Category: Management

If you’re just joining us now, be sure to check out Part 1, where we explored the inherent optimism of designers, developers and managers, and what specific elements of our professions increase our sense of optimism. In Part 2 of this series we talked with real people in development and management roles to learn what leads them to feel optimistic about their work life and projects. Part 3 continued our exploration of optimism as we checked in with some designers to see what makes them feel hopeful about their projects and day to day.

Now let’s visit the dark side…
In reflecting on my own experiences and while talking with the designers, developers and managers on the topic of optimism in the workplace, a funny thing kept happening: folks would have trouble describing what made them optimistic. Instead, they initially (and with apparent ease) listed out the things that did NOT make them optimistic.

Instead of “I love having clear requirements” they would begin with “I hate it when requirements aren’t clear.” Rather than “I love being able to build something that lots of people will use and love” they’d say “I hate building things no one in their right mind will use just because that VP of BizDev thought it was special.”

This is in direct response to being asked about OPTIMISM, people. What the heck? Are we so entrenched in our work and trapped in habitual pessimism that we can’t see the lining of our clouds any more? So it would seem, but let’s dig deeper.

In my own experience, there are a few things that have me thinking like Mr. Edgar Poe. It’s discouraging to be told that due to a particular situation, a given design can’t be used–even if it’s a better solution–due to uninformed (or just plain wrong) beliefs held by stakeholders. It’s one thing to consider options and make an informed decision, and quite another to make a choice based on misinformation or prejudice.

When a project gets canned part of the way through, and sufficient rationale is not provided – that’s a morale killer. When you’ve poured your time, energy, and (let’s be real here) love into a website, application, process, or team – it’s devastating to have it cut off at the knees and not have closure into why it’s been done.

Last, it really gets my goat when assumptions are made about the capabilities of an individual or team. Just because someone is a designer doesn’t mean they don’t have the desire and skills to develop or manage. Assuming a developer cannot think visually or doesn’t have valuable feedback about user flow is a huge mistake. Concluding that a manager has no hands-on skills is downright silly. These mistakes are costly, preventable and senseless.

Let’s hear what our folks in the field have to say

Jeff:
“What I find crushing of dreams, spirits, etc., is writing code that is only good for today. Code that¹s written to get a single job done and doesn¹t need to be well done. Code that¹s not thought-out and generally, in the grand scheme of things, doesn¹t matter, as long as the project eeks by without a major failure. The rushed, ‘just make it work’ kind of stuff.

“Another frustrating thing to deal with are designs that don¹t translate well to code and/or UX…Those cases where a design is harder to code and doesn¹t produce a better outcome (and often causes a worse outcome) due to certain specifics about the design that could easily be tweaked to make the end result much better.“

Matt:
“A concern I have is the lack of language that developers possess to explain what they do to other technologists, much less non-technical people. This lack of understanding seems to make it difficult for non-programmers to appreciate and understand what our profession does. This both adds to the insularity of programming as a profession, often relegating programming to a task instead of culture or ecosystem in many domains.

This lack of language also makes understanding the risks and reasonable limits of technology out of the hands of most people — c.f. the healthcare.gov debacle. Having reasonable, stable systems as public goods will require something to be done here and I’m not sure there is adequate time or effort being made to do this.”

Robert:
“There are cultural challenges with… large companies… and we’ve got some process and workflow challenges that appear to be changing for the better, but it’s happening slowly. Companies can sometimes seem slow to adopt new process ideas and we often fall back into old patterns we know don’t work, because of resourcing/budgeting constraints.”

Hannah:
“If you want to kill my buzz, the easiest way to do that is to…accept mediocrity. I detest laziness, and I have no time for people who aren’t willing to try new things. This can be a double-edged sword in our line of work because implementing new technology and ideas in a large company takes eons when the rest of the world seems to be moving at lightning speed.”

Ask Yourself
Are you doing the work it takes to live on the sunny side? Because let’s be real–it DOES take work to see things in a positive light, or at least from a neutral perspective. It’s far easier to dwell on the dark side, play the blame game and have a portfolio of excuses handy as to why you’re wearing that floor length black trenchcoat instead of the Rainbow Brite sweater from your aunt.

What is it that keeps YOU from feeling optimistic about your work? Think on it, and let’s compare notes in the next and final installment of this series.

