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Time Suck: 7 Ways A Designer Loses Value
Ten years of managing the design process has taught me a few key ideas. Here is a short list of the ways I've seen designers lose their value in a project and suggestions for how to get energy flowing and work your way out of it.
- Creative block. Eh. Things need to get done. If the left brain isn't working, switch to the right brain. Find a method to get the ideas out on the table. Force them out.
- Wrong tool. Photoshop is great for visualizing ideas, but it isn't ideal for rapidly exploring ideas. Use appropriate tools for different phases of a project.
- Details too soon. Design is in the details, but the idea isn't the details. Focus on details at the right point in the iterative process.
- Wrong conversations. Don't get stuck trying to figure out the purpose of the page while working on the rounded corners in Photoshop. Having a conversation about the "business goals" while in implementation mode is a recipe for disaster.
- Follow through. Starting and stopping can be a huge momentum killer if things can't get done. Binge sessions are necessary to get closure on an idea.
- Business goals lost. Staring at a computer screen and creating beautiful curves for extended blocks of time creates distance from the business goals of design. Be nimble.
- Designing for the screen. Design for the eye, not the screen. Good design is made by people to solve a problem for other people. 10 hours in front of a monitor will convince you that the problem you've solved is solved *by* Photoshop. Shake that idea off.
Have another to add?
13 comments
Jessica says
When I have a creative block when I'm starting a project I always think about how I want my visitors to feel when they visit the site, and how easy it is to use. I'm a fan of simple design that evokes a feeling from the visitor/reader.
Bryan says
Jessica, empathy is a great way to visualize success. You also need a healthy dose of 'how does this pay the bills' thinking too.
Jeremy says
Plays solo artist. Sometimes all it takes is an inspired binge by one designer to generate a great idea and follow it through. More often than not, this approach paints even a good designer in a corner.
Design is a social activity that gets you up and out of your seat and presenting your ideas to a team early and often. You want to make sure the good concepts are battle tested before you put them in front of a client or customers. The lone designer's value goes down over time if they aren't working closely with other designers.
Ryan says
5b. Stay focused. Sometimes it can be helpful to turn off email, IM, Facebook... Whatever it takes to get in into the zone and follow through to the finish.
Jerome says
Embrace Learning - New ideas come along every day but good value is had by employing the best of what you know with a twist of what's to come. Learning something new can motivate you and give your designs a new energy.
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