This post is in response to a post by Hunter Walk, "Get more out of your smartest people by asking them to do less" Originally written as a comment to the post and cross posted here.
***
Thanks for writing this, it's really interesting and great to see design taking center stage in this discourse. I think it's really important for non-design tech folks to hear from someone such as yourself that there is another work product equally or even more valuable than detailed screen designs and mockups.
Your fundamental hypothesis seems to be two basic positions:
1) A great designer is better, faster, more efficient and more creative than a mediocre one. (This is obvious to everyone, so I won't dwell here, though someday someone should write a post about how damaging a truly bad designer can be.)
2) A great designer can move faster and produce more conceptual mockups and wireframes if the "burden" of creating detailed specs is removed, thus solving larger and more complicated problems at a higher rate. (You'll have to pardon the focus on speed in these first statements, as I feel that most of your post is referring to optimizing great design resources for quantity and speed - if quality is a given, as we assume from point #1.)
First, I'll start with the points that I agree with:
Yes! A great designer can come up with a whiteboard drawing within moments of getting a detailed description of the problem, or in the middle of the night, or during a shower. Once the idea is there, it only takes a few seconds for a truly great designer to draw something reasonable on the whiteboard, outline the flows and use cases to anyone who will listen, and talk through all of the possible technology snafus and edge cases. BAM! Done!
... except it never really works that way. It's nice on paper for people to say that a whiteboard drawing is sufficient, but as a designer who has attempted to send detailed whiteboard drawings to teams and hope that the magic happens, I can tell you that it's not that simple.
The main skill/talent of an (interaction) designer is the relative ease that it takes for them to come up with a drawing on a whiteboard in the abstract and see very clearly how the end product would look on the site. If this work is done for a well-established site with an existing visual styleguide and templating system for page layout, then (in an ideal world) the work should be complete. On paper, any relatively intelligent engineer, product manager, etc with access to a visual styleguide, an existing product or layout templates should be able to pick up a whiteboard drawing or simple wireframe and translate that into a working prototype with little additional design resources. In my experience, this is almost never the case (there was one person I worked with that could do this flawlessly, perhaps I should get him to comment here).
Designers are designers because they can think about interaction patterns, visual style, flow and page layout very abstractly almost as a second nature. If everyone could do that, then you wouldn't need designers! It's easy to forget that the spatial and abstract interaction skills are not easy for others, and it often takes much, much more time from the designer to communicate intent, create more deliverables, and answer questions that (to them looking at the original whiteboard) seem obvious but can become massive roadblocks for an engineer or product person doing the implementation or getting the various necessary approvals.
In short, a great wireframe is almost never enough to get done what needs to get done, not because of the designer, but because of the folks around them.
Some other points from your original post I'd like to respond to:
The flow of ideas is collaborative, not directional
I have to take issue with the implication that the flow of ideas is from product to design. "Product tells design what the task is." But just like any other discipline (eng, product, etc), if someone is truly spectacular, the ideas can come from anywhere and often do come from "the makers." This probably was unintentional in your post, but is often a sore spot for my fellow designers, so I thought I'd bring it up here in the hopes of changing this standard assumption in the future.
Every possible design iteration doesn't need to be explored
In my experience, I often come to a solution that seems reasonable given the various product, legal and technical constraints and it is nearly always the product manager that asks for further and exhaustive iterations of the spec. Nearly every time, we arrive back at the original solution, with sometimes weeks of wasted design time in between. I propose that another way to increase the quantity of output of great designers is to allow them to skip the "comprehensive iteration" phase and go with the good solid solution that comes to them quickly.
