Comments on: Measuring the Productivity of Designers http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/ UIE\'s latest insights on the world of design Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:06:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Wouter http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/comment-page-1/#comment-38247 Wouter Mon, 04 Dec 2006 15:56:30 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/#comment-38247 To overcome breadth and complexity, we could start with comparing the quality of parts of the design process. Currently I started with measuring ideation effectiveness. How effective was a certain idea-generation session? The answer would help at least in the beginning of a design session. My research focuses on working with children, but I have based my research setup on an article by Shah and Vargaz-Hernandez in Design Studies 24 (March 2003). They propose to measure the effectiveness by the novelty, variety, quality and quantity of ideas produced in a design session. It feels like demystifying creativity, inspiration and quality terms of the like. In short setting the success and weighing criteria for quality and the importance factors for the variety of ideas to generate is the most painful exercise. But in the end, I am able to say something about the kind of method that delivers ideas most effectively with 10-year olds. I can imagine someone could perform this exercise in designing with adults. I am curious to learn what you think of the article and their approach. To overcome breadth and complexity, we could start with comparing the quality of parts of the design process.

Currently I started with measuring ideation effectiveness. How effective was a certain idea-generation session? The answer would help at least in the beginning of a design session.

My research focuses on working with children, but I have based my research setup on an article by Shah and Vargaz-Hernandez in Design Studies 24 (March 2003). They propose to measure the effectiveness by the novelty, variety, quality and quantity of ideas produced in a design session. It feels like demystifying creativity, inspiration and quality terms of the like. In short setting the success and weighing criteria for quality and the importance factors for the variety of ideas to generate is the most painful exercise. But in the end, I am able to say something about the kind of method that delivers ideas most effectively with 10-year olds.

I can imagine someone could perform this exercise in designing with adults. I am curious to learn what you think of the article and their approach.

]]> By: Russell Wilson http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/comment-page-1/#comment-37136 Russell Wilson Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:38:10 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/#comment-37136 The problem with Peter's suggestion (and he hints at it) is that deliverables will (almost) always vary in breadth and complexity. That's where quantifying the design deliverables even in a fuzzy manner might help: "Wireframe with 10 controls and Level-2 complexity." And yes, you would have to add in a measure of quality or else you wind up in the same boat as developers with function points. The problem with Peter’s suggestion (and he hints at it) is that deliverables will (almost) always vary in breadth and complexity. That’s where quantifying the design deliverables even in a fuzzy manner might help: “Wireframe with 10 controls and Level-2 complexity.” And yes, you would have to add in a measure of quality or else you wind up in the same boat as developers with function points.

]]> By: Peter Boersma http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/comment-page-1/#comment-37001 Peter Boersma Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:41:03 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/11/24/measuring-the-productivity-of-designers/#comment-37001 I'd start with defining the design deliverables and the customer's success criteria, so you have "stuff" to measure. IF you know how long it took a team to deliver a design using a certain set of deliverables AND you know how happy the customer(*) was with the end-result THEN you have a situation where analysis is possible: - did we use the right deliverables? - why did we use more time than average? - did we overpromise or underdeliver? Of course this requires, as Jared said, a long time to measure; you will need to do similar projects that require similar deliverables and aim for similar client goals to have a set of comparable figures. Hey, maybe we could set up a set of design process standards(**) for this! (*) yes, the customer's client should also be happy, but it's up to the client (and his consultants, which may be you) to determine how to measure this. (**) Read more about this idea here: Adding design process attributes to patterns http://www.peterboersma.com/blog/2006/08/adding-design-process-attributes-to.html I’d start with defining the design deliverables and the customer’s success criteria, so you have “stuff” to measure.
IF you know how long it took a team to deliver a design using a certain set of deliverables AND you know how happy the customer(*) was with the end-result THEN you have a situation where analysis is possible:
- did we use the right deliverables?
- why did we use more time than average?
- did we overpromise or underdeliver?

Of course this requires, as Jared said, a long time to measure; you will need to do similar projects that require similar deliverables and aim for similar client goals to have a set of comparable figures.

Hey, maybe we could set up a set of design process standards(**) for this!

(*) yes, the customer’s client should also be happy, but it’s up to the client (and his consultants, which may be you) to determine how to measure this.
(**) Read more about this idea here:
Adding design process attributes to patterns
http://www.peterboersma.com/blog/2006/08/adding-design-process-attributes-to.html

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