Things learnt at WD14
This is the second year the Wiliam team attended Web Directions South. The line of speakers at the conference was top notch; each speaker brought something unique but all speakers imbued their talks with an effective story telling approach.
What particularly resinated with my colleagues and I this year was a narrative about collaborative design work and the design process which create stronger project outcomes.
Scott Thomas made a passionate case for delivering more empirical, more democratic and more honest work. This approach involves all in the design process and allows a tight control of budget and ideas.
"I prefer using numbers—regardless of whether this means qualitative or quantitative studies—and find that can really help inform a design solution" Scott Thomas - WD14
Jonny Mack continued the narrative when he stated "great work is rarely the result of a single person." He reiterated what Scott had made clear - that design of process / team work is the key to producing good work. Jonny Mack's model for great team work is a borrowed ideas from Bruce W. Tuckman - Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.
The idea of process did not end with large web teams; Jessica Hische who works as an illustrator (mostly as a sole practitioner) continued to elaborate how her process allows her to sell and control the creative process.
"Use Process to distract dissent" @simplescott
