I definitely concede your point that a limited budget results in sacrificed quality, as you cannot get 100% of what you want from any area of your team.
However, I disagree with this premise: If you need a researcher and a front-end developer, and the front-end developer doesn't have background and proficiency in research---regardless of "passion"--they'll be a front-end developer. And your research will fall by the wayside. I don't start with "I need a researcher and developer", I start with "I need a usable product that efficiently meets the business needs". Realistically, there is no such thing as a perfectly staffed team. I gain and lose with everyone on-hand (including myself). If I had the budget to outfit every team by strict disciplines, I would a) convince the management they're spending way too much money on the type of projects on which I work, and b) completely miss every deadline and requirement due to managing 13-15 people. Yes, it's true: a front-end developer, who is passionate and wants to become a better interaction designer and learn user research techniques, won't have the full breadth of a dedicated researcher. On the other hand, I rarely get a dedicated Java developer, QA or network engineer, either. I also have a strong background in user research, to help our intrepid front-end developer advance his skills. As worthwhile as it sounds, a perfectly documented study explaining the faults and opportunities for my application, is perfectly useless if I have no one to execute them. A seasoned front-end developer can mentor junior back-end developers in the finer arts of their craft, while learning new skills in user research. Everyone shares, everyone plays. It takes a village =] Bryan Minihan On Feb 25, 2010, at 12:52 PM, Susan Doran wrote: > I'm going to risk Will Evans trying to order coffee from me for being too > theoretical (^_^) but a few things. > > As "a profession," we're still defining ourselves. > > We started out as disparate professions and academic disciplines prior to c. > 2001-2002. Then we started being drawn to and blending with each other -with > our existing skillsets/competencies- when 2nd generation web was > *really *hitting > its stride and was a well-funded, massively-creative frontier. > > Since 2002ish a critical mass started defining ourselves as being almost the > same. Because we play in the same pond, and ---at that time...until rather > recently--- we also bonded over a particular new smart radical > mindset/ideology/approach (i.e., radically diverging from the status quo of > each of the original disciplines/professions). There were these schisms > that we inherited from our legacy professions that didn't make sense to us. > So we blurred the lines and were a new fluid creative mass. > > Now we seem to be fragmenting again. And also seem to be resisting > accepting that reality. Still insisting we're the same. But we're not. I > think that's what we're seeing in this discush---as well as people looking > to educate and be eduated -- to hire and be hired. I don't mean that > negatively. > > But a developer, even a skilled front-end developer, isn't a user > researcher. A visual designer isn't an information architect. A designer > whose strength is understanding the nature of interaction isn't a data > junkie. > > Many work artifacts are the same, but the cognitive and creative > strengths---and increasingly, it seems----backgrounds cultivated through new > educational programs, are different. (see prgms at RISD to Carnegie Mellon > IxD to U Mich HCI) > > Current economics might seem to recommend hiring people with breadth and > depth in *all *of these areas --- but reality is breadth and depth of > **all** of these don't come in one person. Clearly, you'll get multiple > skillsets per person -- but you can't get 6 or 7. At least not with any > degree of expertise or depth. When you can, it's a person who''s been busy > cultivating a variety of facets over a bunch of years. > > If you need a researcher and a front-end developer, and the front-end > developer doesn't have background and proficiency in research---regardless > of "passion"--they'll be a front-end developer. And your research will fall > by the wayside. > > As for internships, apprenticeships etc ---- I also see this as part of > where we are as a profession. More mature professions have mentoring, > internships, apprenticeships baked into themselves. Corporations aren't to > be looked to for the answer. We have to determine it's necessary. > > I've chosen to contract since 2005 because it's a flexible lifestyle --- but > soon I'll be moving into permanent FT employment. And when I do---as I > *always > *have in permanent jobs, I promise to set up an intern/apprentice program. > > Why? It's good for me as a manager, it's good for other employees, at all > levels, and I personally believe we owe it to new people coming into our > profession---in the same way we were all given breaks (yes, we also made our > own breaks - but we did have more of an open frontier to barge around in and > define, and we all were given a hand by someone else). > > Down the road I'm happy to help my peers set up programs like this. Maybe > I'll put together an article/talk about it. Back in maybe 2000 I presented > on this topic at Special Libraries Assn annual conference. As I said > offline to Paul, and echoing what folks here have said----it's not > effortless to bring in really junior people. It's time-consuming as hell > and sometimes frustrating. But it's also stimulating, fun, surprising, > lively, and positively challenging -- and an extra brain, set of eyes, hands > to get work done, for not a lot of money. > > As far as "execute" I'd be curious if Mark and Will are in agreement about > what execute means. I maybe Will saying it's about cranking out > work/artifacts, while I hear Mark saying it's about being able to navigate > complex environments, projects, personalities, politics, to be able to > articulate a perspective and point of view, to teach, and to be a keen > thinker and problem solver (beyond wireframes). > > Susan > > > On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 11:49 AM, Michael Micheletti < > michael.michele...