Hi, I’m @karldotter,
a Pair Designer
@PairDesignCo
P
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Let’s have a
conversation
+ design time
= a #talkshop
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• workflow
• wireframes
• visual design
• style guide
• business objectives
• unit tests
• front end
• code
• storymap
• moodboards
artifacts
{
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A common design scenario:
1. Team figured out the high level approach.
• Should have as little form fields as possible
• Should have inline error validation
2. You go figure out the details!
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Most of the time the detail
work is done in isolation.
Designers, developers, strategists, advocacy,
operations... (& other hats)
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Do you
pair design?
(yes? raise your hand.)
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• 2 designers
( a generator + a
synthesizer)
• one keyboard
• one mouse (or 2)
(functional)
Pair Design
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Do you pair
cross-
functionally?
(ex. with a designer + developer)
(yes? raise your hand.)
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Pair Design
• designer + dev
• one keyboard
• one mouse (or 2)
(cross-functional)
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Why pair
design?
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Increase
information
flow
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Increase
critical
thinking
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Increase
trust
building
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How do we
Pair Design
w/ design + dev?
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“Its disruptive if a designer
wants to sit next to us and pair.”
Dev on Pair Design.
Real Talk.
“We need to be ok with being
interrupted in our schedule.”
-
+
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“ I feel like the creative process
needs space. There is some part
of it that is not collaborative.”
@TildeWill
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Make peace.
Build trust by
pairing cross-
functionally.
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How do we
Pair Design
w/ 2 designers ?
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“design pairing is
not collaboration,
it is when you sit
down and work
together on a single
artifact.” @shmuel
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“I can see the efficiency of
pair design. There’s 1000
decisions in that finishing
work, a small interaction or
press down state, seeing
the gaps that you have, or
iterating on copy.”
@loudawg, David Louie,
UI Designer
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Heavy lifting = team lift.
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Cross-functional or
functional?
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Pair different types of designers or
developers together on a new project
or hackathon: Product, front-end
developer, ux or visual designers.
ex. UX Designer + Viz Designer pairing
on a design problem together.
or, a UX Designer + Developer.
TRY PAIR DESIGNING.
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Let’s practice
pair designing,
right now.
pair design challenge
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(at least,
verbally
w/ a partner)
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Your objective: In 2 minutes.
Identify a specific design goal
to work on together for the
following screenshot of skype
for ipad.
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find your pair
(try the person next to you)
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I’m a ______________________
?
“
“
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I’m a visual designer
v
“
“
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I’m a user experience designer
u
“
“
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Share and trade your skills.
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Your objective: In 2 minutes.
Identify a specific design goal
to work on together for the
following screenshot of skype
for ipad.
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paired up?
ready, set...
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No content
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(wrap up your
conversation)
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Now, evaluate what you learned
• Did it hurt to pair design?
• Did you have fun?
• Did you share design skills?
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• have a better design in less time
• redesign less
• have an attitude of action (think,
make, check)
• communicate better
• let go of your design ego and
say “I don’t know how, show me.”
what if you could ...
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Q: What types of communication
skills could you use to pair
effectively?
Q: Did you experience any of
these?
Clarity: Communicate effectively.
Brevity: Limit feedback & time.
Compassion: Active listening.
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The hypothesis:
Pairing makes design
time more efficient.
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Help with P.A.I.R =
P airers
A gainst
I nefficiency &
R ework)
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Pairing can fail. Please try again.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: “Should I be pairing 100% of the time?”
A: You don’t have to pair 100% the time. Just try to
make pairing a good habit.
Q: “What design stages are best to pair in?”
A: This is tricky. Ask the question: Can we test our
hypothesis with what we’re working on? A tangible
artifact could be a wireframe, rough mockup, interactive
prototype, high-fidelity visual design or front-end code.
Q: “What if I can’t pair every day?”
A: Try online design tools to fill gaps in feedback &
communication. (ex. Pixelapse.com: a GitHub for saving
& sharing design work and Easel.io: a high-fidelity html/
css design tool in the browser)
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1. Try pair designing this week.
2. Report back, send feedback
@ [email protected]
3. Was it good? bad?
4. Need more help? Let me know.
Challenge!
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P
Thanks for pairing
together.
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Share stories or feedback?
Continue the conversation @pairdesignco
w/ hashtag #pairdesign #talkshop
[email protected]
P