I started out as a web designer. Web design was (and still is) a passion of mine, and while I still create the occasional mockup or user flow, these days I find myself cranking out code more often than not. Having been on both sides of the creative process, I’ve appreciated the challenges and I figured I’d share a few observations.
First and foremost: your project’s top designer should be given the same respect as your top developer. That being said, they should also be held to the same level of accountability — something that often gets overlooked. It’s easily to tell when a programmer writes bad code, because the application crashes frequently, runs slowly, or doesn’t run at all. But good design is so often mistaken for pleasing art direction that designers are rarely called out for lousy work. Plenty of web designers can make things look nice, but this doesn’t make them good at what they do. Good designers value function, not just form.
If you’re a developer, you should have good design sensibilities. You should be able to push back when something doesn’t feel usable. And just because you took one or two HCI courses doesn’t mean you’re a design expert. Spend lots of time observing the behavior of the websites and applications you love as you use them. You’ll begin to slowly acquire the keen eye for solid design that only comes with time, by identifying firsthand what works and what doesn’t.
If you’re a designer, you should have good coding sensibilities — nay, great. Stay on top of upcoming HTML5/CSS3 technologies and know what’s feasible to build (and what isn’t). Poke around the technical side of things and recognize that your fancy, AJAX-heavy design will take more than a couple of hours to implement. You should be able to have an honest conversation with your developers and review each others’ work. It’s surprising how many designers I know who can’t figure out how to use Git or Subversion.
One sentiment I’ve heard echoed repeatedly by software architects and product managers is that designers shouldn’t develop, and developers shouldn’t design. “A good designer cannot be a good developer.” I seethe on the inside every time I hear this.
Not only is it wrong, but it’s a terrible mindset to encourage moving forward. Building an amazing user experience is increasingly essential for product differentiation, and a team that possesses a strong grasp of both trades is critical to that end. Intelligent design results from careful planning and consideration, and this only happens when both sides can fully comprehend the issues of the other.
