How to survive as a designer in a non-design-driven company
User experience design already has countless definitions, but for the sake of this article, why not add mine to the pile: It’s a multidisciplinary process by which an experience is crafted for a specific user or group. The component of that process that is (understandably) most recognized is visual design. It’s the shiny layer on top of everything else that tends to leave the biggest impression on people.
For many organizations, this misunderstanding is not much of an issue. Design-driven organizations have this multidisciplinary process sewn into their fabric. However, for many organizations, particularly those founded on engineering principles, misalignment…
I had just about graduated eighth grade when I started out as an egg under the handle @SamTheCritic. Back then I was reading a lot of Pitchfork and had illusions of one day writing about entertainment for a living. I tweeted my thoughts on the latest music releases, movies, and whatever else occurred to me. Unfortunately, as an early adopter amongst my circle of friends, I was tweeting at no one.
At least, until the gang all joined Twitter sometime around 10th grade. My focus shifted. Now Twitter was like a cool new version of Facebook but with in-jokes…
