Should Designers Code?

It depends on your definition of code. If your definition is “production code”, then the answer is an emphatic NO. If your definition is a more simple code used in developing advanced prototypes for use in usability testing, then the answer is “definitely maybe”.

As a usability analyst, all too often I see the shortcomings of attempting to produce final code when the time would be better spent engaging in an iterative design process through research and testing. Designers who write code up front become attached to it and are less inclined to make the changes necessary to ensure usability. The “get it right the first time” mindset of the “coding” designer simply doesn’t lend itself to an optimum user experience.

On the other hand, designers who dabble in code and can produce working prototypes develop a better understanding of the light of the developer. This allows them to concentrate on navigation, information architecture and task flows to give the software engineers what they need to avoid the rewrites that increase downstream costs and diminish the ROI.

Do architects build houses? Do automobile designers hunker down on the assembly line?
I think not.

Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto

Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

The most efficient and effective method of
conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

“Cool = Usable”

— Human Factors International

The TLAs of UXD

For those of you who may not be familiar with the TLA “TLA”, it stands for Three-Letter Abbreviation. But it also conveniently stands for Three-Letter Acronym Two-Letter Abbreviation or even Two-Letter Acronym. Like many industries, UXD has many TLAs, so here’s a quick guide to what they are, and what they mean.

UXD (also known simply as UX) stands for User-Experience Design, and it’s at the top of the TLA hierarchy. Within it, there are these areas of concentration:

• IxD (Interaction Design)
• UA (Usability Analysis)
• UCA (User-Centered Analysis)
• UCD (User-Centric Design)
• UI (User-Interface Design)
• UT (Usability Testing)
• UX, UXD, UED (User Experience Design)

Other TLAs include:

• CD (Contextual Design)
• CMS (Content Management System)
• GUI (Graphical User Interface)
• HCI (Human-Computer Interaction)
• IA (Information Architecture)
• ID (Information Design)
• JAD (Joint Application Development)
• KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
• PD (Participatory Design)
• ROI (Return on Investment)
• RUT (Remote Usability Testing)
• RWD (Responsive Web Design)
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• SoC (Separation of Concerns)
• UAT (User Acceptance Testing)
• UI (User Interface)
• UID (User Interface Designer)

Some TLAs may be numeronyms (number-based words) or alphanumeric combinations. Perhaps we should call these TCAs or Three Character Abbreviations. But then, we might get TCA with its sixteen or so other meanings.

• 3GL (Third-Generation Language
• 4GL (Fourth-Generation Language
• L10n (Localization)
• i18n (Internationalization)

Numeronyms are created by combining the first and last letters of the word with the number of letters in between. In the example about, the “L” in L10n is capitalized so as not to be confused with the number one, which would appear almost identical to a lowercase L.

“Know thy users…for they are not you”

—Human Factors International

“If the user can’t find it, the function’s not there”

—Human Factors International

“To err is human, but they’ll blame you”

—Human Factors International

Six User-Centric Design Methods

Focus Groups

Low cost, non-statistical output, low sample size; Used during the Requirements gathering stage.

Usability Testing

High cost, statistical & non-statistical low sample size; Used during design & evaluation.

Card Sorting

High cost, statistical, high sample size; Used during design.

Participatory Design

Low cost, non-statistical, low sample size; Used during design.

Questionnaires

Low cost, statistical, high sample size; Used during requirements gathering & evaluation.

Interviews

High cost, non-statistical, low sample size; Used during requirements gathering & evaluation.