Bridging the Gap Between Creative and Technical Types

Does a gap between those considered creative types and those considered technical types really exist, or is it just a perception we've fostered?

Torok, Karen. Hanson (2001). Design>Project Management>Collaboration

Faceted Feature Analysis

By crossing the characterizing facets with constraints, you are combining the subjective needs of the project stakeholders with the objective constraints of the project in a way that ensures all points of view are fairly considered. It also ensures that a project requirement is not included or excluded simply because one person yelled louder than the others.

Polansky, Adam. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Design>Project Management>Collaboration

Five Ways to Get the Most from In-House Designers

Over the last two years, we've heard from increasing numbers of executives who want to bring interaction design in-house because they've realized how critical it is to product success. There are plenty of challenges involved in doing this, including hiring and training the right people. One of the challenges companies may not expect, though, is in deciding how to use those resources once they've been found.

Goodwin, Kim. Cooper Interaction Design (2003). Design>Project Management>Collaboration

How to Plan Manpower on a Web Team

Just how many people does it take to properly manage a website? It depends on the website. Shane Diffily explains how to figure it out.

Diffily, Shane. List Apart, A (2006). Design>Web Design>Project Management>Collaboration

Intranet Teams: a Leadership and Coaching Role

The intranet team often becomes viewed as a gatekeeper or bottleneck that does little more than say 'no' to business units. The business then reacts by rebelling against this centralised control, or simply working around the intranet team. There is a better way. Intranet teams should instead look to playing a leadership and coaching role in the organisation. These two approaches provide a range of techniques for encouraging organisational change and supporting staff activities.

Robertson, James. Step Two (2004). Design>Web Design>Collaboration>Project Management

Managing--and Surviving--A Design Project  

Describes a process for designing documents that establishes clear goals and minimizes disagreements.

Harvey, Patrick. Intercom (2001). Design>Project Management>Collaboration

Walking Through Your Product Design With Stakeholders

You are the lead designer--or perhaps even the sole designer on a product team. You have just completed your product design, and it's time to walk through your design approach with the project stakeholders, including management, developers, and users. What do you need to do to prepare for your presentation? This article provides some basic tips to help you better prepare to walk through your product designs with stakeholders.

Szuc, Daniel. UXmatters (2007). Design>Project Management>User Experience>Collaboration

Look at it Another Way

Seeing the same thing from different perspectives is much praised but little practiced. We don’t often realize what we can gain by seeing another scene in the picture.

Young, Indi. List Apart, A (2008). Articles>Project Management>Collaboration>Information Design

Setting Priorities

Nearly every company I’ve worked with since becoming a web professional six years ago has lacked an efficient way to decide which things to do first. Put 10 people into a room for an hour, and they’ll surely come up with a wish list a mile long.

Fraser, Janice. Adaptive Path (2002). Articles>Web Design>Project Management>Collaboration

Differentiating Your Design: A Visual Approach to Competitive Reviews

A common activity at the outset of many design projects is a competitive review. As a designer, when you encounter a design problem, it’s a natural instinct to try to understand what others are doing to solve the same or similar problems. However, like other design-related activities, if you start a competitive review without a clear purpose and strategy for the activity, doing the review may not be productive.

Hawley, Michael. UXmatters (2009). Design>Project Management>Collaboration>Assessment