Note: Also published on the amazingly rad UX destination GiantUX.com

If you’re just joining us now, be sure to check out Part 1, where we explored the inherent optimism of designers, developers and managers, and what specific elements of our professions increase our sense of optimism. In Part 2, we talked with real people in development and management roles to learn what leads them to feel optimistic about their work life. Now we’ll take a look at how designers feel about their work.

Personally, I’m most optimistic at the beginning of a project – the sky’s the limit and anything is possible. Both the scope and the quality of the end product are big factors in my overall mindset. It’s more thrilling AND challenging to be responsible for the look and feel of a site or product that will be seen and used by millions than it is to design that “mom & pop” brochure site (which ends up only being used by Mom and Pop). Building something with clip art and last year’s recycled content is a world away from being given top shelf photography, video, typography and content.

Similar to a developer’s happy place (and perhaps a bit counter-intuitive to non-designers), many designers thrive on being provided up front with the comprehensive constraints and affordances of a project. If design is solving challenges, it stands to reason that knowing what you have to work with is essential to devising a solution.

Having clear insight into the underlying strategy of a design challenge is rewarding, since that can shift the conversation from “Let’s make it green – green is my favorite color” to “how can we encourage users to interact with this component and its deeply rewarding awesomeness?”

Being able (and ideally encouraged) to make the design one’s own is a surefire way to kindle true passion. I, like designers and artists of all kinds, strive all my life to develop, maintain and grow my own personal style. When allowed a little bit of leeway to do so in projects (within project constraints!), I guarantee the results will be noticeably more effective and ultimately fulfilling for designers and the users alike.

Let’s hear from some other designers to get their perspective:

Hannah:
“The thing that makes me most optimistic as a designer are the new possibilities I am constantly finding. I’m a pretty old-school style artist, so when I started working with web-design, I basically thought it would steal my soul. Instead, I’m constantly discovering ways for the new technology on my iphone or desktop to enhance the things I make by hand and vis versa…

…I really love getting a project with pretty strict requirements and then finding ways to iterate and brainstorm mixing and matching different types of media until we find the best possible solution.”

Jeff:
“Good design solves problems. Great design enriches people’s lives…Finding ways to enrich people’s lives is our optimal goal.

It’s the note between the notes, it’s the implied lines of a drawing, It’s the way a coffee shop meticulously roasts and serves its coffee. None of these things are easy, you have to work at it and learn from it. But once you achieve it, the payoff is that much more rewarding.

That’s why as a designer I get up every day and do what I do — I don’t stop at solving problems, I seek to inspire, to put a smile on someone’s face, to truly enrich people’s lives. And when you focus on these things the negatives fade away and become non-issues.“

Jason:
“I feel optimistic when a project is going smoothly (new ideas, reasonable timeline, making deadlines, portfolio piece, etc.) – when there’s room for creativity (hello there, client. Here’s what you asked for – but I also thought about this, that and these) – when trying something new or learning something new – when the team gels (the larger project team not just other designers.)”

One shared sentiment from these discussions that resonated with me is that a project’s scope and restrictions can make or break how the project affects one’s overall sense of optimism. An assignment can be seen both as a crazy cool gig or as a tortuous chore, depending simply on a few details. A limitation isn’t a bad thing – it can drive creativity!

As designers and as managers, striving to keep the excitement and creativity of a project intact isn’t something you can leave to chance. Ensuring the requirements are clear and the tools or assets required have been provided is often what separates a great team producing top-notch products from that same team churning out mediocre designs..

Next time, we’ll explore the flip side to this optimism thing. What makes us pessimistic and hopeless? What makes us bang our heads against the wall and groan in frustration? Stay tuned to find out.

Note: also published on GiantUX.com

In the course of your life, unless you have inherited your family’s Piggly Wiggly fortune, you will have held a number jobs. Maybe you started out in your teens by bagging groceries, or perhaps you filled up that piggy bank by babysitting or mowing lawns. That first job hopefully taught you some valuable lessons about life.

You probably learned that time is money, that you have to work hard in order to do well and keep that job, that learning new skills can be challenging but also rewarding, and that new skills make you better equipped for other jobs in the future. I hope you’ve realized that relationships are instrumental in your success in a role, and that the relationships you build in one job may prove to be a factor in roles you’ll hold down the road.