Context switching is the enemy of quality
Secondly, if I understand it correctly, your ideal designer would work briefly on all the hardest problems at the highest level, leaving the detail work to more junior designers. This causes a number of problems, not the least of which is the productivity hit from context switching. Just like engineers, designers do their best when they can sit, focus and dedicate hours of brainspace to a single problem and not have to switch contexts dozens of times in a day. Where I work, there are plenty of structures in place to protect engineering staff from these types of context-switches, why shouldn't we protect our most skilled designers in the same way? The more context switching that happens for a designer, the less deeply they can think about any given problem, the sloppier the work becomes. Then you have successfully turned an exceptional designer into a mediocre one by not giving them the time and space they need to actually be exceptional.
The devil's in the details
A trained designer (whether visual or interaction) has spent years in school and countless all-nighters worrying about the perfect kern on a logotype, a torn paper edge, a stray pencil mark and a single unsolved edge case. The foundation of our entire discipline was built on the most minute details that no one even consciously notices. I once watched a design professor rip a student's work off the wall and tear it into pieces in front of everyone because the corner of the paper had a drop of coffee on it. If the high-level conceptual work is the only thing that is completed by a trained designer, then detail suffers and the product could end up looking sloppy and amateurish. A junior designer likely hasn't had enough experience or training to look after all the small details that matter, and this is something you'd lose by redirecting high-level designers to only conceptual work.
Anything that users can see is the responsibility of the designer
Once the product goes live, if the designer has been shepherding their vision *only* at the conceptual level, then the details become secondary and the product may look or act sloppy. It's all fine and good if the designer internally is given only responsibility over the conceptual work, but once launched, it's entirely the responsibility of the designer. The designer is responsible for the end-to-end protection of the vision, and if they are never working on details, they will get raked as soon as the thing goes live. This pressure is not only from external criticism, but a good designer is her own harshest critic. If something they are responsible for is not of the highest quality, they have no one to blame but themselves.
Strong team relationships accelerate design innovation
Last point: when a designer has been greenlighted to move from team to team working only on the highest level problems and then moving on, they can't form meaningful relationships with the rest of the implementation team (see also "context switching" above). A solid relationship with the product manager and engineers working on the thing being designed is one of the most important components of getting amazing design done (I am, of course, excluding consulting design shops who don't do their own implementation). If a team is all together, working through all the nasty bits, the details and the edge cases, and a designer comes along and throws something over the wall, the team is less trusting and less open to big ideas and innovations from someone not going through all the drudgery with them. This happens time and again. The best and most innovative design I have ever done is on teams where I've also done the most tedious and mind numbing design work you could fathom, just because it needed to get done. Trust is built this way. Big ideas can be acted on more quickly with higher quality by the entire team, with *enthusiasm* if those relationships are strong.
In the end, my advice is this: If you've identified someone exceptional, just have a conversation *with* them outlining your perspective all of the projects and ideas that would benefit from their expertise, explain why you think they are important to the company or to users, and then let them decide where and how to focus their time and what fidelity their deliverables should be.
**Disclaimer: I'm currently a Senior User Experience Designer working at YouTube**
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bieber is my use-case
After bringing up Justin Bieber about 30 times in a single meeting, I decided to make this tshirt for fun.
YouTube certainly is a very, very "Special" place to be a designer. :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Your followers are people too.
I have a high tolerance for information.
I receive, on average, hundreds (if not thousands) of emails each work day. I respond to probably ~100. I read the tweets of over 200 people. I read the Buzz updates of ~150 of my co workers (I don't use Buzz form my personal account, more on that later). Every day, I consume hundreds of Facebook status updates, Reader items, news articles, IMs ... well, you get the idea.
Working on Google Reader for 3 years really sharpened my consumption skills and made me seek out the most efficient interfaces, or better ways of consuming applications online that have sub-par consumption interfaces.
I consume so much information on a daily basis, I've become an expert sifter. If some bit of information doesn't interest me, I skim it and move on. No emotional response whatsoever.
I'm capable of sifting, sorting and attending or ignoring nearly every type of information in nearly every interface except one.
Twitter status updates.
