Design Workflows at Work

For me it's just about getting in an environment where everything else is shut out. That means shutting down IM, e-mail, the feed reader, etc. For me it's not about inspiration, but more about just kind of getting down to business.

Well, from the standpoint of the 9-to-5, it's pretty random depending on the client and project, but for the most part I'd say it's pretty stable. Wake up, check e-mail, RSS, etc. Respond to anything important and then head to the office. (Or sometimes just stay home and work.)

They both have their advantages, and I it really depends on the type of work. At the office, we have a pretty large open space that can sometimes be pretty distracting, but at the same time, it enables more communication and collaboration. However, at times, it just pays to work from home. So for me, it's about finding a good balance and working from the right place for the type of work I'm doing.

I'm horrible at this. I like to get my e-mail and feeds out of the way in the morning so I don't have anything else distracting me over the course of the day.

Yojimbo. Period. I used to use Backpack, but for me, Yojimbo has just been a dream come true. I keep everything in there. I used to just keep a lot of text files on my desktop, but they were always disorganized, and I always wanted to just delete them and keep the desktop clean. However, with Yojimbo, I create topic-specific notes as well as regular ones like Todo and Time for tracking my daily stuff. It's just powerful enough to let me do everything I need without forcing me to do it a particular way.

Well, I'd say phone calls, but if somebody calls me when I'm in the middle of something, I'm generally pretty unresponsive, unless it's particularly important. RSS can also be a rabbit hole of fascinating information at times, and so I tend to just shut down my feed reader except in the mornings and at lunch.

Everything used to be a mess. I was logical, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stay organized. Finally, I started looking at organization as something that required preparation. I had to create the systems within which I could stay organized. That meant discipline for filing and creating organizational structures. So really, you could say the only experience that influenced my workflow was the fact that I really didn't have one.

Probably my background in computer science. I'm ridiculously logical, so I'm almost always searching for the structure in things, or at least, ways I can give it structure. So, I've really looked at the different approaches to getting work done, and tried to balance the traditional waterfall method with a little bit of agile and not only program and design that way, but operate that way on a daily basis. So I try to invest a reasonable amount of upfront time planning, but at the same time, I realize that I have to get my hands dirty if I really want to know what to plan for. Otherwise, the plan falls apart a few minutes into the game, and I've got to start planning all over again. Just like anything else, it's a balancing act. The wisdom for planning is good, but without action, you'll never gain the wisdom.

Edward Tufte's work has been a huge influence. I think what I like most is that even though he doesn't talk specifically about the web, there's just incredible value in applying his concepts to the web and the work that we do.

Other influences have been Mark Boulton, Khoi Vinh, Stephen Anderson, and Jason Santa Maria. My background is really computer science, so while I had taken lots of art in high school, I hadn't really been exposed to some of the more advanced concepts of design, layout, and typography. While I haven't learned everything from them, they definitely ignited the spark that got me to dig deeper in those areas to learn more.

Finding something about it that really interests me. For some reason, I find it really hard to stay focused if I'm not totally engrossed by the idea or task. It's probably because it's client work, and frankly, there are times when it's just not interesting. So instead, I look for an angle that makes it interesting or enables me to learn something new without losing focus.

For instance, when I'm working on wireframes, I'm usually making a point to extract as much as possible for my personal wireframe templates. Or, if I'm doing some HTML prototyping of a particularly boring business process, I'll try to extract some JavaScript or ideas that make prototyping easier. That way, I find some additional value beyond just solving the problem, and it's something that I enjoy and can be passionate about.

Of course, at the same time, I have to remember that the solution is what's important. I think too often, people can caught up in want to play with a new technology or idea (cough, AJAX) and overlook the fact that it's not really the right solution. So, it's important to not turn projects into a personal agenda, but there's always some way to find enjoyment in almost any project. For me, when I'm happy and enjoying what I'm doing, that's where the best ideas are born.