[Sigia-l] Programming IAs was: Little things an IA MUST know/do

[John O'Donovan]

Todd said:
> I would agree that not knowing enough about the platform can get you
> into trouble when one of the SWEs is giving you some technical reason
> as to why they "can't" do something. By knowing enough about the
> environment (technology, platform, scripting/programming language),
> you're able to fend off such arguments and negotiate what can be done.

I think this is the wrong way to think about technical skills -  by knowing
more about the technical aspects you will enrich your designs. It should not
be seen as a negative thing. A building architect or car designer usually
understands many construction or mechanical aspects of their designs and
this makes their designs better.

Sure this will also help you tell people where to go when they give you the
BS but it should not happen that way if at all possible - by leading some of
the technical discussion with knowledge you will stop this reaction from
happening (usually...).

However, having a technical background and arriving at IA / UX through HCI,
Data-Driven Designs, Visualisation, Design and Branding, Multimedia and the
Web I would say that as a consultant and architect I don't care about being
at the coal face anymore. I've done some hardcore development in the past,
but now I can be satisfied with knowing how to do things without having to
do them. Other people do that for me.

I get paid to think about the bigger picture, the approach, the strategy,
the design - not the nuts and bolts, bricks and mortar.

Basically it helps you know what is possible and to push the boundaries. And
some of the best designs come from those who straddle the two which is
why...

> I'm a firm believer that your in one camp or the
> other - good designers make bad programers and good programmers make
> bad designers. There are exceptions, but they're extremely rare.

...I don't agree with. I think there are people on this list with technical
knowledge who show interest and aptitude for design and vice versa. I work
with many people who straddle this line in TV, web and games development.

Maybe I just hate being boxed :) but I do get uncomfortable when a job title
suddenly makes people think you have nothing to contribute in certain areas.

A team should be multi-disciplinary and members should be multi-skilled to
achieve the best results.

Cheers,

jod