[IxDA Discuss] Apparently, IxD is not obscure enough

[Robert Hoekman, Jr.]

> Some design tools are intangible? Like which ones?


Well, like the ones I mentioned in the last post, after I said some design
tools were intangible (leadership, manipulation ...).

How do you justify
> making decisions that impact the bottom line to executives using
> "intangible" tools or even "intangible" processes?


Let's say I have a conversation with someone. This person asks me what I
think about a new feature (not yet built). We chat for a few and I bring up
potential issues, ways I think it could/should be done, without ever
creating a single deliverable. This person walks away and builds the thing
based on what I said. (Heck, maybe he builds a prototype. Lots of IxDs work
with prototypers.)

I've contributed to/guided the design using nothing but conversation. I
justify this by knowing it works, and that it happens. My knowledge and
experience is what justifies and validates the ideas, and my ability to be
convincing is what pushes it forward. These are design tools.

I'm sure you've done this exact thing. We all have.

But if you build a convincing prototype, I guarantee that you'll love
> your job a thousand times more (because quite frankly, building a
> prototype is the *fun* part of the job), engineers, product managers
> and company executives will treat everything you do an order of
> magnitude higher on the respect meter, and you'll probably get a
> pretty big raise in the process.


I'm sensing that you really like prototypes. Not sure why. ;)

I enjoy building *quick* prototypes often, and higher-quality prototypes
occasionally, but I can't say I love it any more than any other part of my
job.

I think what I love the most is that IxD is a constant study of human nature
and the practice of designing the interaction between humans and the world
around them (duck! It's another "definition"!). I love learning more about
the brain, how people function and think and work, and ... patterns. I
*love* thinking about patterns, finding patterns, etc. Patterns are far more
interesting to me than prototypes.

I guess I see a prototype as a tool, and patterns and principles and such as
the guiding forces and justification for the creation of and need for the
tools. I'm more interested in the guiding forces. Prototypes can make the
invisible visible - sure - but the thought process that gets it there is far
more interesting to me. Patterns - in people and in design - allow my brain
to go places new and exciting - to have new ideas - whereas prototypes force
me to spend time ironing out things I've already thought up.

Prototypes are very conducive to getting into that glorious
FLOW/immersive/Zen/meditative state, and I love that, and they're great for
ironing out details, but I love the freedom of imagination most of all.

Oh, and prototyping definitely won't get me a raise. I run the company.

-r-