Designers are from Venus, developers are from Mars. For far too long, the two groups have had difficulties working together. At best, it is dysfunctional, at worst, impossible. In return, we have been drowned in a sea of horrible products. Great experiences come from design and technology working together to complement each other. In this presentation, the focus in on how developers can be integrated into the design process earlier and more effectively.

1. DEVELOPERS, YOU’RE
DESIGNING EXPERIENCES...
AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT.
P.J. Onori
@somerandomdude
#youareux

2. DEVELOPERS ARE VTIAL
TO CREATING GREAT
EXPERIENCES AND SHOULD
HAVE A GREATER PART IN
THE DESIGN PROCESS.

3. PREFACE

4. WHAT IS USER
EXPERIENCE?

5. Credit: Dan Saffer
MANY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES
WORKING IN UNISON

6. UX SHAPES HOW WE USE THINGS

8. THIS IS NOT A
WEBSITE
Credit: Chris Valleskey, http://chrisvalleskey.com

9. NEITHER IS THIS

10. THIS IS A WEBSITE

11. HOWEVER, MANY OF US WORKING ON A PRODUCT
ONLY VIEW IT THROUGH ONE OF THESE LENSES.

12. THE PEOPLE WHO USE
YOUR PRODUCTS DO NOT
SEE ANY SEPARATION
BETWEEN DESIGN AND
TECHNOLOGY.

13. BAD PRODUCTS LACK IN AT LEAST ONE
OF THE AREAS

14. GREAT PRODUCTS MAKE IT ALL FIT
TOGETHER PERFECTLY

15. WHY ARE GREAT
PRODUCTS SO RARE?

16. THE DISCONNECT

17. THE ASSEMBLY LINE APPROACH IS
EFFICIENT, BUT INEFFECTIVE

18. Maker
Developer Designer
Thinker
IT CREATES SILOS OF SPECIALISTS WITH
LARGE GAPS IN EXPERTISE

19. THERE’S A CULTURAL RIFT BETWEEN
DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS
• Differences in philosophy
• Different types of communication
• Different priorities

20. MUTUAL IGNORANCE
• Most organizations are built around a segregated, overly structured
process of creating products.
• The majority of people on each side have no real understanding of what
the other does.
• A lot of people don’t want to know.

21. Darcy the Danny the
designer engineer
EXAMPLE: DARCY AND DANNY ARE
TASKED TO CREATE A CAR

22. “The engine noise was ruining
the driving experience, so we
decided that the car would be
powered by a nuclear reactor.
That’s cool, right?”

23. “The weight from the seats
lowered the car’s fuel efficiency
by 5 percent. So we removed
them.”

24. GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE CREATE
GAPS IN EXPERIENCES.

25. WHY DEVELOPERS
ARE SO CRUCIAL FOR
DESIGN

26. WHEN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY WORK
TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY, IT’S MAGIC.

27. DEVELOPERS ARE
THE GATEKEEPERS
OF EXPERIENCE.

28. DEVELOPERS PRODUCE EXPERIENCES
• Developers ensure that software is snappy and stable.
• Developers are the first “real” users of software.
• Developers have the opportunity to point out and/or fill in the gaps often
missed in design.

29. DEVELOPERS EMPOWER ITERATION
• At best, we will be creating imperfect solutions to the problems we are
aware of.
• Design has traditionally been very bad at adjusting quickly.
• Some of the most important design decisions happen during
development and after the product launches.

30. DEVELOPERS STEER DESIGNERS AWAY
FROM RATHOLES
• Focus and constraints are invaluable to most designers when solving
problems.
• Good communication can save countless hours of misdirected work.
• Informed decisions by designers encourage well-written code.

31. DESIGNERS ARE EQUALLY
IMPORTANT FOR QUALITY
DEVELOPMENT.
(BUT THAT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT SUBJECT)

32. HOW TO MAKE THIS
HAPPEN

33. MAKE THE PRODUCT’S
EXPERIENCE EVERYONE’S
RESPONSIBILITY.

34. SCRAP YOUR SILOS
• Silos isolate team members from ideas and
points of view.
• That isolation causes one-dimensional thinking.

35. FOSTER A TEAM OF
T-SHAPED PEOPLE
• Allows team members to make better decisions
due to their broader understanding.
• It also lets us help other people do their jobs
better.

36. EVERYONE NEEDS A
FUNDAMENTAL
UNDERSTANDING OF
DESIGN
• If team members touch the design in any way
(implementation, testing, etc.) they need to
understand the subject matter to work on it.

37. EVERYONE
PROTOTYPES
• The type of prototyping will vary (sketches,
Keynote, code-based), but working in the
context of the final product forces broader
thinking.
• Prototyping exposes designers to the
challenges of making, which creates empathy
for the development process.

38. EVERYTHING PRIOR TO THE FINAL
PRODUCT IS A MEANS TO AN END
• Designs mean nothing unless they are feasible
and encourage stability, performance and
flexibility.
• Elegant code is worthless unless it leads to
elegant experiences.
• All discussions and debates are framed around
the user experience rather than the specifics of
our role.

39. WHAT THIS AIMS TO ACHIEVE
• A broader view of the product by everyone on the team.
• Less divisions between groups with specific roles.
• A common language to from which to communicate.
• A more inclusive approach to ideation and problem solving.

40. Maker
Developer Designer
Thinker
LARGER SKILL OVERLAP AND
NO GAPS IN UNDERSTANDING.

41. COLLABORATION IS FUN! BUT...

42. THIS IS NOT EASY.

43. YOU DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.
HOWEVER...
• It expects more of individuals than before.
• Forces people out of their comfort zones.
• It’s no longer OK to not know. Even worse to not care.

44. YOU NEED TO KNOW
HOW TO DESIGN A
PRODUCT ALMOST AS
WELL AS YOU KNOW
HOW TO BUILD ONE.

45. HOW YOU CAN GET
STARTED

46. TALK SHOP
• Have conversations with designers about the
practice of design.
• Ask designers about their philosophy.
• During that time, share your knowledge of
development with them.

47. FIND YOUR HORIZONTAL
STROKE
• With a greater understanding of the design
process, find the subjects that interest you.
• Read books, subscribe to some blogs, listen to
podcasts.
• Start figuring ways to integrate that focus in
your daily routine.

48. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN
“GOOD DESIGN”
• Look at good design in a critical manner. Try to
understand the thinking behind it.
• Observe how it plays a role in your life (good,
bad or indifferent).
• It should not be limited just to software.

49. BE FUSSY
• Pay attention to the things that bug you about
products and why.
• When things do not meet your expectations, try
to understand the reasons behind it.
• Care about details.

50. DESIGN EVERYTHING YOU DO
• Put conscious thought into everything you
make. How can you improve upon them, make
them better for yourself and others.
• Remember, design far from just aesthetics, it’s
how people perceive, interact and use
something.
• Constantly dwell on how to improve that which
you make.

51. LASTLY, AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING
NEW-AGEY...

52. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION
• Design is learned, not innate.
• Practice > Talent.
• Expect quality work from yourself.

53. IN CONCLUSION...
• Always keep at the front of your mind that you are ultimately making
software for another person to use.
• Design principles will make you a better developer.

54. THANKS
P.J. Onori
@somerandomdude
www.seabrightstudios.com
www.somerandomdude.com