It just goes to show: You can't judge a rook(ie) by its follower. But seriously...
Adam, your blog post struck a few nerves for me, but also got me thinking, so thank you for that. 1) Re: The woeful state of IxD role models and practical academic lessons I see your point, but argue that such is the state of nearly every academic discipline today (well okay, narrow that to IT). After a 20 year "senior hiatus", I'm 2 classes away from my bachelor's (so I'll be 3/4 computer science, and 1/4 info technology). So I've had to slog my way through project management, software and enterprise architecture, vector illustration, and a host of other Info Tech courses - all of which I could have taught. While there were nuggets of useful information in each course, none of them were very practical in my day-to-day work-life. None were as useful as, say, the 2 hour conversation I had with one of our users last Thursday, which triggered five small design changes that will improve her productivity 50%. I can summarize my collegiate experience this way: Academic courses are entirely too silo'd in their approaches to their respective subjects, whereas the positions in which I am most successful require me to work across those very silos to actually execute my design vision. If that means giving up my coveted "designer" role to someone who thinks they know what they're doing, just so I can get my changes through, so be it. If I have to write the code because our offshore folks are better Oracle programmers than CSS wizards, then so be it. If I have to position the department's portfolio pipeline so my dream user interface will come together with the least effort and cost, then so be it. So while you make a valid point, and I agree that IxD as a formal academic area needs improvement, I would argue against using the state of IxD academia as the bell-weather for the discipline. As many have mentioned, some folks are just good at what they do, no matter who they follow, what they read, or how much they blog. 2) Re: You are who you follow This is by no means aimed at you, but it's a broader pet-peeve of mine: You're not a good designer unless you follow so-and-so, and if you haven't read whatsisname, you're a hack or poser, at best. I am what I can only describe as a "stealth designer". I am successful at my work because I believe not only that good design is invisible, but also that a good design process is invisible. That is, my executives don't really care if we have a design process, just as they could care less whether we have a formal architecture definition, a normalized database, running control charts, SEO-optimized meta-data or a leveled project plan. They want their business needs met. The more I shout about lacking a designer, the less they listen, and frankly, I don't blame them. I can't say I'm a great designer, but I can say I'm an effective designer, within the context and constraints provided by the business. I fail when the project fails, and succeed only when all these moving parts work together (tortured groans, but it's true). All that said, I don't blog about usability, or follow notable IxD visionaries (I follow Steve Martin, if you're interested), or buy and read every design book that hits the shelves, because 99% of what I read is either known already, or not yet useful. So my dedication to keeping up with my trade equals the amount of value it provides to my day to day life. I eagerly read most of what passes through IxD (both high and low-level), and rely on you folks to lead the way and make names for yourselves. I have no illusions that I will design the next [insert app here], but I do intend to keep delivering the best design-driven project methodology for my clients and employers, until they want me to start doing something else (so far, no takers on that point). Bryan Minihan ________________________________________________________________ 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
