4 ms·

Designing in the Open

36 points by rglover 15y ago

rglover 15y ago
Interesting idea but I'm not 100% sure how it would apply to all situations. Coming from 37signals I'm guessing this mindset is feature-centric. Might have to give this a try.
- kingsidharth 15y ago
  Feature-Centric? As in?
  - rglover 15y ago
    Like a new feature in an application. In regard to 37signals, that may be something like a a new view for managing your account. More of a generalization than anything.
wccrawford 15y ago
As with most client interactions, this could go really well, or really poorly, depending on the client. I think it also matters what the goal is. If you're doing back-end work that the client can't really see, I doubt it will be useful at all. If you're designing the user interface and experience, I think this would be invaluable.
programminggeek 15y ago
This is a good point they make. However, it can backfire if you are doing client work. Not all people get that these are unfinished prototypes. This is why designing with something like say balsamiq is so useful. Clients and co-workers will talk about how something works, not choice of color/font/placement. Once you know how something should work, then you can argue over style. Good design is more about how something works than how it looks. The iPod scroll wheel was about improving the way you interact with the device. The overall design can very easily fall into place once you have the interaction nailed.
- rglover 15y ago
  I think you articulated what I was trying to say much better. I agree that this could backfire on client work. Designing in the open seems great for a team building applications, but I could see clients being confused or frustrated with a more open process. This doesn't necessarily apply to all clients, but some clients aren't interested in the process and are more focused on the end result.
dreamdu5t 15y ago
The problem as mentioned by others: Micromanagement. I personally like being open about my process, but I've been in situations where this turned into every decision being second-guessed, and the entire direction micro-managed by someone who wasn't really experienced, but superior in rank.
Daniel_Newby 15y ago
Is it really fear of embarrassment? I'd expect that interrupting a designer pushes the mental reset button nearly as badly as interrupting an engineer. Interrupting them every 15 minutes does desensitize the aversion response, but that's rather missing the point.
- jasonfried 15y ago
  We do this in short bursts at key points of the design process. It's not 15 minutes every 15 minutes for months. It may be every 15 minutes for a day or two - constantly trying to hone the details and the experience so it's just right. You have to be selective about this, but when you get it right it's incredibly effective. Enjoyable too. It's like working with clay - molding, cutting, and shaping right before your eyes.
  - rglover 15y ago
    How do you identify when the time is right to use this approach? Is it more of an intuitive thing or does everyone agree to a certain point in time when something is reviewed? I like the analogy about clay, gives the concept a lot more perspective.

36 points by rglover 15y ago

Interesting idea but I'm not 100% sure how it would apply to all situations. Coming from 37signals I'm guessing this mindset is feature-centric. Might have to give this a try.

kingsidharth 15y ago
Feature-Centric? As in?
- rglover 15y ago
  Like a new feature in an application. In regard to 37signals, that may be something like a a new view for managing your account. More of a generalization than anything.

wccrawford 15y ago

As with most client interactions, this could go really well, or really poorly, depending on the client. I think it also matters what the goal is. If you're doing back-end work that the client can't really see, I doubt it will be useful at all. If you're designing the user interface and experience, I think this would be invaluable.

programminggeek 15y ago

This is a good point they make. However, it can backfire if you are doing client work. Not all people get that these are unfinished prototypes. This is why designing with something like say balsamiq is so useful. Clients and co-workers will talk about how something works, not choice of color/font/placement. Once you know how something should work, then you can argue over style. Good design is more about how something works than how it looks. The iPod scroll wheel was about improving the way you interact with the device. The overall design can very easily fall into place once you have the interaction nailed.

rglover 15y ago
I think you articulated what I was trying to say much better. I agree that this could backfire on client work. Designing in the open seems great for a team building applications, but I could see clients being confused or frustrated with a more open process. This doesn't necessarily apply to all clients, but some clients aren't interested in the process and are more focused on the end result.

dreamdu5t 15y ago

The problem as mentioned by others: Micromanagement. I personally like being open about my process, but I've been in situations where this turned into every decision being second-guessed, and the entire direction micro-managed by someone who wasn't really experienced, but superior in rank.

Daniel_Newby 15y ago

Is it really fear of embarrassment? I'd expect that interrupting a designer pushes the mental reset button nearly as badly as interrupting an engineer. Interrupting them every 15 minutes does desensitize the aversion response, but that's rather missing the point.

jasonfried 15y ago
We do this in short bursts at key points of the design process. It's not 15 minutes every 15 minutes for months. It may be every 15 minutes for a day or two - constantly trying to hone the details and the experience so it's just right. You have to be selective about this, but when you get it right it's incredibly effective. Enjoyable too. It's like working with clay - molding, cutting, and shaping right before your eyes.
- rglover 15y ago
  How do you identify when the time is right to use this approach? Is it more of an intuitive thing or does everyone agree to a certain point in time when something is reviewed? I like the analogy about clay, gives the concept a lot more perspective.