Unicorns are made, not born

Talk given at Refresh Portland.

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Over the years, the internet has had many a debate over unicorns, aka designers that code. In what capacity do they exist? Should more people try to become unicorns? What does it take to be a designer/developer?

Despite what the descriptor might imply, being a unicorn isn’t magic – it’s work. Whether you’re starting a career in design, already designing and coding all the time, or hiring, you’ll have to make decisions about what to prioritize. So rather than perpetuating unicorn myths, let’s talk about what it’s like to jump between two disciplines and what makes one designer better than another.

Transcript

1. Photo via EFF on Flickr UNICORNS ARE @eleaɾRefresh Portland made NOT BORN truths of designers/ developers
2. 2005 you need a hybrid designer/developer!
4. The Ideal Web Team (via andybudd.com)
5. 2005 2010 UNICORN
7. Duty Calls (via xkcd)
8. 10 CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT DESIGNER/ DEVELOPERS
9. unicorns ≠ half designer, half developer 1
10. unicorns ≠ half designer, half developer designers first and foremost 1
11. DESIGN ENGINEERING
12. DESIGN
13. there is no such thing as a “true unicorn” 2
15. 3 you need a dash of opportunity and lots of time
16. YOU 3 you need a dash of opportunity and lots of time COMPANY
17. LEARNING FUND ideal resources MENTOR SMALL PROJECTS
18. tutorials bootcamps workshops conferences books LEARNING FUND
19. LEARNING FUND MENTOR SMALL PROJECTS ideal resources
20. there will be tradeoffs 4
21. there will be tradeoffs 4 you have a finite amount of attention and time
22. not all skills are valued equally 5
23. UX UI VISUAL HTML/CSS? JAVASCRIPT?
24. doing design & dev ≠ more power at work 6
25. doing design & dev ≠ more power at work 6 AUTONOMY MOBILITY SALARY
26. your medium has technical and human constraints 7
27. your medium has technical and human constraints 7 neither of which require coding knowledge
28. you can’t optimize ux without functional prototypes 8
29. learning how to code ≠ becoming a better designer 9
30. calling designer/ developers “unicorns” has connotations 10
31. #NOMOREUNICORNS 10 calling designer/ developers “unicorns” has connotations
32. Forge your own path ✓ learn new things if you want to ✓ respect design and dev as disciplines of their own
33. ✓ use your skills to solve problems Forge your own path
34. What if we end the debate & embrace diversity in design?
35. THANK YOU! @elea