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Bryan you have no idea how reassuring this is to me. I've been designing, >> and then helping build, web and desktop and mobile applications for years >> now. Our IxDA community hasn't really embraced and encouraged hands-on > craft >> enough for me to feel entirely comfortable. This helps. >> >> I just finished a "Hollywood" UI prototype for a BlackBerry communications >> app yesterday. Wrote it myself, in Java. The developers will dismantle my >> prototype for layout parts, graphics, and other interface components. Our >> business folks are stopping in this morning to push buttons and critique > the >> prototype loaded on a couple BlackBerrys. >> >> The upshot is that, if I wanted the UI to look and work great, I was going >> to have to build a lot of it myself. This came after a several week design >> cycle, with lots of wireframes, whiteboard work, meetings, and general >> arm-waving. The kind of thing that Interaction Designers do. When they're >> not building their designs. >> >> Thanks again for the vote of confidence. It's fun to make stuff. >> >> Michael Micheletti >> >> On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 7:49 AM, Bryan Minihan <bjmini...@gmail.com> > wrote: >> >>> I agree with the "If you can execute, they will come" point. >>> >>> I live in the non-agency, FT product development and implementation side > of >>> design - mostly big enterprise apps and small startup products, and >>> gravitate toward managing design and development teams. Design is in my >>> DNA, so all of my teams have to have a design component. That means I > need >>> at least one person on my team to keep the usability factor ahead of the >>> geek factor. >>> >>> If you're new to the field, and looking for someone to shadow or for whom >>> to intern, the best I can say is: bring your strongest skillset to a > job, >>> even if it's unrelated to IxD or design, and be passionate enough about >>> design to move into that role on your own. >>> >>> I led a usability research team for a large company awhile back, many of >>> whom were master or phd-level human factors folks. While they were all >>> absolutely brilliant researchers, by admission, most of them could not >>> execute their recommendations beyond Visio, PPT or Photoshop. To > maintain >>> our relevance in the organization, I did most of the translation into >>> functional prototypes for the team. I learned many new research > techniques >>> from them, and they didn't have to worry about the "geek stuff". Once I >>> left the company, however, the group eventually dissolved for lack of >>> tangible impact on their projects. >>> >>> I guess the point is: If I have budget for one designer, and a resume > for >>> a genius researcher, a photoshop guru, or a front-end developer with a >>> passion for the previous two, I'll pick the third resume. Otherwise, I > have >>> to do the front-end work, and I'm not getting as much for my budget. > Bring >>> something to augment your desire for IxD experience, and you won't have a >>> problem going where you want...just be patient and expect to spend > several >>> months to a year slowly moving into the role. >>> >>> >>> Bryan Minihan >>> Email: bjmini...@gmail.com >>> Cell: 919-428-4744 >>> Web: http://www.bryanminihan.com >>> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanminihan >>> >>> >>> On Feb 25, 2010, at 10:16 AM, mark schraad wrote: >>> >>>> I hope this is not too much of a tangent... >>>> >>>> Over the last month I have probably looked at close to a hundred > resumes. >>>> This is only partially specific to the Chicago area, but there is a ton >>> of >>>> talent out there. There are a lot of folks with excellent educational >>>> background, wonderful experience and great portfolios to show. What I >>> find >>>> myself more and more concerned with is the ability to partner with >>> product >>>> and technology folks to move great design forward and into the market. >>>> Frankly, it really does not matter if you are the worlds greatest uber >>>> designer... >>>> if you can't sell it, work collaboratively and push your passion > through >>> the >>>> labyrinth of compromise. Not everyone needs to have these skills, but > in >>> my >>>> world it will surely get you hired quicker and make you a more complete >>>> professional. >>>> >>>> This has been my call to the world of education (both under grad and >>> grad) >>>> for the last year or so. You have to do more than supply studio skills. >>> You >>>> have to teach students to think, to adapt, to explore and to work in >>> their >>>> future environment. >>>> >>>> Mark >>>> ________________________________________________________________ >>>> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >>>> To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org >>>> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >>>> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >>>> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help >>> >>> ________________________________________________________________ >>> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >>> To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org >>> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >>> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >>> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Michael Micheletti >> michael.michele...@gmail.com >> ________________________________________________________________ >> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >> To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org >> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help >> > > > > -- > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Susan Doran > 55 Morning Street > Portland ME 04101 > 207-774-4963 (land) > 202-296-4849 (cell) > > /susandoran (facebook) > @susandoran (twitter) > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