Undoubtedly, you will have at some point realized you no longer wanted to keep doing the same job. Depending on your circumstances, you may or may not have been able to act on that impulse immediately—many of us certainly have tales of a dramatic exit from a job we’ve held! Hopefully, you gave some thought to your decision to leave the job, but–regardless–you did eventually move on to something else.

Think for a moment about what led you to move on in each job you’ve held over the years. Can you pick up any patterns in your thinking or in the circumstances that triggered your desire to move to the next gig?

This kind of introspection can be illuminating in that it can help you consciously account for the factors that could lead you to stay in a role as it exists, make changes to the role so that you continue to reap rewards in the current position, or determine it is again time to look for that next great adventure.

A few types of job changes

One type of job change can be thought of as linear progression. You start out waiting tables, move up to shift manager, tend bar, manage a store, manage a region of stores, and then run the company. This kind of change tends to value domain knowledge highly: how WE do things in THIS restaurant. It also values generalist knowledge: THIS is how you bus tables, how you handle a customer who’s had too much to drink, and how you report (or don’t report) tips.

Another type of change is when you keep the same role but change companies or divisions. You can be a graphic designer, an insurance salesperson, or a registered nurse just about anywhere because the skills you must possess and the tasks you must be capable of performing well are going to be quite similar anywhere you go. Generalist knowledge is valued here, but more important is subject matter expertise. If you’ve been a nurse for 20 years and have worked in six hospitals across three countries—chances are you’ve seen it all, you’re hard to rattle, and you can do a good percentage of your tasks by instinct while focusing your active attention on more complex challenges.

The last type I’ll mention is what we’re going to focus on today: moving in your career from one archetypal role to another. For example, starting your career as a librarian and then becoming a chemist, followed by a stint as a stunt car driver. This type of change can be very challenging, but very rewarding as well.

One quick note: This can happen within a single organization or it can happen when you leave one company and join another. There will be some differences in how you evaluate the pros and cons of a transition versus an exit, but I believe my experience holds true in both cases.

The more similarities and overlap between these roles, the more your existing knowledge will be useful in the new role, but if you look closely you’ll find there are many skills and realms of knowledge that ARE actually transferrable between widely divergent roles. The real magic happens when you can bring a fresh perspective to the table when tackling challenges in the new role.

I’ll address the following questions based on my experiences in moving from role to role:

• What drives someone to consider a lane change?
• What are some factors to take into account when deciding if the move is the right one?
• What could make your transition more successful?
• What should you expect once you’ve made the leap?

My own experience

In my own career, I’ve been an illustrator, graphic designer, art director, multimedia developer, web designer, web developer, ad operations trafficker, and more. I’ve managed designers, developers, and non-technical folks. I’ve worked on the revenue side as well as the content side of small to large publishing/entertainment properties.

To channel Sesame Street for just a moment, you might imagine that some of these things are not like the others. As a matter of fact, all of these roles share similar aspects as well as having striking differences—and that is a damned good thing.

So what motivated me to consider moving to a radically different position (different at least to outside observers)?

In my role as a visual designer, I designed interfaces for websites and applications. Often my designs would brush up against the edge of what was possible with then-current HTML, CSS, javascript, and Flash. At the very least, some design decisions I made would prove to be problematic for those tasked with building a template from the design. This led to me learning new skills–namely HTML, CSS, javascript, more advanced Flash, and PHP.

Jumping from designer to developer came about to provide a better product (visual design artifacts) in my role as a designer.

I also knew that learning more developer-centric skills would make me a good fit for a far wider selection of jobs in the future. I’d be able to apply for roles that went beyond visual design.

Moving to a new role was in service of increasing job security and preparing for more opportunities in the future than a single set of skills would provide.

Some people prefer to pursue excellence in the same type of role for their whole career. This, however, is not me. I simply get bored with the same role over a long period of time with little to no variation. Now, doing similar things while changing up other elements is another story—for example the context, the complexity, the subject matter, the environment, or the team members. These factors are part of what determines one’s experience in a given job, so changing one or more can significantly extend the period of contentment one feels with that role.

Simple boredom was a significant factor. For me, passion breeds excellence; boredom breeds mediocrity.

In many cases, it can be difficult to get a raise when you hold the same job over a period of years, while a change to a different job entirely is likely to come with amenities: a bump in pay, a cooler title, better facilities, more chances to travel, or more training opportunities. In recent years, the data has shown that those that change jobs every three years or so advance more quickly in their career than those who hold the same positions over longer periods of time.

