{"id":1098,"date":"2018-01-27T13:57:25","date_gmt":"2018-01-27T20:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghostinthepixel.com\/?p=1098"},"modified":"2018-01-27T16:24:19","modified_gmt":"2018-01-27T23:24:19","slug":"thrown-into-the-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghostinthepixel.com\/?p=1098","title":{"rendered":"Thrown into the mess…"},"content":{"rendered":"
I always say there is no perfect design. Likewise, there is no perfect design situation. You are always thrown into a mess of communications and deliveries. This is not meant to be a judgment \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s simply inherent to being a designer. There is a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153thrown-ness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to it, if you will.<\/div>\n
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Of course, we are taught the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153right way\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153proper set up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of a design engagement in university classes \u00e2\u20ac\u201d like how every engagement should have a specific set of people representing core disciplines (product, engineering, customer support, sales, etc.) with clarity on the problems, timelines, milestones, review criteria, and so forth. And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s often some handy document like a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Design Brief\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to set the aims, corral alignment, provide the structure and focus to said engagement, compartmentalizing all the key information pieces (requirements, goals, etc.) into a collectively shared manner. And voila, right? Umm, not quite\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/div>\n
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While it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s super valuable to learn that method of the “design brief’ and such, the reality is always messier. You are thrown into a situation not of your own making, with people and process and outputs already happening in some ways, things are truly \u00e2\u20ac\u0153in-flight\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with pre-set targets and such, that you must inherit and absorb, or somehow work with. There is a melange of personalities, politics and power structures, communications and deliverables, cross-functional \/ inter-departmental dependencies\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6oh, and by the way, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the actual product or services, and of course \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the customers! All of these elements are simply happening in their own way, against their own rhythms, or due to forces already set in motion before your arrival upon the scene. So, good luck right?<\/div>\n
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Well, the challenge for any designer is the “sensemaking” of such complexity and ambiguity, while entering the stream of workflows in progress, AND ALSO carve out that precious<\/em> vital<\/em> space<\/em> for the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153design intervention\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 to transpire \u00e2\u20ac\u201d beyond simply specs and assets, which is often the first ask by unknowing non-design peers, sadly.<\/div>\n
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A good way to navigate that sensemaking journey is to ask the following:<\/div>\n
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