The people, place and space newsletter #17
Free design resources, metaphors, and starting DesignOps
Hey folks, it’s great to be back after an extended break over the Christmas break, and I’m feeling optimistic and re-energised after some good time off. I hope you are too. I’ve been collecting up some great reads over the month, and it’s a shame I can only add so many in here before it becomes some sort of novel!
Degreeless Design
By Tregg Frank
I came across this colossal treasure-trove of resources for those that want to learn design for free, and I have been browsing it bit by bit ever since. There are so many classic articles and books that would benefit anyone of any skill level. For those just testing the waters, this is a really good place to start.
I recommend checking out the Building Blocks and Process parts if you’re just getting started, rather than the traditional Deliverables (Persona, Empathy map…).
Metaphors we web by
By Maggie Appleton
I really like the way Maggie posts her “seeds” of thought on her site, and grows them over time. As a result, this is one of her unfinished pieces that will be added to and nurtured.
Image credit: Maggie Appleton
It’s a commentary on how metaphors still permeate the world technologists and digital designers work in, despite the interfaces we design having little in common with the physical objects they are based on, for example a webpage and a page of paper. I can’t wait to see this article blossom further.
I’ve always been fascinated by the linguistic power of metaphors, especially if you want to tell a compelling story and elicit an emotional response from the audience. If you’re a designer or researcher trying to sell the story of the user, metaphors are your storytelling superpower! You can learn more about the neuroscience of metaphors here.
When is the right time to think about DesignOps?
By Patrizia Bertini
Image credit: Patrizia Bertini
This is fast becoming a really popular strategic role to support designers to do their best work, creating efficiencies for both the design team and the organisation.
It’s critical to remember that DesignOps is a function that helps organisations to scale their design capacity by improving design teams’ performance and quality of output while increasing teams’ health metrics.
As a team scales, so does the operational load on that team - managing tools, time, capacities, processes and governance of how design work is done can quickly become unwieldy. This article neatly frames the when, where and how of getting started with DesignOps, I found it really useful.
Also worth your time
I’m looking forward to several upcoming conferences, first 24 hours of UX which is a global conference, and second the Royal College of Art Service Design are running something called Next Challenges with Cat Drew, Clive Grinyer and Baron John Bird
Just for fun, have a good old belly laugh at The UX on this small child is terrible
I’ve been nosing through Dan Klyn’s BASIC architecture framework with accompanying downloads
I really liked this letter to a junior designer that was shared by colleagues at work, some golden nuggets in there (junior or not)
Spend a happy few hours browsing through the Biased by design website to understand where cognitive biases seep into the design process, fascinating and unsettling at the same time…
…and if that wasn’t enough, pair it with the Ethical design guide
What I’ve been up to
I’ve been going slow the last couple of months, taking the time to enjoy family, reading and pressing my face against the glass looking for the first signs of spring. In anticipation of warmer weather I have sown a multitude of Chilli and Pepper seeds, knowing they take an age to germinate and grow. I also enjoyed reading “As I walked out one midsummer morning” by Laurie Lee - if you haven’t read the precursor to this novel “Cider with Rosie” I encourage you to do so. The writing is beautiful, and an intimate record of a bygone era.
See you next month! Thanks for reading 😊
Laura