I'm trying to figure out why I get so worked up when I see updates that I can't stand, but can't un-follow and can't un-see. I get really worked up about certain types of tweeters and I somehow can't bring myself to un-follow. Many times, because it could potentially cause a meatspace conflict if it's discovered by the other party.
Enter Brizzly's mute feature (thank the dear lord).
I don't know what my deal is this week, but I've muted 6 people in the last 6 days. Seeing these status updates actually impacts the quality of my life, and for some reason I cannot skim them with the unemotional robot precision that I'm used to with other information types (one day I "read" nearly 6,000 reader items).
I've identified the following tweeting-types that I've decided I no longer have tolerance for (If your twitter stream contains more than 15% of any of these types, you've been muted). Don't get me wrong, I've been known to violate each one of these every now and then, but my mute criteria is any one of the following types as an overwhelming majority of a single stream.
"Sensitive Introspection"
Artificially saccharine, introspective, meandering thoughts about the sky or the clouds, or a plastic bag floating on the wind. This is what journals are for, people. Write it down and keep it to yourself. It's called "INtrospection" for a reason.
"Trolling for attention"
"WOAH I'M WORKING ON SOMETHING SUPER SECRET THAT WILL MAKE YOU WET YOUR PANTS AND OMGWTF BBQ DON'T YOU WISH YOU WERE ME HOLY SHIT!" No, I'm sorry... No one liked it in grade school when someone said "I know something really important, but I can't tell you." Get a grip.
"Ultimate banality"
I barely manage SMS to my boyfriend (whom I live with) that I'm on my way home. I DEFINITELY don't care that you are on your way home, or you are still at work at 10pm, or that you just ate some hummus. Please find a way to jazz it up, or just flat out make something up. Otherwise, you might find this page useful.
"24 hour complaint machine"
There are some people I know who are just lovely to be around and have a drink with, but their Twitter presence makes me want to stab my own eyes out. Really? Is everything in your life shit? Or you just want to make my life shit too? I don't mind a little complaining in a twitter stream, but if every single tweet is a complaint it's super annoying. Your tweets are stressing me out and shortening my life. Give it a rest.
"Welcome to my corporate cult"
The culty work tweets are just creepy. It's OK to like your job. It's OK to love your job. But tweeting creepy and intimate things about how amazing your office is, or the work is, or your coworkers are constantly and how life changing it is, and how everyone should be like you and where you are now ... it's not awesome. Fondle your corporate schwag in the privacy of your own home.
"Travel Rants"
This is the WORST when people are going on vacation to some tropical island, and just non-stop BITCHING about delays, middle seats, no airplane wi-fi, etc. BY THE WAY: when you get to your destination, you'll be on a tropical island with fish tacos and margaritas and I'll be at my desk moving pixels around a screen. A video dedicated to everyone in this group.
"Workout/Running announcements"
Did you just get back from a 37 mile run? A triathlon, you say? Oh, I was TOTALLY wondering how your new running shoes were working out. Phew, thank god that you made it on time to yoga, I was worried for a minute. Wait.... NO ONE CARES.
So there you go. I guess this is only relevant if you care who is consuming your stream. But I imagine most people's lives on the receiving end of these tweets would be much improved with a little less of the above.
I receive, on average, hundreds (if not thousands) of emails each work day. I respond to probably ~100. I read the tweets of over 200 people. I read the Buzz updates of ~150 of my co workers (I don't use Buzz form my personal account, more on that later). Every day, I consume hundreds of Facebook status updates, Reader items, news articles, IMs ... well, you get the idea.
Working on Google Reader for 3 years really sharpened my consumption skills and made me seek out the most efficient interfaces, or better ways of consuming applications online that have sub-par consumption interfaces.
I consume so much information on a daily basis, I've become an expert sifter. If some bit of information doesn't interest me, I skim it and move on. No emotional response whatsoever.
I'm capable of sifting, sorting and attending or ignoring nearly every type of information in nearly every interface except one.
