Get Up with the Get Down

I was reading through The Stylesheet, by TradeMark Media, and came across an article about challenges in the web industry. One employee commented that it’s difficult to keep up with the continually changing environment of interactive technology, but it’s also one of the most exciting aspects of being a part of the web industry.

It poses an interesting point. Though it’s an awesome opportunity to help shape and mold the young industry that we work in, it can also be overwhelming. There’s something magical and mystical about the great internets, but if you’re not in the know you’re limited to what you can provide for your clients. So how do you stay abreast of the sheer amount of information that’s raining down from the internet tubes?

1. Nerdy friends

Full of factoids you’ll never need, the lovable g33ks will always deliver the good stuff. New telerik controls, cool sites with bleeding edge functionality, and the latest memes. Need inspiration and maybe a good lol? Look no further than your good pal poindexter.

2. Blogs

Sites such as A List Apart, Gizmodo, and even more traditional design blogs like Apartment Therapy have everything you need to be kept up to speed on technology, good design, and how best to implement it.

3. Amazon.com

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. With one of the largest selection of books for every taste, Amazon offers a wide array of available information and recommendations. Search for your interest and find short summaries that will peak your interest and reviews that will help you narrow down your selection so you don’t end up with 200 dollars worth of books in your cart. And if you’re a cheapskate, maybe just flip through the preview pages for some inspiration.

4. Industry Networking Events

Booze and colleagues? Nothing better. It’s a perfect environment to discuss latest projects, discoveries, and to swap ideas. If there’s not an industry event occurring often enough for you, join a forum and create your own. Again, nothing brings people together quite like camaraderie and cocktails.

5. Shop it around

My favorite method, especially at my office where I’m lucky to work with a very talented team, is to sketch out my idea and then go over it with them for some fine tuning. Many a time I’ve been stumped on just why I wasn’t satisfied with a sketch, wireframe, or mock up, so I took it to a co-worker and explained what I was trying to create. It not only helps me to look at my design with fresh eyes, but they more often than not have a great idea for improvement.

Too often we get wrapped up in the tiny details and are too close to our work. This method offers the opportunity to get a fresh perspective and new ideas for implementation. There’s always a cool site they can

Those are some methods that spring to mind for me. Any other ideas?

Zen

I really enjoy that moment of zen when you’re at your desk with a blank piece of paper in front of you, and you’re figuring out a design solution. Even better is when you channel the user and figure out the path that you should lay before them so they can accomplish their task. You’ve done your research, know your user, and now it’s time to make the magic happen.

A solid process takes you far; but in my mind the real genius of design is empathy.

Building Blueprints

Once, in an ill-fated attempt at a ‘get to know you’ game, someone asked me what I did. “I’m a user experience designer.” “And what is that?” His irreverent manner made me shrug and reply with a short, “I design user experiences.”

Everyone laughed, but I wasn’t making a true attempt at being sarcastic. I just took for granted that it was pretty obvious what I did. Did he really want to know about all the gory details? The research, the wireframes, the personas, the dull backache I was developing from hunching over my sketchpad? I figured probably  not, but my conclusion could have been influenced by the fact that I was eager to end my moment in the spotlight in a room full of strangers.

I faced the task of defining my position again in a meeting with the developers on my team. They wanted me to handle the front-end code for our new project, but I was skeptical. While I’m certainly not prejudiced against learning something new, I also didn’t want to lose focus on the design and architecture. I didn’t find it necessary to handle the code as there were ten developers on my team, so I told them politely that I would support them, but I wouldn’t write up the code myself- I had other tasks that needed my focus. When they protested, I tried to use a methaphor.

“I’m like the architect. I define the flow of the house and how everything connects so that the owners will be pleased with the results. Now, I can get in there with a hammer and help build it, but I might lose sight of my focus, and we could very possibly end up with a house that has no bathroom.”

“We can add the bathroom later,” one developer offered.

“That’s true…but the way that the house is built, we might not have room for a traditional bathroom and end up slapping on an outhouse.”

I don’t know if the metaphor helped them see my point of view, resent me for not taking up work they thought I was supposed to do, or just think of me as a weirdo- but it seemed to help them realize that we were a large enough company to focus on our own areas while supporting each other, but not taking on each other’s duties. After all, we had specialized in something for a reason- we were good at it. And in my mind, we should each focus on our strengths and help others to interpret our work in order to create a collective vision.

Every now and then I have to get in the middle of that code and hammer away at it until it does my bidding, but I’m always glad to lay down the hammer and pick up the sketch pad. Call me a pencil pusher if you will, but at least we won’t find ourselves settling for an outhouse.