Parallel Universes in Design
by DanIt’s come to my attention recently (I’m a slow learner) that there is a (small) galaxy of designers and design firms that I’m aware of. Then, just slightly off to the left, right, up, and down, there are all these parallel galaxies, each with their own design heroes, famous firms, magazines, blogs, you name it. People who are famous in one galaxy simply aren’t in another, and visa versa. Even though we’re a pretty small profession (compared to say, CPAs or lawyers), the galaxies can be pretty far apart.
It’s fun to learn about (or visit) other galaxies on occasion though. This is ideally what conferences are for: bringing ambassadors from different galaxies together. But like any good tourist, you need a strong stomach and an open mind. People you’ve heard rumors of turn out to be different than you expected and the customs are, well, just weird. And because you are a stranger there, you aren’t sure what is normal. I’ve found it’s best in such situations to reserve judgement and take in the experience. Only then can you head back to your own galaxy with what you learned, instead of just (first) impressions.
Something to think about with conference season starting.
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February 15th, 2007 at 3:19 am
Yes – important to leave your own galaxy to realize that we all have our own jargon and have an opportunity to listen to folks outside of your galaxy talk. *gets back on space ship mumbling UCD, IxD, IA, UX …
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February 21st, 2007 at 5:46 am
Yes, this is exactly what I thought when I realized that Bill Moggridge’s Designing Interactions didn’t interview a single person from the information architecture “scene”. There are many parallel universes in design. Unfortunately, many of these universes also do not attend conferences at all, either.