a teaser of my interaction14 talk - f*ck up design
DESCRIPTION
If good design requires failure, how can designers f*ck up when failure isn’t considered an option? Edison famously said, “I failed my way to success.” In the interactive world, we’ve all heard the buzz phrases about failing fast, and how failure–particularly in the form of prototyping–can be a powerful design tool. But what about real failure? We’ve all experienced projects that never got off the ground, or crashed and burned stunningly. We don’t put them in our portfolios. We only talk about them when we’ve had one drink too many. What can we learn from our embarrassments? And are there really things we can learn by failing, especially in the agency and consulting worlds, where we are hired for our expertise, and infallibility? http://interaction14.ixda.org/program/wednesday/51-f-ck-up-designTRANSCRIPT
TOWARDS A F*CK UP M@N1F3STØ
How do we incorporate f*cking up into the user experience design process?
Grawlix Typographical symbols standing for profanities, appearing in dialogue balloons in place of actual dialogue. Invented by American cartoonist Mort Walker.!!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mort_Walker!
The Romance of Failure
Ben Huh Setup: Huh was a 22-year-old journalism major when he moved to Chicago and founded software analytics firm Raydium in January 2000... he cobbled together $750,000 over two rounds. "Uh-oh" moment: Eighteen months later, he hit a wall. "You're hopeful to the end, but we were flat out of money and couldn't meet payroll," he says... For two weeks, he says, he could barely leave his room. The way out: Six years passed before Huh decided to buy I Can Haz Cheezburger and begin building his funny-blog empire... "You know how painful it can be, but you do it anyway," he says. "I think you are better prepared, mentally and financially, but you never know if it's going to be successful. That's called maturity.” http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225204#hipswap
One Reality of Failure
But ultimately, he succeeded...
Another Reality of Failure
SO"in our world...
Failure is Fine ! For entrepreneurs & startups ! When it’s a means to an ends ! When overcoming an obstacle adds to a success story ! When the risk of failure is assumed & accepted by the $
people ! When the creator has longevity, endurance, and sticks
with the project ! When you learn from it
Failure Sucks ! For consultants & agencies ! When it’s the final word ! When you can’t see see past the obstacle ! When asses need to be covered ! When the designer doesn’t or can’t stick it out ! When you can’t learn from it
BUT"in the greater world of creativity & art...
FAILURE ROCKS!
Failure Is The Heart of Creativity Failure is awesome/acceptable when we call it: • Play • Experimentation • Fun When it fuels us When we don’t fear it, or fear it, but don’t shy away from it When it leads us to do something no one’s ever done before
When we learn from it
I RISK FAILURE"ALL THE TIME
I Risk Failure When I play music: • Will I keep time, hit the right notes, play “right”? When I get on stage or in front of a camera: • Will they laugh at me? Or not laugh with me? When I write: • Will anyone read it? Do I have anything to say? When I run workshops: • Will any of you really care about any of this?
BUT
Because I Risk Failure I Gain Experience I learn new things & have new experiences I find new joys I meet new people I do things I’ve never done before I make movies, play music, act, write, run workshops I lose fear I take more risks—even risk the next failure
And, consequentially, I get better at creating
SO
WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR"
ME TO FAIL AT WORK?