The most recent guardian technology podcast opened with these headlines!
"On this week's podcast, we're looking closely at why a 32x32 pixel digital icon designed for the UK Government's Information Commissioner's Office cost £585 of public funds!"
In a fantastically timed bit of linkbait, Ryan Carson called bullshit on the title of "UX Professional" while attending the dConstruct conference we organise in Brighton. At the conference we announced that we were hiring a Senior User Experience Designer so it would be easy to put two and two together and assume that he was calling us out. However I actually understand where he's coming from. I don't agree with him mind, but I do understand.
The concept of 'Pull Marketing' is all the rage at the moment. In the age of the Mad Men, selling a new product was easy. You'd be handed a commodity product like toothpaste or washing powder and set about building a brand to set it apart from the competition. You would then buy advertising space on a small number of influential marketing channels and wait for the sales to roll in. The growth of multi-channel TV, the commercialisation of radio and the rise of desktop publishing in the 80s fragmented audiences, making it hard to get the message out. However it was the appearance of the Internet that changed marketing for ever.
Yesterday I documented my thoughts and observations on the standard of digital design education. From talking to current and recent students I've shared their frustrations as they bemoan being taught out-of-date technologies by lecturers far removed from the daily practices of design. Through visiting degree show I've witnessed a slew of substandard work caused by an over reliance of tool based education and a lack of design thinking ( If I witness one more Flash portfolio in the shape of a designers studio I think I'm going to cry.) So where does this problem arise from and what can be done?
A couple of weeks ago Wired Sussex invited me to a debate on the standard of design education in the UK. Being a topic incredibly close to my heart I literally jumped at the chance to participate. In order to create a sense of drama, the event pitted three designers against three educators in a heated and passionate discussion on the quality of design education in our industry.
Somebody contacts you out of the blue, possibly through a friend or from an advert you posted on a dating site, interested in meeting up for a drink and possibly more. They like what they've seen so far, but before telling you about themselves, they want a little more information. It's noting big and perfectly normal. They just want a copy of your passport, your last quarter bank statement and the phone numbers of your past couple of dates. Oh, and could you sign this contract agreeing with my standard date conditions assuming I chose to go out with you.