Designer/developer collaboration
This reflects the process for more mature orgs. All stages are fluid and often overlap.
Initial Concepting
• Design driven
• Developers uncover
constraints, address
feasibility
Handoff Begins
• Both roles involved
• Implementation starts;
design continues
• Usually includes design
specs or mocks
Implementation
• Developer driven
• Design ‘officially’
finished, but...
• Ongoing communication
often needed
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Designer/developer collaboration
This reflects the process for more mature orgs. All stages are fluid and often overlap.
Initial Concepting
• Design driven
• Developers uncover
constraints, address
feasibility
Handoff Begins
• Both roles involved
• Implementation starts;
design continues
• Usually includes design
specs or mocks.
Implementation
• Developer driven
• Design ‘officially’
finished.
• Communication often
needed to clarify intent.
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“Everything I did before this was
worse, and I don’t know what would
be better.”
iOS developer
“I’m trying to work with [our dev
team in India]. I spend a lot of time
trying to maintain clear
communication and direction.”
Senior in-house designer for a large e-commerce company
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“Ideally I make redlines, but things
can still change; recently I ended up
having to make 7 versions of
redlines [due to getting stakeholder
changes late].”
UX designer
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“A lot of times I don't ask questions
because I don't want to interrupt the
designer so much. Sometimes I wait
a day if I've already asked too many
questions.”
In-house Android developer
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Problems occur between designers
and developers when...
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The company values one role more
Time, language, culture differences
Infrequent/indirect communication
Little respect, understanding
Design is under or over specified
Process isn’t improved
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What does work
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“I’m interested in development in
general and I try to make their lives
easier. It’s mutual, we help each
other out.”
Design lead at a design/development agency
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“After handoff...engineers will grab
designers on the fly [if they have
questions]. When an engineer gets a
milestone, they call the designer
over for feedback.”
In-house designer manager at a mid-size startup
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“The process [of collaborating]
varies depending on the experience
of the designer. More junior
designers won’t think about edge
cases, while more senior ones will.”
Google developer/team lead
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What improves collaboration
between designers and
developers...
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Company culture values both roles
Both are given time for their work
Ongoing, direct communication
Mutual curiosity about the other
Process is evaluated/improved
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Best practices for
effective teams
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When you’re talking with someone,
how often are you crafting your
response while they are still talking?
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Cognitive empathy:
“Purposefully discovering the
underlying thoughts that guide
someone else’s behavior and
acknowledging them as valid, even
if they differ from your own.”
Indy Young, Practical Empathy, 2015
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To improve empathy:
“Practice listening to people; shut
down your inner voice so you can
hear more clearly. Recognize your
own emotional reactions before
they distract your ability to listen.”
Indy Young, Practical Empathy, 2015
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What separates teams that do great
work from those that don’t?
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Chapter Title
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Psychological Safety:
“The belief that it’s absolutely OK, in
fact expected, to speak up with
concerns, questions, ideas, even
mistakes.”
Amy Edmonson, 2014 TED talk
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Increasing psychological safety:
1. Frame the work as a learning
opportunity.
2. Acknowledge your own fallibility.
3. Model curiosity by speaking up.
Amy Edmonson, 2014 TED talk
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Practical tips from Material Design
team members
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Foster ongoing conversations
Discuss communication preferences
Be explicit about definitions
Share artifacts
Improve processes
Consider checklists
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A story about a
design/development agency….
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“It’s just people talking to people”.
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Participate in Material research!
https://goo.gl/36fhE4
Thanks! Questions?
@maybanks