Summary
Every designer has a story about a terrible experience with developers, or product managers, or the business. Unfortunately the reverse is equally true. We’ll explore these problems through the lens of Sturgeon’s Law — usually stated as “ninety percent of everything is crap”. And “everything” includes Design! We’ll see how people inside and outside of a discipline can have radically different experiences of its competencies. Then we'll work through options to help break down those misconceptions — so we can create happier, more empathic, organisations.
Key Insights
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The mutual negative experiences across disciplines shape perceptions and behavior.
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Many stakeholders have stories of poor interaction with design, impacting their approach.
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Sturgeon's Law illustrates that perceptions of quality can be skewed based on individual experiences within a community.
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The best practices in any discipline are often experienced by only a minority.
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Communication is crucial; using different terms can help overcome preconceived notions.
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Asking for stories and believing lived experiences helps in understanding existing frustrations.
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Focusing on outcomes rather than methods fosters alignment and reduces resistance.
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Recognizing biases helps practitioners question their own experiences and those of their teams.
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Transformation requires collective understanding of both strengths and weaknesses across disciplines.
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Effective collaboration relies on addressing misunderstandings and providing opportunities for best practices to be seen.
Notable Quotes
"What's the last bad experience you had with another discipline?"
"Almost every product manager or developer... has a bad story about working with designers."
"90% of everything is crud, including the people we work alongside."
"The best practitioners see a biased view of their community's ability."
"If I look around me in a community, some folk are going to be awesome and some are going to be less."
"Those voices in a community of practice are not equally prominent."
"Talking about outcomes first helped question their previous experiences."
"We are not special; every discipline is going through transformation right now."
"When you experience problems with different disciplines, keep Sturgeon's biases in mind."
"Be curious, understand what other people's experiences have been."
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