Twitter status updates.
I'm trying to figure out why I get so worked up when I see updates that I can't stand, but can't un-follow and can't un-see. I get really worked up about certain types of tweeters and I somehow can't bring myself to un-follow. Many times, because it could potentially cause a meatspace conflict if it's discovered by the other party.
Enter Brizzly's mute feature (thank the dear lord).
I don't know what my deal is this week, but I've muted 6 people in the last 6 days. Seeing these status updates actually impacts the quality of my life, and for some reason I cannot skim them with the unemotional robot precision that I'm used to with other information types (one day I "read" nearly 6,000 reader items).
I've identified the following tweeting-types that I've decided I no longer have tolerance for (If your twitter stream contains more than 15% of any of these types, you've been muted). Don't get me wrong, I've been known to violate each one of these every now and then, but my mute criteria is any one of the following types as an overwhelming majority of a single stream.
"Sensitive Introspection"
Artificially saccharine, introspective, meandering thoughts about the sky or the clouds, or a plastic bag floating on the wind. This is what journals are for, people. Write it down and keep it to yourself. It's called "INtrospection" for a reason.
"Trolling for attention"
"WOAH I'M WORKING ON SOMETHING SUPER SECRET THAT WILL MAKE YOU WET YOUR PANTS AND OMGWTF BBQ DON'T YOU WISH YOU WERE ME HOLY SHIT!" No, I'm sorry... No one liked it in grade school when someone said "I know something really important, but I can't tell you." Get a grip.
"Ultimate banality"
I barely manage SMS to my boyfriend (whom I live with) that I'm on my way home. I DEFINITELY don't care that you are on your way home, or you are still at work at 10pm, or that you just ate some hummus. Please find a way to jazz it up, or just flat out make something up. Otherwise, you might find this page useful.
"24 hour complaint machine"
There are some people I know who are just lovely to be around and have a drink with, but their Twitter presence makes me want to stab my own eyes out. Really? Is everything in your life shit? Or you just want to make my life shit too? I don't mind a little complaining in a twitter stream, but if every single tweet is a complaint it's super annoying. Your tweets are stressing me out and shortening my life. Give it a rest.
"Welcome to my corporate cult"
The culty work tweets are just creepy. It's OK to like your job. It's OK to love your job. But tweeting creepy and intimate things about how amazing your office is, or the work is, or your coworkers are constantly and how life changing it is, and how everyone should be like you and where you are now ... it's not awesome. Fondle your corporate schwag in the privacy of your own home.
"Travel Rants"
This is the WORST when people are going on vacation to some tropical island, and just non-stop BITCHING about delays, middle seats, no airplane wi-fi, etc. BY THE WAY: when you get to your destination, you'll be on a tropical island with fish tacos and margaritas and I'll be at my desk moving pixels around a screen. A video dedicated to everyone in this group.
"Workout/Running announcements"
Did you just get back from a 37 mile run? A triathlon, you say? Oh, I was TOTALLY wondering how your new running shoes were working out. Phew, thank god that you made it on time to yoga, I was worried for a minute. Wait.... NO ONE CARES.
So there you go. I guess this is only relevant if you care who is consuming your stream. But I imagine most people's lives on the receiving end of these tweets would be much improved with a little less of the above.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Thinking of Getting a Puppy? Stuff to get BEFORE day 1.
A colleague of mine is bringing her beautiful new Golden retriever puppy home in a month's time. I've been thinking about that, after being with Emmie Lou for 3 months now. I thought, what would I have wanted to know beforehand? What would I have purchased in advance?
So I put my thoughts together in a long email, then thought I should add it here. So here is is, my trial & error (and chewed shoes, and destroyed carpets) are your gain...
The following is all the stuff I wish I had, or needed to know about pre-puppy for various reasons. Not sure why I'm thinking about this so much this morning (probably cause the Emmie is in her terrible twos), but anyhow here's what I've found incredibly useful (after tons of trial and error).