Compensation and benefits played into my decisions to change jobs each time.

What factors should YOU take into account when considering a lane change?

• The skills you currently have that will be directly or indirectly applicable to the proposed new role. This one will take some reflection, because it’s not immediately apparent what kind of overlap that might exist.
• The obvious/traditional career path the new role would offer, PLUS the flexibility the potential role would add to your repertoire for future lane changes.
• The compensation and benefits offered by current and potential roles, weighed in terms of how much each of those benefits matter to you personally.
• The teams and individuals you do and would work with on a daily basis. When you see folks more days a week than not, you’d better like them! They should compound your enthusiasm, your drive to innovate, and share a similar value system to your own. If there’s a marked difference in culture, values, workflow, or communication styles, don’t take this lightly!
• If you’re pondering a jump to a new company AND a new role, factor in the equity you’ve built in the existing company. Seniority has perks, so make sure the leap is worth your while.

What could make this transition more successful for you?

I’ve found transparency to be effective here. When you are talking with your existing supervisor/peers AND when you talk with the prospective team members—be honest. Tell them where your head’s at, why you want to make the move and how you think your particular background would make you a great fit in the new role.

Ideally, there are real benefits to both teams. In one case, the team I was exiting depended on the team I was moving into for support. They knew that I would carry the concerns and sensibilities forward, and that they would have an inside connection and more responsive support since I knew their pain points.

If you’re leaving your current organization entirely, there will be less overlap in domain knowledge specific to a given company/brand, and significantly less benefit to the relationship aspect—knowing who to deal with in other teams to get things done efficiently or influence strategy outside your new team.

Lesson: Identify and communicate the win-win.

Want to know a surefire way to avoid burning bridges? Ensure adequate coverage for your existing role. Take the time to share with your current team all the intricacies of the things you are responsible for. Verify that all the things you do have a new owner or are at least acknowledged as items that need new homes.

Take it a step further and document all those little nice to know details that people may take for granted you’ll be able to provide if asked. You may not have the luxury of dropping everything in your new role to address someone’s need in a timely fashion, and if you can point them to a resource or forward them a detailed explanation that already exists, you’re ahead of the game.

Lesson: Keep intact the bridges you’ve built. Leave good notes.

Finally, what can you expect once you’ve made the leap?

You’re in the new job now, kicking butt and taking names. Everything is copasetic… except that you keep getting emails, phone calls, IMs, and drive-by visits by folks who just “have a quick question” or would “like your input on something.”

As part of your transition strategy, take the time to negotiate a period of interim support. For X number of weeks, you’re willing to provide limited support of your prior role’s responsibilities (and your new boss has authorized the time to do so.) This makes it clear to all parties that there WILL be some support and eases a lot of fears in the process. It also makes it clear where that line is drawn, beyond which you cannot commit to helping out the old gang any longer.

If you’re leaving your company for a new one, the expectations for interim support are unlikely to be significant. Regardless, making the effort to avoid leaving landmines will be noticed, and good karma never hurts.

Lesson: Set boundaries and stick to them.

Another important step in today’s world is ensuring that your communication channels are updated. Distribution lists, chat rooms, trade publications, physical mailings, and the like all take time to wade through, time that isn’t productive and can extend your on-boarding time as you remain stuck between two worlds.

Lesson: Fill out those virtual change-of-address forms.

Finally, the way you’re perceived by internal and external contacts is something that can take a long time to shift, if it ever does. If you met someone in your role of designer, don’t expect them to refile you under “content strategist” in their head just because it’s so. It may never occur to your team lead that you can put together a styleboard. You will have to be your own champion, diligently switching out your various hats and making opportunities to integrate your different skills into your new role.

Lesson: Habits are hard to change. You’ll need to help that process along.

Final thoughts

Throughout my career, in every case where I have made a significant change in the role I am pursuing, there have been challenges—of course. But I can honestly say that each lane change has led organically to bigger and better things and that I’ve learned a ton, which is a crucial part of my happy place.

Your own lane change may result in a greater appreciation for how other team(s) work and greater empathy in your collaboration with them in the future. It may cause you to realize you actually enjoy the new role more than ones you’ve held before and that you’ve found YOUR happy place. Or you may simply take your new insights in stride, apply it to your growing skillset, and move on again when the time is right.

