Brainstorming for Combined U-Camp/Programmers Cafe Session about Design Roles and Activities
These are my preliminary notes for the combined session where I will talk about the types of design and development roles in typical software projects. The point of all of this, I think, is to encourage people to think more clearly about what activities are required on a software project and how they can be addressed. Ultimately I think these roles aren't distinct or fixed; each member of a software development team pulls together a variety of the skills laid out on this spectrum, from enterprise architecture through to user research.
Please note that this is still very raw--it's just a brainstorming at the moment, and I will be refining it into a little 5 minutes presentation about software teams.
Goal: To outline and discuss the types of roles, responsibilities, and activities within a software development project. To clarify the types of designers and usability experts who may be involved. To talk about communication techniques and collaboration within an effective software development team.
What's the Point of This?
- Understand different types of design
- Recognize the value of non-code contributions
- Emphasize diverse and complimentary skill sets
Types of Design
- Interaction design
- Information architecture
- Graphic & visual design
What Does an Interaction Designer Do?
- Someone who learns about users
- Works with the whole team to define requirements and functionality
- Defines what the product should do and how it should behave
- Define behaviour and types of user interface elements used
- May encompass aspects of usability testing and visual design
- More than just assembling widgets or making things look pretty: understanding how software should work
What Does a Usability Tester Do?
- Studies and tests the system as it is used by real people
- Paper prototyping
- End-user testing: in the lab or in context
- See the chapter on cheap usability testing in Don't Make Me Think
What Does a Visual Designer Do?
- Design graphics, layout, colour schemes, skins
- Converts wireframes into real graphics
- Branding and appearance
What Does a UI Developer Do?
- Translates wireframes into HTML and CSS
- Builds the Java or JavaScript behaviour for user interfaces
- May encompass aspects of visual design or interaction design