Dude(s),I've worked for number 1 in the nation marketing and advertising agencies. Start ups Freelance
In a variety of industries. If you are asking your engineers to change something like moving a button your process needs to be revised. Ideal is you slowly iterate and shave off the input as the design goes down the pipe. Check done, pass, check, done pass, oh we have a request, sorry to late next time, check done, done, done. Yea right! That never happens. The more process you involve and the more people you involve the more entropy creeps into the system and wackiness occurs. Trying to make people understand is a waste of time. If they are able to understand than they already do and they are using it as leverage for whatever motivates them. I just had this discussion with a friend that wanted to offer me some unsolicited advice on some lame design I did and I was all hey give me a break. I would love to provide everyone with some custom work of art; but, c'mon! Trying to maneuver someone into a well thought out plan is like trying to get my cats in their carrier when they know I'm taking em to the vet! It's near impossible with trickery, chasing, them while closing and locking doors to corner them. I can't even shake their treats to get them from hiding when they know it's time. I also was all you have different types of customers. Some customers 1.) you are going to stretch your own canvas, make your own brushes, mix your own oil paints, do some studies, sketch, paint, hand craft a complimentary frame and voila 2.) or you are going to get a lot of pre made canvases, throw down some acrylics, whip it out, put into one of those nice packaged frames and be done with it. 3.) or you are going to have some ready to go out the door packaged done pieces they can throw on the wall of their hotel lobby and collect the ambience fee. It is our job when to know when to offer what to whom. I also just had a convo with a client that is having photo shoot. As a future reference measure I wanted to point out to the client how the photo shoot goes. I asked, why did you pic the photographer and how much is it costing you? She said she is allowing me to take as many poses as I want, whatever. But I know it is 1 day and 1 day only and once that lady prints and shows her what she has to choose from the show is over! She's not going to go on photo shoot part 2 unless you pay for part 2. That is the same way any design process should roll... right? am I wrong. Am I missing something? On Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 7:41 PM, gavin burke|FAW < [email protected]> wrote: > You have to understand also the engineers perspective. From their > perspective they are the most important part of the process, without them > there would be no product just fresh air. So they feel they own it in a way. > Underneath the interface is a whole different world of complexity. If an > interface designer comes up to their desk while they are working and tells > them "I think the "ok" button needs to be more over to the left so the user > doesn't get confused", its like a voice from another plant. Add on top of > this the pressure of scrum or a difficult project that is make or break on a > technical level and you won't get a look in. > > With good product management this should never happen but the way things > are going with shorter and shorter development cycles and its associated > pressures this type of situation is inevitable. > > My advice is to wait around, cut your teeth abit more and when your in a > more senior position use what you are going through now as a way of > improving things for everyone, user, engineer and yourself. > > > On 26 Jan 2009, at 01:10, Angel Marquez wrote: > > I think that is great advice. I like it. But their are some enormous >> A-holes >> that engineer. >> I think every department should have one person from another department on >> that team as a liaison. The last four or so gigs I've had have been on >> engineering teams and it is not my background. What brought me to it is >> that >> as a designer you hit road blocks when someone says 'You can't', 'Don't', >> etc... >> It is often b*ll sh*t and the engineers are operating behind a curtain >> like >> the wizard of OZ. >> >> With the last PM I worked with I said 'if you can explain it we can make >> it >> happen.' >> >> I don't think a good engineer says it cannot be done. I've also worked >> with >> stellar engineers and I always make it a point to ask what is a good >> deliverable for you (why) and the good ones have sent me exactly what they >> want and why they want it that way. The others riddle off reasons why they >> are of a superior breed and the like, they usually couldn't engineer their >> way out of a wet paper bag... >> >> >> On Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 5:00 PM, Janna Hicks DeVylder <[email protected] >> >wrote: >> >> In work environments like this, I have found that forcing our discipline >>> into the process is the least effective... the "you MUST work with us" >>> mantra will fall on deaf ears. >>> >>> As a User Centered Design graduate I find it quite irritating to be >>>> working in an environment where engineers run everything. >>>> >>>> > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... 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