Good question =] We have a pretty small team of about 6 people (including myself). I've had as many as 8, and have managed technical projects as well as the day-to-day UCD work. I'm kind of an anomaly in that I'm used to providing 5-6 different services for any given employer, so I like the 70%/30% manager/designer role.
Then again, I just quit my job because a) the company has gone backwards in its acceptance of UCD and design practices, and b) due to (a), I have lost two of my team members this year and could likely lose the rest of them. I'm moving on to a CTO role at an Internet startup, where I'll build the entire tech team from scratch. Most likely, my design role there (after the first few months) will be a contributor more than a prototyper, but I've evolved to appreciate the strategic impact as much (probably not more =]) than the hands-on design work. - Bryan http://www.bryanminihan.com ---- "Wilson wrote: > Out of curiosity, how many people do you manage? > > > It's not a binary equation (i.e. you don't stop designing the > minute you start managing). But the more your mgt responsibilities > increase, the less you are going to be able to design. (and vice-versa) > > It's not one or the other -- and you can be very successful doing a mix. > The question is what do you want that mix to be? (50-50, 60-40, 40-60...) > > And, if you aren't willing to manage, in most cases you will hit > a ceiling in compensation and status. And I'm not sure that's ideal. > What makes managing other resources more valuable than being a star resource? > > (this is coming from someone who has moved into executive management and > sometimes questions the philosophies) > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL > PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 11:33 AM > To: Dante Murphy > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] IxD Managers (was: d schools) > > Thanks for posting this, as I'm in the same position, and agree that > management is not mutually exclusive from having talent or performing > engagement work. I pull my weight as a team member just like the rest of my > team, but focus primarily on mentoring and providing input that helps > everyone move forward. We don't have much of a design shop, so I'm a rare > breed around here, anyway. > > I liken the need for senior design positions or "tactical design managers" to > the emergence of "web architects" from the web development crowd over the > years. It seems a good fit for those senior technical people who have a ton > to contribute to system and enterprise design, who don't need or want to > manage people directly. They can contribute and mentor without the formal > manager title and reporting relationships. If a company can afford the > headcount & resources to have them, I think both are very useful. > > - Bryan > http://www.bryanminihan.com > > ---- Dante Murphy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I'm an IxD manager, and I still design. A lot. My boss, who is a VP, > > also designs. A lot. > > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://gamma.ixda.org/help -- ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
