Pankaj: I think your question about the role of solutions architects is a good one. I am not certain where the term comes from but Microsoft defines it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/specialties/default.mspx#solutions As I read the definition, the solution architect is a person who coordinates between the development group and the business side. Of course, Microsoft's definition is biased toward technology skills "solutions architects must demonstrate their skills as a technologist and persuade the staff regarding the validity and approach to the solution. The approach they take to creating architecture is to gather business requirements, select the technologies that provide the best solution, and then identify the products available that will best fit the solution they are proposing..." It is also slanted, I think, to large organizations. What is disturbing about the way they put it is that there is not one word on the entire page about IxD, UCD, users, UI or anything like that. I have worked with people with similar responsibilities in various organizations and typically I still take the lead in conceptualizing the product from the user's view. I think that the issue of ownership really relates to whether we are talking about the technical model or the user model (which Cooper has called the "manifest model"). What I think we need to keep pointing out is that there are two different models which are part of every technical development project. One model is around the technology solution and one around the user interactions. These two models are, ultimately, two views onto the same product but they deal with different constructs. In the past, the technical model has had primacy. Now the user model is being seen as increasingly important. It is not a problem for me to think of owning the user model and someone else owning the technical model as long as we are aligned and working together. At the end of the day, though, the user model is the one that customers see. And in my experience, every compromise to its integrity for technical ease comes back to haunt you. So at the end of the day, I think this is less an issue of definition as to how decision-making will be performed and who will prevail if there is an inability to resolve a conflict. Charlie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25942 ________________________________________________________________ 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
