In response to Dave Malouf's questions (Part 1 of 3): Q: Basically, how would a young designer learn that they would want to have RED be their methods? how would they go about connecting to a master (or student of a master) to apprentice with?
A: Just in general terms, I've found that most regions where there is a substantial development community will have individuals and small groups engaged in design consulting. Consultants and consultancies have what I'd suggest is the best environment for learning to approach a wide range of interaction design projects. Of course consultancies vary widely in their approach and range of clientele/projects. I would seek out those that have the greatest range of types of projects rather than those that do a lot of the same kind. I'd also look for smaller consultancies. It's always going to be a very individual, case-by-case situation with seeking out mentors and opportunities for apprenticeship. It first begins with the need to have a desire and willingness to take this path in one's career. I'd be very up front about it certainly not being the easiest path. But for those designers that seek diversity of experience and the skills and experience to take on larger-scale development projects with small, independent teams, it's possible to find experienced designers to network with. Often working with other designers begins first with simple networking and discussions of approaches and experiences. Becoming experienced at RED is a career trajectory much more than a short-term path. I don't know what percentage of designers I'd guess could realistically take this path - perhaps 5% - 10% (and that would likely be more than are consciously pursuing it today). But I do know that this small segment could have a large and valuable impact. Again, I would make the distinction of separating these out as those that are purposefully pursuing RED as the primary type of design that they do and pursue. Maybe you could also see this as similar to the difference between regular firefighters in municipal departments and specialized firefighter groups that put out oil field fires. Most of the companies that do those types of work have generally developed their own methodologies and expertise over years of simply doing the work. It's natural that there will be a lot of personal expertise that will be difficult to reduce to a teachable text. Or, more often, you'll find that those that are doing it, don't often have the time to stop doing the work and devote time to deconstructing their practice. I myself had moved to Dallas in the mid-1980s and began to network and seek out older designers to co-consult with. Over time, opportunities emerge. Then it's up to the individual to take advantage of those opportunities. Q: How can a designer practicing RED discuss with non-design peers the processes and methods they are using so as to not make design feel like a "black box"? A: In my own approach, I've always used extensive and detailed development and specification documentation (very detailed wireframes and flows, layouts, thumbnails detailing optional solutions, etc.). I began compiling documentation of projects early on, and as time went on, I was able to use past projects to more easily discuss current in-progress projects. I think you alluded to a host of case studies, right? I know you & I have spoken personally about some and you mentioned some in your IA Summit 2005 presentation that you did way back, but where are there others? And others not by you? I have my own archive of documented projects, many of which involved other co-consultants and small teams. One designer whom I've worked with and shared my own approach with, Soudy Khan of Vertical Product Development in Palo Alto, has gone on to do a number of large-scale design projects that also yielded pretty impressive documentation. Bear in mind that these are like complex blueprints for development purposes, and not the kind of simplified and boiled down thing you might put online. Understanding and studying this work is necessarily something that has to be done sitting down and poring through the dense materials and documentation, along with contextual discussions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=37626 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
