By Monica Ella Regalado and Sophie Gardner originally presented at DDD Sydney in 2018 · See full slides here
[S] A year ago if you’d asked my what my design or research process was, I would have probably said something like “To start with, I need to understand the problem we’re trying to solve.” But with slightly more experience I realised that the first step in any design process is making sure that all your team members feel included and supported.
[M] When I first started, all I cared about was mastery of my work. I’d always talk with others…
From a young age we’re told not to complain about something unless we have a solution, not to disparage someone else’s idea unless we have a better one. While sometimes this may be good advice, I’ve noticed that this mantra has frustratingly slipped into our thinking when it comes to design feedback. It may not come as a conscious, fully formed thought however many people seem to have an ingrained and wholly incorrect belief that in order to criticise a design direction, one must also suggest an alternative.
This misconception often manifests itself as a statement like “I’m not sure…
No matter where you learnt to be a designer: from a university degree, self taught or years in industry, there is a good chance you made it to the world of being a professional designer without ever having encountered accessibility. Even for those who have, they often only have a very vague idea of what this entails, something to do with colour contrast and screen readers? Even though accessibility is woefully under taught in the design world, it it one of the keys to creating a truely great experience for all of your users.
