I can’t believe I’m posting this, but I need a new job. I like the people I work with, but the process in order to get the job done is one large circle. Of course, when I say circle, I mean a huge circle.
First we develop, then the client wants something different, then we develop again and then the client wants something different. Round and round we go, where it stops, nobody knows. For some reason, I cannot impress my views where I work to stop this endless cycle. Now granted, I’m not saying I’m some Jeff Veen / Thomas Vander Wal / Jesse James Garrett / Doug Bowman / Dr. Jakob Nielsen / Information Architect / Information Designer / Interaction Designer / Usability Analyst / Accessibility Analyst / Section 508 Guru, but I do believe in process and a way to do things right.
I believe in one small phrase; “Keep content separate from structure and structure separate from presentation.” Mixing these together ends in disaster, as I‚Äôve seen time and time again. It makes my job near impossible to complete in a timely fashion, and when a redesign of a redesign falls apart, they ask why. Of course, do you point your finger back to your superiors and the client? Ethically the answer is NO! In order to keep your sanity, the answer should be YES!
To end this somewhat unorganized post, if anyone knows of a place that wants “out-of-the-box thinkers” and someone who wants to learn, please drop me an email or leave a comment. I‚Äôm not picky about pay or relocation; I just want a decent and fun working and learning environment.
5 Comments
I’m telling ya man, we need to convince Tom to form a startup and just get on board.
I’ve said the same thing for the past year. We all could have enough work to keep us busy for years to come.
Progress is a very slow process when it is driven from the bottom or middle. It takes a lot of patience. Plan with big steps, but understand a tiny step forward is a move in the right direction. There are incredibly few places that actually are doing things right.
One means of getting there is bringing somebody in from outside who can be seen as an expert and can influence the change more quickly. That person may say everything you have been saying, but it will have more credibility coming from the outside.
I agree with you Tom. Process is a little slow getting into the organization in which I work, but at least it is something. The great thing is, everyone is eager to learn and build their skills even more and learn the proper way of doing things. I guess the largest hump is the political avenue all of us has to travel in order to complete a project.
Unfortunately, no matter where you go, these interpersonal and project management problems surface. If iterative design and redesign is to take place, then the customer and contractor must have a communication plan to accomodate this. If the expectation is to massage, then massage some more, then it might not be as much of an issue.
I found that this problem often occurs when a project is managed more informally. However, if expectations are clearly set and iterative, cooperative design and implementation takes place, there’s less frustration for both the customer and the contractor.