Many people think of engineers and designers are working in completely opposite fields and with completely different personalities. Designers are associated with free-flowing emotional creativity while engineers are often portrayed as calculated and logical. However, these two roles can work together effectively to produce amazing results. Here are some rules designers should follow when enlisting the help of an engineer or collaborating on a project.
1. Don’t Rely Heavily on Custom Work
You will find that many Knox engineer Tulsa will work with a specialty software program or CSS framework for design inspiration or project boundaries. These systems may already have colors or pre-defined margins that help development move along more quickly. If, as a designer, you are trying to change things up in areas of font size, margins or other components, there is a lot of custom CSS writing that the engineer will need to do. This can get tedious and time-consuming. Try to use custom specs only when necessary.
2. Include the Engineers Early On
Startups often have very little involvement of an engineer, as most product management teams and designers have the most say about a product. However, you should still keep the engineer in the loop and included as a part of the conversation from the early development stages. They may have a perspective or insight that you hadn’t considered. You can send design reviews over to the engineers and ask for feedback. Let engineers contribute early on to churn out a cohesive product at the end.
3. Trust the Engineers Feedback
Don’t assume that the engineer has no idea what he or she is talking about when it comes time for feedback. Engineers may come at the project from a different angle, but they generally have very good design sense. The feedback they will provide will usually be on point, though this isn’t a guarantee. Always take it into consideration and evaluate it with an open mind.
4. Teach Yourself a Little About Programming Language
Design software and engineering software can be very different, but programming languages share a lot in common. If you both have an understanding of the programming or software abilities of the other, it can make it easier to design a product that will share more similarities than differences. You will also gain the respect of the other and work together more cohesively.
Don’t always view differences as a hindrance to teamwork. When it comes to engineers and designers, there are more strengths to build on than to keep you apart.
