Design Disruptors
Nearly a year to the day that I started studying with General Assembly and I was back. But this time things were a bit different. This time I already had the job title UX Designer, we were in their brand new swanky office space in Whitechapel, and rather than a course we were there to watch a film.
I had first heard about the Design Disruptors film by InVision at the beginning of the year. I had seen a preview which looked interesting and was keeping my eyes open for a chance to see the whole thing.
But it was not as simple as that. This was not a film you could download from YouTube or watch at a normal cinema. You would need to find a special viewing somewhere.
In one of those weird coincidences, we were talking about it in the office the day before I received an email from GA saying they would be showing it. Seeing as their emails normally have more of a USA leaning I did not hold out much hope, but there it was, a date in London.
"It is good to be reminded how fleeting the digital products we make are"
We were all free, so tickets were booked. A team viewing. The film was nicely made and interesting. It also featured a lot of people I have heard before on the Design Details podcast, so it was nice to put faces to voices, covering companies like Facebook, Pinterest, Evernote, Dropbox and many more.
But I do not think it said anything new. These are all things I have heard or read before and it did feel a little like the San Francisco design community boasting about how clever they are. Where were the designers from the rest of the world?
However there were some interesting points and I think it is good to be reminded how fleeting the digital products we make are. We are not making works of art and they will be changed and superceeded while we watch.
And it reminded me once again that in my company I am the voice of the user and without me the user will be forgotten as they focus on business goals. I must stand my ground until we work out a compromise which works for both the user and the business.
It was nice to spend the evening with my team and I know we will be discussing this film for weeks to come.