Director of Product, Tim Booker
A conversation about balancing human needs with technological advances, setting aside perfectionism, and the spine-tingling inspiration of sport.
When Tim Booker walks — or runs — into the office, you know it. He brings an unmistakable positive energy that makes you feel like you don’t need that second cup of coffee after all. A rare hybrid of strategist, people person and developer, Tim’s trajectory has mirrored the evolution of Domain7: from Account Manager, to Client Strategy Lead, to Director of Development and (very recently) Director of Product, Tim’s been responsible for co-leading a push into increasingly new and holistic territory over the years. His blend of perspectives has helped him envision newer, truer ways to combine strategy, research, and custom dev processes, creating holistic projects with human needs at the centre.
Tim’s a busy dad to three young children, an athlete and sports fan, and an Ontario transplant who has put down roots in the Abbotsford area just outside Vancouver. We caught up with him over a couple invigorating phone conversations, one of which transpired as he multitasked on his commute into the office on a busy Monday morning.
How did you first discover you had an interest in tech?
I had an amazing computer programming teacher in Grade 10 named Mr. Watson. He’s probably the reason I like technology. He made our classroom a community: from the way he restructured the desks, taught the curriculum, helped us along the way, and had us help each other. It was super fun and really quickly I realized, “I can make software! And it can solve problems!” He gave me this experience of collaboration and relationship as central to tech really early on, and that carries through to Domain7 today.
What was your first job in tech and what did it teach you?
While I was getting my degree in computing science at Trinity Western University, I was hired to automate and digitize some really terrible paper processes. We were like a mini-startup in the basement mailroom and the people who had jobs stitching these paper Word docs together were working beside us. We got to move so fast, get so much done and learn a lot. But sadly, early on in my career I saw how automation took away jobs. A few of those people were still needed, but not all of them. So it was exhilarating to be actually doing digital transformation, but a really difficult time in seeing that this is a human experience.
How do you think about the human cost of automation today?
You have to have empathy. And you have to acknowledge that the people doing these jobs may have way more knowledge than you see at first glance. So you have to really fully understand what they’re doing, especially the aspects of their jobs that aren’t so simple to codify. On the other hand, you also have to acknowledge that the best teams are going to be ones who wrestle with the uncomfortable nature of change, and figure out how to partner with technology to succeed. And I mean success for humanity, not just for the bottom line of your company.
Bringing a human-centric lens to technology seems to be a theme in your life. How has that focus has influenced how we make things at Domain7?
I accidentally made a very cool career move by finding a technology company that made me feel comfortable to step into other people’s passions and learn things from them that I originally wasn’t aiming for. I’ve learned co-creation, strategy, and rigorous development lifecycle practices from watching my teammates. I’ve been able to embrace how important those things are, and to apply them in a cross-disciplinary way.
When I was leading the custom development team, I saw an opportunity to combine our more “waterfall” CMS-based project approach — where strategic planning and discovery fed into design and then into development — with the behaviour-driven development process we were doing for clients who needed custom systems. We realized that each step of all our projects needed to be multidisciplinary. Instead of having one team own each phase, we moved to having entire-team engagement in each phase. Our visual designers, UX designers and developers were integrated throughout the project. And we realized that every project could benefit from a foundational discovery, research and design process that included developers.
We realized that we needed to think of discovery in a wider way. We should be discovering everything: business discovery, competitive discovery, user discovery, technical discovery, aesthetic discovery.
We brought the best parts of the way these two teams worked together in a more holistic mindset and process, to really deliver on clients’ business goals. It was a major paradigm shift, and a powerful one.
So as a dev leader, how do you balance the agile approach with strategy work?
This shift changed how I approach agile. I no longer feel the pressure to cram discovery and design into agile.
In scrum master training they’ll tell you that every week of a project must include software-producing sprints. I say, “Phooey!” If setting your work up that way makes you lose the advantage of empathetic, deep discovery and multidisciplinary planning, don’t do it!
I believe in agile — it’s most effective in the production process. But there’s a really necessary time of learning and cross-discipline holistic design and planning that needs to happen up front. Engaging in longer-term thinking unlocks client trust, better execution, and overall effectiveness. Before any project, we lay the groundwork, and we’re no longer in the position where our developers are asking, “why the heck are we doing this?”
Developer roles at Domain7 are a bit different. Why is that?
One thing I love about Domain7 is that our developers are not code monkeys. They get and care about the process of design, UX, and business strategy. They don’t want to do work that doesn’t make a difference. They’re not just going to execute — they are confident to challenge an approach respectfully. I love working on these custom dev projects at Domain7 because there’s an interdisciplinary understanding and empathy that allows for assertion.
How have you found going from one role to another over the years?
I’m ok with jumping into uncomfortable new areas, partly because I believe that success isn’t bringing something to a place of perfection: it’s growing, taking the intentional steps that need to be taken for this time and place. Brene Brown says that “perfectionism is the 20-ton shield that we carry around hoping that it will keep us from being hurt.” It’s this burden we carry around trying to protect ourselves from criticism. Putting that shield aside to try something new, and opening yourself up to criticism is risky but that’s how you grow.
You’re a busy dad who’s immersed in the technological space. What’s top of your mind when it comes to the future of tech and how your kids will grow up?
My wife Sandra is the more technologically cautious of us two, and her perspective has forced me to ask myself important questions. We talk a lot about how to develop a willingness in our kids to delay gratification. How do you cultivate an openness to go deep to discover answers when answers seem instantly available with technology? How do you teach kids the value of relationship, patience, and empathy in working through something? And when do you say, “You know what? We’re not going to do this new thing that’s come along.”
The future of successful people in this technological society and even in the technological industries does not necessarily belong to those who feel compelled to say “yes” to every digital trend. It belongs to those who have the discretion to decide how we lead our own lives — people who are equipped to lead others well.
You’re an avid sports fan, and have even worked with the Vancouver Olympic Committee. What’s the role of sports in your life and how has that connected with your work?
Sport was my cultural upbringing: it was where I first learned about teamwork, perseverance confidence, and humility. And seeing great sport has always inspired me. As a kid, I would get that tingle when people overcame some crazy odds or achieved something magnificent. Ever since I was a little kid, I had wanted to go to the Olympics. And I got a job with the Vancouver Olympic Committee right out of my first job at my university. It was this really amazing experience — everyone was so passionate. I did Business Analysis and development work for all the unique internal systems: things like the opening ceremony performers database, delivery schedules, security systems and the competition schedule. It was a dream come true because, even though I was one small part, I was making the systems that make the Olympics happen.
What’s the most significant thing you’ve learned in your career about technology?
In not only my career but also my personal life, I’ve learned that you can leverage technology to make your life better, but you must pay attention to human connection first. People in my life at work and my family have encouraged me to ask, “Where is the connection and conversation that precedes this tool? Is the way I’m using this making things better?” And it’s ok if asking those questions slows down the process a little sometimes. When connection precedes technology, the tech has more of an opportunity to create both business and human flourishing.
Interested in joining Tim and the rest of our team? Check out current career openings at Domain7.
