding on to. >> >> design != creation or creativity >> >> -- dave >> >> >> On Jan 25, 2008 2:04 PM, Mark Schraad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> So Dave, >>> >>> Only because I know that you don't mind being put on the spot. How >>> do you >>> define who is a designer? What are the criteria? >>> >>> Mark >>> >>> >>> >>> On Friday, January 25, 2008, at 10:57AM, "dave malouf" >>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Sure, (Kumbaya!) we are all "D"esigners, great! (I actually think >>>> that most of us aren't designers, btw, but that's a separate >>>> topic). >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> David Malouf >> http://synapticburn.com/ >> http://ixda.org/ >> http://motorola.com/ >> ________________________________________________________________ >> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* >> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA >> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ >> >> ________________________________________________________________ >> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >> To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > >________________________________________________________________ >*Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* >February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA >Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ > >________________________________________________________________ >Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help -- ---------------- Katie Albers [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