Nomad or permanent settler—there is no right answer, but don’t be afraid to explore. There’s so much out there to experience, and the knowledge gained and the overlap between roles can be significantly to your benefit, to that of your team, your organization, and, ultimately, your users.

Further reading
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/08/the-pros-and-cons-of-job-hopping/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/08/06/8-pros-and-cons-of-job-hopping/

http://danschawbel.com/blog/job-hopping-is-now-part-of-career-management/

http://hbr.org/2012/07/why-top-young-managers-are-in-a-nonstop-job-hunt/

Also published at Boxesandarrows.com/

In part 1 of this series, we talked about the inherent optimism of designers, developers and managers, as well as specific elements of our professions that increase our sense of optimism. Now let’s touch base with some real people as they consider how optimism is reflected in their own lives.

I polled some coworkers and friends who can be loosely grouped into designer, developer or manager roles, and I asked what made THEM optimistic. Interestingly, almost without fail folks had a hard time identifying this at first. It seemed easier for them to come up with what kept them from being optimistic than it was to define what kept them engaged and hopeful.

I’ll start with the manager role, and with my own experiences in management.

In my own life, I’ve felt optimism in several ways. First, it’s amazing how good it feels to make a fundamental and positive difference in someone’s life – someone who relies on you to keep them informed, supplied with projects, needful resources and sometimes even advice. For every crappy situation I’ve had to deal with as a manager, there has been a more impactful moment where I realize the difference I made for a person, a team or a project. I’m optimistic that if I can trend towards keeping my eyes and ears open, my mouth mostly shut; if I can focus on striving for a healthy balance in all things and on being a servant first and boss second, my optimism will continue to be justified.

What does a management peer have to say?
Tripp:

“What drives me the most is my role as a teacher. I don¹t view myself as someone who has a long list of things to get done. Instead, I view my role as someone who teaches others how to get things done and to do so while producing exceptional quality…

“Nothing is more satisfying than watching your team learn and grow over time, and I look forward to preparing them for that growth everyday.”

Tripp’s comments echo the sentiments I’ve heard from many of the great managers I’ve worked with over the years.

Next, let’s talk to developers, starting with my own reflections on the role.

As a developer, nothing makes me more optimistic than being given the chance to implement a new tool or new feature within the scope of a well-defined project. By well-defined, I mean that the requirements are actually spelled out with enough clarity that I’m not having to chase down specific interaction details, approved copy or the latest round of graphic assets. Optimism comes from knowing I’ll be given a tough challenge AND the breathing room and time to do it well. Bonus points if I get to collaborate with other developers to come up with something extra special.

Let’s see what other developers have to say:
George:

“It’s like the Wild Wild West all over again. The number of devices available to assist users in consuming content is growing. Mobile browsing is exploding, wearable tech is just on the horizon. Content and information about almost everything anyone could want is at your fingertips… as developers, we’re the ones with the power to unite the content with the users and display it in such a manner that it delights the user, that it informs the user, that it makes a difference in their lives.

… for all those reasons, I feel like despite the number of challenges we face as developers… how could you be anything BUT optimistic!?“
Matt:

“As a coder/developer/programmer, I’m excited about how fast we’re now able to create powerful new tools and applications with new languages and methodologies, mostly spurred by a large organic open source ecosystem (or ecosystem, depending on view). I’m also glad that our profession, to a degree, has been able to grow its talent pool beyond its initial, small, arguably insular, group of practitioners.”
Jeff:

“Being given the chance to write code which can stand the test of time and be used again and again… Code that deals well with changing circumstances and can be adapted pretty easily to meet the needs of tomorrow. All that pie-in-the-sky kind of stuff. I like writing code that makes writing code easier and more fun…”

We’ll hear more from these folks later on when we examine some of the challenges each group faces as they look to the future.

In these conversations, it was obvious that the simple act of verbalizing something positive about their design or management gig was followed by an uptick in their outlook. Now if you’re paying attention, this means that we’ve made something from nothing. We’re outlook alchemists! Where once there was a lukewarm, gray day with nothing interesting on the horizon. Haven’t we all been there?

Take a few seconds every day, snatched from whatever your day already holds. Think about those things you’ve identified that are essential to your vision. Then make such efforts as you are able to bridge the gap.

Next time, we’ll take a peek inside the minds of designers to see what makes them flourish and what makes us feel like we’ve died a little bit on the inside.

Editor’s note: Also published on GIANT UX