It’s a session focused on the integration points in a mixed team and the challenges facing them. This is a situation that many design and development houses find themselves in today for a number of reasons. As Flash development gives way to Flex development for larger applications, the makeup of the development staff is bringing in more traditional development techniques and technology that seems foreign to designers. Likewise, Developers now just coming to the Flash platform, lured by RIA sexiness and agile techniques find themselves awash in a sea of designer hoo-ha. Leading? Kerning? Whitespace? The attention given to aesthetic in a modern app is not something one used to battleship grey apps is used to. This combination of situations, when put under pressure to deliver on time and on budget can breed animosity and destroys the teamwork mentality needed to create a superior user experience. My session is light on code, heavy on collaboration.

1. Developers are from Mars,
Designers are from Venus.
Chad Udell
D2WC – Kansas City
2010

2. Homer Simpson: We’re so different! Its like you’re
from Venus!
Marge Simpson: And you’re from Mars.
Homer Simpson: Oh, sure, give me the one with
all the monsters!

3. Not a Flash/Flex Presentation
No MXML. No AS. No Catalyst.

4. A little context
I’m a Designer

5. A little context
I’m a Developer

6. What’s the difference?
Let’s start with some
generalizations.

7. What’s the difference?
Developers are killjoys, squashing
creativity to make a deadline or
taking the easy way out to build
functionality in to the application.

8. What’s the difference?
Designers are fun but reckless,
they create great work but aren’t
concerned with the bottom line.

9. What’s the difference?
A little reality, please.

10. What’s the difference?
A little reality, please.
While each may contain a grain of
truth, both are way off.

11. We Need Both
We are on a team, right?

12. We Need Both
We are on a team, right?
Work habits and communication
styles need to be standardized
to succeed.

13. Change Needed

14. Change Needed
Designers need to be
practical and able to move
on when the goals are
achieved.

15. Change Needed
Designers need to be
practical and able to move
on when the goals are
achieved.
You must remember the
scope of the project!

16. Change Needed

17. Change Needed
Developers need to realize
that design does matter.

18. Change Needed
Developers need to realize
that design does matter.
Ideas need to be able to
mature.

19. Integration Points

20. Integration Points
Process, Process, Process

21. Integration Points
Process, Process, Process
“4D’s”

22. Integration Points
Process, Process, Process
“4D’s”
What works for you and
your company?

23. Integration Points

24. Integration Points
Workflow?

25. Integration Points
Workflow?
Who is in on that first meeting?

26. Integration Points
Workflow?
Who is in on that first meeting?
Which team is serving which
on this project?

27. Integration Points

28. Integration Points
File Organization

29. Integration Points
File Organization
Directory Structure is Not
a Battlefield!

30. Integration Points

31. Integration Points
Naming

32. Integration Points
Naming
“blue mockup 8 14 08.psd” or
“mock_v1.psd”
what will mean more when the project is
complete?
visualrinse.com/2007/06/12/deep-thoughts-on-file-
naming-conventions/

33. Integration Points
SVN=OMG!

34. Integration Points
Versioning
SVN=OMG!

35. Integration Points
Versioning
SVN? With Designers? SRSLY?
SVN=OMG!

36. Integration Points
Versioning
SVN? With Designers? SRSLY?
Version Cue is now defunkt SVN=OMG!

37. Integration Points
Versioning
SVN? With Designers? SRSLY?
Version Cue is now defunkt SVN=OMG!
GridIron Software’s “Flow” is a move in the
right direction.

38. Integration Points
Versioning
SVN? With Designers? SRSLY?
Version Cue is now defunkt SVN=OMG!
GridIron Software’s “Flow” is a move in the
right direction.
Maybe check out “Versions” with a
collaboration provider?

39. Integration Points

40. Integration Points
Tickets and Issues

41. Integration Points
Tickets and Issues
A spreadsheet? For real?

42. Integration Points
Tickets and Issues
A spreadsheet? For real?
At least try moving to a Google Doc

43. Integration Points
Tickets and Issues
A spreadsheet? For real?
At least try moving to a Google Doc
Even better? Basecamp or similiar

44. Integration Points
Tickets and Issues
A spreadsheet? For real?
At least try moving to a Google Doc
Even better? Basecamp or similiar
Even Better-er? Assembla or similar

45. Integration Points

46. Integration Points
Taxonomy

47. Integration Points
Taxonomy
Standardize the way you talk about things!
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/et650_online/

48. Integration Points
Taxonomy
Standardize the way you talk about things!
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/et650_online/
Are they wireframes or block diagrams?
Mockups or Comps?

