It’s my last session today and forever at CodeMash this year. I’m not able to show tomorrow. Currently sitting in on Engineering Vs Design, given by Joe Nuxoll.
Reviewing Web 2.0 and RIA‘s, things like Google Maps, could they have been envisioned by a designer with no software knowledge or vice versa? Probably not. Must have design and engineering mixed together in ways not previously needed. UI Engineering is design and design is UI Engineering.
Traditional Roles in product development: Designers, UI Developers, and web UI developers. More and more you are seeing people who can do all of these tasks as need to understand them all. New breed of tools to simplify this sort of work, RIA Design tools: Adobe Catalyst, JavaFX Production Suite.
Important to cross train engineers and designers as they function with very different processes. Important to educate engineers on the design process and designers on the engineering process to encourage mutual skill appreciation. To this end co-location is very helpful. Much easier for designers and engineers to understand and support each others processes if they are situated together.
Important to understand the difference between prototype and production. Build many prototypes and be willing to throw them away. Joe likes to use a separate folder in subversion for design, partly because subversion is good at handling design type resources and partly to separate highly iterative resources. The design folder is prototype work, not production. Also brings benefit of version control to design, where it is not traditionally used.
Build detailed facades. These are generally not going to be production code, be ready to throw much of it away. Really iterate to get it right. Stub out back end calls and keep back end people in the loop. Make sure the UI team has regular check ins with the back end team.
Once you’ve iterated to the point where can start work on production code can lift much of the final iteratino prototype code to start production work. Keep prototypes clean by doing production work in separate source control folder.
Joe seems to be wrapping up although still 20 minutes left in the session. I think we’re going to Question and Answer now. Question came up as to how to get end users to not focus on color and such when reviewing a functional wire frame? Joe’s answer, keep all design detail out of functional wireframe so nothing for end user to get distracted by.
Wire frame prototyping should happen before visual design. Designers need app functionality to be fairly solid before they can effectively begin their work. Interaction and functionality should be defined thoroughly before visual design.
Well that’s a wrap. Another good session, not very technical but very relevant to our current work.