Wow, thank you so much for that link. Just read five of Julie's articles and they are really great reads. Highly recommended for designers at mid-stage startups (and really everyone).
You want to design on iOS? Hire an engineer familiar with UIKit
Mac OS? Appkit
Web? JS,CSS & HTML.
Etc etc.
Basically only hire designers that can write their design. A .PSD isn't much value to you.
Then again I'm getting more annoyed by so called UX experts or PSD-designers as time goes.
Now, I am sure Brett who I'm quoting doesn't agree with me, but:
"…these brilliant designers could not make real things. They could only suggest. They would draw mockups in Photoshop… the designers could not produce anything that they could ship as-is. Instead, they were dependent on engineers to translate their ideas into lines of text. Even at Apple, a designer aristocracy like no other, there was always a subtle undercurrent of helplessness, and the timidity and hesitation that comes from not being self-reliant. It’s fashionable to rationalize this helplessness with talk of “complementary skill-sets” and other such bullshit. But the truth is: An author can write a book. A musician can compose a song, a [sic] animator can compose a short, a painter can compose a painting."
Please. This attitude really needs to stop -- it's insulting to designers, because it implies their design skills aren't enough, and it's insulting to programmers, because it implies programming is so trivial that a designer should just be able to pick it up. Show some respect.
If you think a PSD isn't of much value, you don't have a clue as to what design even is. It's the equivalent of a designer saying that backend architecture isn't of much value to the product, just because they don't understand it.
I know a lot of people on HN come from solely a coding background, and think design is irrelevant at best, or even harmful at worst. But in most instances, that's just pure ignorance.
Print designers can't run printing presses. Hardware designers don't know how to smelt aluminum. Everybody has a job they're good at -- let designers be good at theirs, respect it, and appreciate the fact that designing and programming are entirely different skillsets.
" An author can write a book. A musician can compose a song, a [sic] animator can compose a short, a painter can compose a painting."
Sure, an author can write a book. But to expect him to layout it is too much no? No author is expected to go learn InDesign.
A musician can compose a song and play some instrument, of course. But you can't expect him to know all instruments. Of course, she will usually compose for their most familiar instrument but not necessarily, see movie composers for example.
With painters is more complicated, they are painters because of their ability to paint more than the ability to create.
"It’s fashionable to rationalize this helplessness with talk of “complementary skill-sets” and other such bullshit"
Good, then you tell your doctor he's full of BS because he can only prescribe but not make the drugs. That he can only diagnose but he's sending you to a specialist for treatment, because of course he's calling his incompetence "complementary skill-sets"
And I just hope those developers can install and configure their OS, upgrade hardware on their computer, be proficient in kernel development, low level development, desktop development and web development otherwise they're just helpless.
Why settle for a mediocre designer just because they also know how to write code. The same argument can be said for hiring a programmer.
"Only hire programmers that are good at product and design who can deliver a product that not only works well but looks well." This I'm sure would be ridiculed if I said it seriously.
Programming and design are very different fields and while you can find some people that are solid at both, most of the really good ones will have focused on their respective fields. So odds are you'll get a programmer that designs like crap as well as the designer that can't really code. Demanding that they be great at both seems naive.
imkevinxu|12 years ago
ianstormtaylor|12 years ago
gjenkin|12 years ago
seivan|12 years ago
Mac OS? Appkit
Web? JS,CSS & HTML.
Etc etc.
Basically only hire designers that can write their design. A .PSD isn't much value to you.
Then again I'm getting more annoyed by so called UX experts or PSD-designers as time goes.
Now, I am sure Brett who I'm quoting doesn't agree with me, but:
"…these brilliant designers could not make real things. They could only suggest. They would draw mockups in Photoshop… the designers could not produce anything that they could ship as-is. Instead, they were dependent on engineers to translate their ideas into lines of text. Even at Apple, a designer aristocracy like no other, there was always a subtle undercurrent of helplessness, and the timidity and hesitation that comes from not being self-reliant. It’s fashionable to rationalize this helplessness with talk of “complementary skill-sets” and other such bullshit. But the truth is: An author can write a book. A musician can compose a song, a [sic] animator can compose a short, a painter can compose a painting."
crazygringo|12 years ago
If you think a PSD isn't of much value, you don't have a clue as to what design even is. It's the equivalent of a designer saying that backend architecture isn't of much value to the product, just because they don't understand it.
I know a lot of people on HN come from solely a coding background, and think design is irrelevant at best, or even harmful at worst. But in most instances, that's just pure ignorance.
Print designers can't run printing presses. Hardware designers don't know how to smelt aluminum. Everybody has a job they're good at -- let designers be good at theirs, respect it, and appreciate the fact that designing and programming are entirely different skillsets.
raverbashing|12 years ago
Sure, an author can write a book. But to expect him to layout it is too much no? No author is expected to go learn InDesign.
A musician can compose a song and play some instrument, of course. But you can't expect him to know all instruments. Of course, she will usually compose for their most familiar instrument but not necessarily, see movie composers for example.
With painters is more complicated, they are painters because of their ability to paint more than the ability to create.
"It’s fashionable to rationalize this helplessness with talk of “complementary skill-sets” and other such bullshit"
Good, then you tell your doctor he's full of BS because he can only prescribe but not make the drugs. That he can only diagnose but he's sending you to a specialist for treatment, because of course he's calling his incompetence "complementary skill-sets"
And I just hope those developers can install and configure their OS, upgrade hardware on their computer, be proficient in kernel development, low level development, desktop development and web development otherwise they're just helpless.
luxstyle|12 years ago
"Only hire programmers that are good at product and design who can deliver a product that not only works well but looks well." This I'm sure would be ridiculed if I said it seriously.
Programming and design are very different fields and while you can find some people that are solid at both, most of the really good ones will have focused on their respective fields. So odds are you'll get a programmer that designs like crap as well as the designer that can't really code. Demanding that they be great at both seems naive.
romanovcode|12 years ago
themodelplumber|12 years ago