49. Integration Points
Taxonomy
Standardize the way you talk about things!
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/et650_online/
Are they wireframes or block diagrams?
Mockups or Comps?
Don’t get overly jargon-y or use it as a
weapon. TLA dueling and art history barbs
just lead to animosity.

50. Moving Forward

51. Moving Forward
Development 101

52. Moving Forward
Development 101
Designers, realize that pure Graphic Design
will not save you!

53. Moving Forward
Development 101
Designers, realize that pure Graphic Design
will not save you!
Change the toolset to meet development specs.

54. Moving Forward
Development 101
Designers, realize that pure Graphic Design
will not save you!
Change the toolset to meet development specs.
When things are slow, opt to take on some
typically “developer” tasks.

55. Moving Forward

56. Moving Forward
Design 101

57. Moving Forward
Design 101
Developers, no one likes programmer art!

58. Moving Forward
Design 101
Developers, no one likes programmer art!
Use palettes from sites like Kuler or
ColourLovers to avoid eyesores.

59. Moving Forward
Design 101
Developers, no one likes programmer art!
Use palettes from sites like Kuler or
ColourLovers to avoid eyesores.
Skins & themes for your apps are out there.
Check out Scalenine.com for Flex themes. Use
UI frameworks for your HTML apps.

60. Moving Forward
Design 101
Developers, no one likes programmer art!
Use palettes from sites like Kuler or
ColourLovers to avoid eyesores.
Skins & themes for your apps are out there.
Check out Scalenine.com for Flex themes. Use
UI frameworks for your HTML apps.
Use great stencils for your wireframes,
Graffletopia, Balsamiq, etc.

61. Changing Process

62. Changing Process
Teamwork FTW!

63. Changing Process
Teamwork FTW!
Parallel Design and Development Tracks

64. Changing Process
Teamwork FTW!
Parallel Design and Development Tracks
Rapid App Development (Blend, Catalyst)

65. Changing Process
Teamwork FTW!
Parallel Design and Development Tracks
Rapid App Development (Blend, Catalyst)
Proximity matters:
Down the Hall vs Over the Wall.

66. Changing Process

67. Changing Process
Tech to try

68. Changing Process
Tech to try
Let your designers help with XML (yes, even
designing schema)

69. Changing Process
Tech to try
Let your designers help with XML (yes, even
designing schema)
Have your Devs prep some graphics and maybe
even do some skin design from time to time

70. Changing Process
Tech to try
Let your designers help with XML (yes, even
designing schema)
Have your Devs prep some graphics and maybe
even do some skin design from time to time
Does your toolset allow for component creation?
Teach your designers how they work!

71. Changing Process
Tech to try
Let your designers help with XML (yes, even
designing schema)
Have your Devs prep some graphics and maybe
even do some skin design from time to time
Does your toolset allow for component creation?
Teach your designers how they work!
Create APIs for the designers to use!

72. Changing Process

73. Changing Process
Presentation and Pitching

74. Changing Process
Presentation and Pitching
Unified front!

75. Changing Process
Presentation and Pitching
Unified front!
Who leads? Who follows?

76. Growing Forward

77. Growing Forward
How do you keep the afterglow?

78. Growing Forward
How do you keep the afterglow?
Lunch and Learns

79. Growing Forward
How do you keep the afterglow?
Lunch and Learns
Sharing “AHA”s via a team blog

80. Growing Forward

81. Growing Forward
Realizing the benefits

82. Growing Forward
Realizing the benefits
Measuring

83. Growing Forward
Realizing the benefits
Measuring
End of Project recaps

84. Growing Forward
Realizing the benefits
Measuring
End of Project recaps
Keeping up with trends and tech

85. Following Up
visualrinse.com

86. Following Up
visualrinse.com
This presentation for download

87. Following Up
visualrinse.com
This presentation for download
Twitter: visualrinse

88. Following Up
visualrinse.com
This presentation for download
Twitter: visualrinse
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