So I put my thoughts together in a long email, then thought I should add it here. So here is is, my trial & error (and chewed shoes, and destroyed carpets) are your gain...
The following is all the stuff I wish I had, or needed to know about pre-puppy for various reasons. Not sure why I'm thinking about this so much this morning (probably cause the Emmie is in her terrible twos), but anyhow here's what I've found incredibly useful (after tons of trial and error).
Also, all of this stuff is cheaper (some by half as much) on amazon than it is in the pet store. If you order this all in advance, you'll save probably 30% or more. It can add up.
POOP:
We made the mistake of getting a normal carpet cleaner, but she'd keep peeing on the same spot. Turns out, you need an enzymatic cleaner like this one to make sure the odors in poop and pee don't stick around after you clean the spot. We use this on accidents on carpet as well as the wood and the recycled tile in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, pet stores usually only carry the plastic ones. I felt bad every time I threw one of these things away. The biodegradable ones can be tossed in with the compost.
Your puppy will likely get a parasite (or come with one) in the first few weeks you have it. You'll need to scoop poop from your yard after each deposit to keep from re-infecting the puppy if they come into contact with it. After that threat has passed, it's just easier to keep the yard free from landmines if you have this.
Best potty training treat out there. small bits perfect for the potty training, and SUPER high value to dogs. Order these online for sure, they are 3-4x more expensive in the pet store. Downside: they smell weird.
TOYS:
One of the best and most indestructible toys we have. She loves it. It's soft and fuzzy, hard and bouncy and has long strips hanging off of it that she loves.
This is the only one of the "Stuffed dog treat toys" that we've found that will actually hold the small bits of treat in without spilling them everywhere. Stuff a few things in here, and she'll be busy for an hour.
You might want to get one or two of these. They work best for feeding or busy time. Make some chicken and rice (all boiled and bland) and stuff it in here and freeze it. Or soak part of puppy's kibble, spoon it in here and freeze it. The frozen mush also feels good on the teeth when they are teething. When full grown teeth appear, stuff a couple chicken jerky in for 30 minutes of peace.
Squeaky, indestructible, has ribbons. She loves it. Also, has a good name so you can say "Go get flappy!" and they know which one you mean. Super annoying to humans (kinda like Fred). This is the most indestructible squeaky we have.
She likes this for tug of war better than a rope. It's stretchy and has some crackly plastic or something inside that makes a noise. Great toy. Not totally indestructible, but it'll last for a while. No stuffing, so no mess when it inevitably gets destroyed. :)
TREATS:
Most of the dog treats you see in stores are things dogs love, but they have so much fake stuff in them that dogs (puppies especially) will get sick (runny poop or vomit). These (below) are ones I've found her to love and also not make her sick.
Simple, healthy ingredients, and perfect small shape for basic obedience and leash training. Definitely get these online, much cheaper than the pet store.
This is the best thing we give her. It's REALLY high value and is just freeze dried chicken so we know it doesn't have processed crap in it (read: less diarrhea). These are really expensive everywhere except Costco. A 3lb bag of these there is $9.99.
These were amazing for visitors coming, or puppy meeting strangers. Nutro is a brand I swear by, by the way. I give Emmie Nutro Natural Choice lamb kibble as well.
This comes with 3 levels of chewing increasing in indestructibility. A good primer for puppy who knows nothing. Start with totally consumable and work your way up.
OTHER STUFF:
This is one of my favorite items. Since I don't let the dog on the furniture, she's got beds at the office in the living room and bedroom. You just get one of these duvets and put your old blankets or clothes inside. No waste and easy to clean! These are better made than anything you can get in the pet store, and they are local (Berkeley)! Don't be fooled by the sizing though, the large is the size of a twin bed practically. Just go for the medium for a normal medium to big dog (I'd say up to 60lbs).
