DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT r #RELATIONSHIPGOALS Speakers: Stephanie Sell & Ben Hong

STEPHANIE SELL Senior UX Designer at CapitalOne @stellar_UX

BEN HONG Lead Frontend Developer at Politico @bencodezen

SLIDES WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE So no need to rush to copy down things

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

GETTING TO KNOW YOU ! 🦄 "

DESIGNERS & DEVELOPERS

DESIGNERS DEVELOPERS

WE SHOULD BE ON THE SAME TEAM.

WHAT ARE SOME COMPLAINTS YOU’VE HEARD OR ENCOUNTERED?

COMMON THEMES

1 / HANDOFF

“ Developers mess up the designs.

“ Developers mess up the designs. Designers forget things & leave us to fill the gaps.

2 / BLAME GAME

“ Developers are the gatekeepers and often say no.

“ Developers are the gatekeepers and often say no. Designers have no regard for how hard something is to build.

3 / VALUE

“ Developers are seen as “more valuable” than design. Designers get all the spotlight and glory and we are forgotten.

THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE RIGHT?

DESIGNERS SHOULD LEARN TO CODE DEVELOPERS SHOULD LEARN TO DESIGN

UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER SIDE.

DESIGNERS Goals ➤ Create beautiful designs ➤ Create the optimal experience for users

DESIGNERS Obstacles ➤ Multiple stakeholders to make happy ➤ No guarantee of project viability / investment ➤ Everyone thinks that they can do your job ➤ Creative process is not linear

DEVELOPERS Goals: ➤ Build cool stuff ➤ Write bug-free features ➤ Build accessible experiences

DEVELOPERS Obstacles: ➤ Specifications are inadequate ➤ Often unreasonable deadlines ➤ Browser compatibility ➤ Third-party contractors

😐

DEVELOPERS Obstacles: ➤ Specifications are inadequate ➤ Tight deadlines ➤ Contractors ➤ Browser compatibility

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

SOLUTION: COUPLES THERAPY

SOLUTION: COUPLES THERAPY

SOLUTION: MORE TOOLS

Image from: https://blog.zeplin.io/introducing-zeplin-2-0-components-and-a-ton-more-goodies-7c09dacc1f48

SOLUTION: MORE TOOLS (Even though tools are great!)

1 / PROXIMITY

PROXIMITY How to achieve this ➤ Get leadership to have the two teams sit within arm’s reach of one another ➤ Increase amount of “water cooler” time ➤ Schedule a routine meeting with one another

2 / COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION How to achieve this ➤ Start the conversation as early as possible ➤ Don’t just say “no” to a request. Explain. ➤ Treat one another as a partner in crime ➤ Never assume

3 / EMPATHY

EMPATHY How to achieve this ➤ Leave your ego at the door ➤ Respect the expertise that each team brings to the table ➤ Always remember that we are making the best with what we have

IN SUMMARY

PROXIMITY COMMUNICATION EMPATHY

PCE

AND NOW WE CAN BE BEST FRIENDS RIGHT?

PROBABLY NOT

THANKS! @bencodezen We’ll be around for questions! @stellar_UX