Last night we presented some of the core ideas of this book. You can watch the video above. If you do, leave us any comments or questions! Slides for the talk are also attached as a PDF below.
We’re looking for feedback and now is the perfect time to give some.
Last night about 15 people joined us to talk about Why Design Is Hard. Thanks to everyone who tuned in. We had over 60 people sign up, and 25% show rate worked out just fine as it let us have a casual conversation with plenty of time for everyone to get a chance to speak.
Here’s a quick summary of what we talked about during Q&A:
We talked at length about the roles designers choose to play, the common frustrations as well as the roles we need play to have the outcomes we want.
Alan Wexblatt shared that there is definitely a mismatch in expectations for designers, but that once in the workplace it can be very hard to reframe how a person thinks about what they do, or do it while also trying to keep a job and pay the rent.
Dave Hoffer had questions about acceptance (one of our three options for what designers can do, the other two being seek power or influence), and whether or not a designer could truly not have any influence at all, by virtue of the work they produce.
Ronnie Battista mentioned one of our favorite books, Orbiting The Giant Hairball, and talked about how design leaders have to bridge the gap between very different worlds (or in his metaphor, tables).
Ada Yuen asked if it’s good for the world that people who seek power and influence are rewarded, even if they might not be the most talented. We acknowledged this is an excellent question, but not one we can answer (the world of politics and who gets elected and why is perhaps an easier place to debate the self-selection of who seeks power).
What’s next for this project?
We just finished up the second draft of the book which made this live session the perfect time to hear other voices and opinions.
The book is still on track for a summer release this year and we will keep you updated. Meanwhile expect new posts from us every Tuesday morning.
Please share this project with your coworkers and help spread the word.
Explainer video: Why Design Is Hard