Well made, and super cute designs. I don't recommend getting these until puppy is in the Large, as you'll need one or two cheap ones that you can just give to SPCA when she grows out of them. But these are really cute. I'll probably get one for Emmie boo when she's fully grown.
I don't actually have this yet, but I'm gonna order it. You can't really get those tiny hairs out of your car upholstery, like, ever. :)
Hope this is useful! Getting what you need online and in advance will reduce your first week stress and save money! (I wish we hadn't made our puppy decision they day she came home with us, cause I had to run all over town looking for this stuff when it was SO much cheaper online). You'll still need to get to the pet store to get tags made, though. :)
Dog owners... what are your favorite products?
Monday, March 8, 2010
Nearly 5 weeks post-surgery.
Week 5 update: Scar swelling is down, but it's still pretty painful. It hurts to be touched, and my physical therapist is now starting to worry about something called Reflex Sympathetic Distrophy (RSD) which can occur after injury or surgery. I now have to massage my incision site a few times a day, in addition to what the therapist does 3x a week.
I've started lifting more weights at PT, and on the hand bike, which is tiring but good.
I'm fully out of the brace and still can't get the last 5 degrees of extension in my arm, but still improving, I think . Can't wait to ride my bike!
The white dot in the middle of my scar is the rogue stitch poking out.
I've started lifting more weights at PT, and on the hand bike, which is tiring but good.
I'm fully out of the brace and still can't get the last 5 degrees of extension in my arm, but still improving, I think . Can't wait to ride my bike!
Short post for dog owners
Today marks two weeks with wonder pup. It's been up and down (mostly up) and she's growing like a weed. She already went up two notches and then out of her puppy collar and is into the "medium" collar group already. :'(
She went to her first puppy social hour yesterday. I know everyone is going to tease me about this being like an overbearing "new mom," but every book and article I've read about how to raise a decent, mellow dog has said that this is crucial for bite inhibition. It teaches them how hard is too hard to bite, and how to play nicely. This is, apparently, a critical step before 16 weeks of age that many people don't pay that much attention to. It also reduces dog-dog aggression later in life as well.
Here's Em at her playtime:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uR6TilqeVE
One last note to new dog owners and people with older dogs alike:
Go get one of these:
She went to her first puppy social hour yesterday. I know everyone is going to tease me about this being like an overbearing "new mom," but every book and article I've read about how to raise a decent, mellow dog has said that this is crucial for bite inhibition. It teaches them how hard is too hard to bite, and how to play nicely. This is, apparently, a critical step before 16 weeks of age that many people don't pay that much attention to. It also reduces dog-dog aggression later in life as well.
Here's Em at her playtime:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uR6TilqeVE
One last note to new dog owners and people with older dogs alike:
Go get one of these:
This is the "Kong stuff-a-ball". I feed all of Emmie's meals in this thing. It gives them something to do for a half hour or so, they are learning while they are doing it, and it teaches them to be excited about food. I just pour the kibble in the side with the large hole, put it on the ground and she works out how to get every last bit out. Seriously, this totally works. Go get one. It's only $7.
Monday, March 1, 2010
23 days later...
It's been 23 days since my surgery. I have 2.5 weeks left of leave. I can extend and flex my arm nearly 100% and the physical therapist says only one more week in the brace. I started strength training today. 3lb barbells, woo hoo!! It hurts, but feels good to finally put my biceps and triceps to some use.
The doctor and physical therapist are amazed at my speedy recovery. I still get the stiffness in my hand and arm, but most the the electrical kind of pain and numbness is gone. I'll feel it like once or twice per day (instead of ~6 hours or more a day).
I did find out today that one of my (supposedly) internal stitches is peeking up out of my scar. So I'll have to get that pulled out manually in two weeks when I go back to the dr. It's totally freaking me out though.
All in all, I'm still taking it slow, but things seem to be on the up!
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