Patrick McGowan - The Role Of Interaction Designers And HCD As A Process
In its 11th installment, the Namahn interview features Patrick McGowan of Research Triangle Park of IBM Software, North Carolina. As the Art Director and Visual Communication Lead of a User Experience Design team responsible for IBM Lotus software products, he talks to Namahn's Joannes Vandermeulen about the role of Interaction Designers and HCD as a process.
Is Human-Centered Design a process or an end-product? Why are designers particularly suited to fill the role of facilitators in projects with many stakeholders? Is the 'designer suit' representing a barrier in promoting design-friendly environments at companies? Does the trend towards more agile-oriented development change the position of designers? How are non-functional requirements such as Usability balanced best against 'traditional' functional requirements? Has HCD become a commodity and how will the need for external experts evolve? How important is the level of fidelity for the presentation of designs and concepts?
Namahn poses these and other questions to McGowan, who explains his experience with presenting design as a final solution and how trial and error has led to the adoption of mindset that view design as an inclusive process. McGowan argues that all project stakeholders need to be actively involved in the process, from product managers and business executives to the software developers and system architects. Due to their ability of bridging the gap between the different disciplines as well as the business side, McGowan considers the key role designers play in this process as being the facilitators that ensure the release of a well-designed product.
Download the interview (mp3, 19:13, 17.6MB, June 2010)
The trend towards more agile-oriented development implicates a shorter release cycle due to rapid iterations as well as a more team-based approach. How does this trend impact the position of designers? McGowan suggests that agile development supports the notion of designers acting as facilitators in the forum where all team members share ideas and plan ahead. Also, a closer focus on user needs across iterations make designers a more equal player in the team.
User experience and usability are among several non-functional requirements that need to be balanced with the more 'traditional' functional requirements. McGowan argues that much depends on the needs of the product and the market it is serving as well as the customers. Inasmuch as e.g. a tool for online meetings is frequently targeted at first-time users, companies acquiring an enterprise portal solution may be more interested in performance and efficient deployment solutions.
Given that many companies grow internal design expertise, how can external specialists continue to bring added value to projects? McGowan is convinced that bringing external experts into a team spurs a certain dynamic as fresh ideas and an unbiased point of view are brought into the process. As an honest broker, external designers can have a positive impact on any project.
