Emory BrownApplication Developer, UX Designer www.dbservices.com

SELLING DESIGN

Questions

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About you

About DB Services

•We are a team of analysts, developers, and designers creating custom applications to make your organization more effective and efficient. Learn more about our FileMaker services on our website.

•If you leave this presentation wanting learn more! Check out our FileMaker Blog where we post new content each month.

•To learn more about DB Services, check out our website at www.dbservices.com

My story

Certified FileMaker Developer with DB Services

• Over 9 years developing apps in FileMaker

• FileMaker 11-15 Certified• Digital artist• User Experience Designer• Member of FM Academy• Global presence (Canada, Europe,

Africa)• Team focused on adding value

Read more on me on our website, dbservices.com, in the About section

About you

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Selling Design

1. Why user-centered design matters2. Communicating Design3. Pitfalls to avoid as a Designer

You are all designers

Good design

Solves a problem

Good design is not all about UI

Life is not all about oxygen

UI makes your app:

UnderstandableUseful / UsableValuableLive longer

Good design supports repeat business

Repeat business it the key to success

“What we make completely testifies to who we are.” - Jony Ive

Bad design…

scattered data

rigid systemsinefficiency

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“Selling is a core design skill”

• Mike Montiero

Good design does not sell itself

“You could have the best product in the world, but

unless you tell people about it, it’s just going to

sit there.” • John Paul DeJoria

Good designers are:

Flexible & willing to changeGood communicatorsCommitted to scope & timeline

Negotiating Scope

FeaturesDeadlines / TimelineImplementation

“Negotiation is not an act of battle; it’s a process of discovery. The goal is to uncover as much information as possible”

- Chris Voss

Understand Quality

Quality is conformance to a requirement from a customer

Understand Quality

Know the customer and what level of quality is required

If you don’t talk about quality, perfection is the standard

Having hard conversations

Delivering bad news is part of the job

Set the tone

Be Optimistic

Believe in value outcome

Change spec to increase value

Before

After

“All my teaching and consulting experience has taught me that what builds relationships, what solves problems, what moves things forward, is asking the right questions.”

- Edgar H. Schein

Start with discovery

Always begin design with questions, NOT solutions

Consider a Prototype

Skip the wireframe, use FileMaker Pro

Adding Value

Always look for opportunities to add value with FM

Identify areas of pain

Telling Customers NO

As a designer, you are responsible for what you build

Five pitfalls

1. Not setting expectations

Take ownership of the design process from the beginning

You are the expert, they have never designed an app

2. Not knowing workflow and data flows

Start at the beginning

Ask questions like a child

3. Getting too technical

Your client is an expert in their field

… NOT an expert in FileMaker

4. Failure to know client as a person

People want to work with people they like

Learn about your customer and find common ground

5. Answering Q’s with change orders

“Why is it green?”

Act like the design expert you were hired to be

Q & A