When I got to the end of this post, I was looking for a “read more” link. I’d like to hear how AP fits these people into their structure, etc.

I would like to hear more on the “emergence of developers who masquerade as designers” and their impact on the end product.

I was hoping there would be more to this article as well.  Are you implying that developers can’t also be “real” designers but can only pretend (or masquerade) as them?  There are people who do posess both skillets.  They are not necessarily exclusive.  I hope that isn’t what is being alluded to but if it is, it is a little offensive.  Some people are as comfortable working in Photoshop as in In an IDE, but if they work for a company of any size they are usually restricted to one skillet or the other.  I have personally been forced to ignore my creative side at my day job in favor of coding because that is the way my employer has roles divided.  Honestly sometimes it is pretty frustrating.  At least I can do some side work and have control of the whole process and try to create both beautiful graphics AND beautiful code.

Hi Lindsey,

In no way was I implying that developers cannot do design. Quite the opposite in fact. I am seeing more and more professionals who sit on the fence between design and development. This post focused on those individuals who are seen and often act as “designers” yet work with tools that are normally reserved for programmers. <a href=“http://www.adaptivepath.com/aboutus/pj.php” rel=“nofollow”>P.J. Onori</a embodies this person as a designer who “thinks in code”.

Your anecdote about how your employer dissuades your creativity is the flip side of this situation. Like you, there are many developers who can use their technical skills to solve tough interaction problems and craft products that are a joy to use.

So here’s a question back to you and to others…. have you been able to overcome this separation of responsibilities in the workplace? If so, how? If not, what are the major roadblocks?

Thanks for that response, Dan.  Where I work there are a lot of silos, necessitated by the fast pace of development and the fact that, in general, most people don’t have skillets that cross over from design to UX to development.  They tend to hire people who are more “masters” than “jacks of all” trades, as it were.

In my case, fortunately, the other teams have learned that even though I am not allowed to participate in their deliverables, I am competent enough to fill in the blanks where there are any and get their approval later.  That is a level of trust I have had to earn but it makes it more tolerable than having to totally disregard my other skills in favor of development (which I do enjoy). 

I have basically accepted that other than in very small shops there just won’t be any recruiters looking for someone who can do both (because they either can’t conceive of it or there would be too few candidates) and so I have to pick one over the other.  Development tends to pay more and so I have stuck with that for my main career.

I would love to find a job where I could use both skillets, but I might also be spread too thin there… The small sites and projects I do on the side are usually enough to scratch that creative itch.