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Designing, Technically

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On being a “technical” designer

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Should designers know how to code?

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Should designers code?

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The Upsides

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The Job Market

• “Highly proficent in building prototypes in HTML+CSS+JavaScript.”

• “First, the individual will need a broad skill set that includes UI/UX, visual design, and, ideally, frontend implementation in HTML/CSS.”

• “Comfortable coding in HTML/CSS for responsive web and email design”

• “UI/UX Designer and Front-end Engineer”

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Gauging Feasibility

• How long will this interface take to implement?

• Can we even add this feature to our existing system?

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Prototyping

• HTML prototypes can represent interaction better in tests

• Responsive prototyping

• Templating can make it faster and less tedious

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Chipping In

• Don’t send a design that’s impossible to code

• Get in there and close some tickets!

• Smaller teams == broader individual skill sets

• Inside jokes

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Creating Efficiencies

• Why pay two if one can do the job

• More consistent vision

• Less documentation

• Less “telephone”

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Understanding systems

• Interaction design usually implies interaction between:

• the user

• the system

• Real companies and processes are complex

• Underlying software very likely has inherent limitations

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The Downsides

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Unrealistic Expectations

• “UI/UX Designer and Front-end Engineer”

• You can’t be an expert at everything

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Some people can play the piano and the banjo, but when they play them both at once it

sounds really crappy.

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Roger Belveal

http://www.quora.com/Why-dont-more-designers-code

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UX is increasingly complex as it is

• More and more platforms to design for

• Users are less and less tolerant of poor UX

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thanks to Sagi Shrieber https://medium.com/@sagishrieber/why-designers-should-not-code-anymore-5fc3f7d5510d

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It can change your thinking

• Conway’s Law

• “Implementation Model”

• Optimizing for the code vs. optimizing for the user

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thanks to Wayne Greenberg and Josh Seiden http://www.waynegreenwood.com/unicorn-shmunicorn-be-a-pegasus/

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A threat to the profession

• The Great Unicorn Quest

• Devaluing “pure” design

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When you know the constraints of your technologies, you can save

clients money and make your developers happy.

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Technical Documentation

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The more technical you are, the less documentation you need.

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If you are very technical, you can provide insight to developers

in your documentation.

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What is helpful to know?

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Basic Markup

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On-the-job Learning

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Popular CMS’s

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Popular E-commerce Platforms

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Mobile SDKs

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Database Design

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How do I learn?

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Where to learn

• Pair with programmers (or ask for feedback)

• RTFM

• Treehouse, Lynda, Code School, Codeacademy

• GA

• Just play with stuff

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Questions?