seeking simplicity

Seeking Simplicity

Ann Marie Sexton

SIMPLIFYING THE MANAGEMENT

OF COMMUNICATION DESIGN

Seeking Simplicity

For my Mom, Linda, Tom, Ted, Mark & Mike

School of Art and Design

Pratt Institute

December 2014

A thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

of Master of Science in Communications Design.

Seeking Simplicity

A study and evaluation of the management of communication

design and a proposed solution to simplify the process through

use of visual empathy, distillment and clarification.

by Ann Marie Sexton

Warren Bernard, Major Advisor Date

Santiago Piedrafita, Chairperson Date

Seeking SimplicityA study and evaluation of the management of communication

design and a proposed solution to simplify the process through

use of visual empathy, distillment and clarification.

by Ann Marie Sexton

Received and Approved

Preface

Introduction

Table of Contents

Organizational Structures

Methodologies & Processes

Elements & Tools

BackstoryIntroduction

14 30

18 32

42

1 2

Empathize // Industry Interviews

Distill // Research Results

Clarify // Proposed Solution

Seeking Simplicity

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Notes

3121

123

125

56

84

102

THERE IS

NOTHING

ABOUT

SIMPLICITY

simple

THE INTRO

DUCTION

Preface

Problem Statement

Thesis Statement

Design Approach

14

PREFACE

15

Project management is an area, it is safe to say, that most designers tend to

avoid. Designers would rather be designing then dealing with the logistics

of the design project.

As I look back, I find it interesting that, as a communications designer, I

would dedicate my thesis study in graduate school to the subject of proj-

ect management. Prior to graduate school, I was an experienced manager

and coordinator in the non profit sector. I entered into the field of graphic

design with an acute awareness, and interest, in how design projects were

structured and managed. Working directly with both design professionals

and clients, I realized there was a lot of frustration around the process.

Designers are often referred to, in the field, as problem solvers. So it was

no surprise that when I found myself in the midst of a project management

problem, my curiosity was sparked enough to attempt to solve it.

The tipping point occurred between my final spring and fall semester at Pratt

Institute. During that summer, I had been working as an intern for a digital

interactive agency in New York City. Because, the firm was small enough

I was given the opportunity to be an active member of the team. On one

particular call with a client, the team was going over a series of wireframes

for a redesign of the website, when a drastic change was made to the di-

rection of the project. The client had just returned from a week’s vacation,

full of inspiration and ideas on how to design the website. Her changes

included a redesign of the site map, something that had been approved

months prior to the call. All work that had been shown on weekly calls,

and approved by the client, would need to be scrapped. The client did not

16

understand that the changes she was requesting would drastically shift the

project timeline. There was a huge disconnect in the client’s understanding

of the design process. Words seemed to be lost in efforts to describe the

impact these changes would have on the overall scope of the project. This

was my moment of inspiration, and my drive to study the management of

communication projects. I was in the midst of a meta communication prob-

lem, and I felt compelled to find a solution.

Discussions and further research among designers attested to my inkling.

In a brief survey I conducted among those who work in the design field,

over half stated that the most common project management barrier they

faced was the client’s lack of understanding of the design process. Un-

fortunately, this was not the only problem disclosed in the area of project

management. Research through in-depth interviews and comprehensive

audits of the tools and methods used, confirmed the need for a solution

as to how design projects are visualized, understood and managed. This

thesis is a study and evaluation of the management of design, with a pro-

posed solution to infuse simplicity into the process through means of visual

empathy, distillment, and clarification.

18

INTRODUCTION

19

Managing projects, or doing this kind of ‘work about work’, plays a large part

in the design process. Not only does a designer need to create articles of

communication for their clients, but they also need to clearly communicate

during the phases of the design process with members of their team, vendors,

and, depending on the design role/studio, with the client. Internal as well

as external communication is key, and varies in engagement dependent

upon the role of the designer. Project management plays an essential role in

the design process. Understanding how teams work, and ensuring that the

tools used to manage projects are in fact supporting the team, are crucial.

Problem Statement

You must know what causes the problem before you can begin solving it.

Complexity seems to be the culprit taking over project management. Peo-

ple mistakenly believe that massive amounts of information equals greater

clarification. There are more tools to manage your design projects than

ever before, but these options have become more of a frustration to the

user than a help. Too much information is the a prime source of complexity.

There is a need for a simple visual project management tool to be created

with the intent and purpose of supporting the design process. My research

has concluded that designers are unhappy with the features and interfaces

offered by the current software for project management. Of the over seventy

professionals surveyed, only five percent were satisfied.

20

It seems crazy that 99% of companies lack

a single place to track their work, a de-

finitive source of ‘truth’ about everything

they’re working on.

Justin Rosenstein, co-founder of Asana

1

21

Based off a recent article in Wired magazine, Justin Rosenstein, co-founder

of the project management tool Asana, clearly stated the need for a single

place to track project work and the lack of that need being met with current

market options. There is a clear need that has yet to be met.

The purpose of PM tools is to help plan, execute and support all aspects of

the design process. Designers rely on key tools for managing a project to

ensure that each task is completed on time, to balance staff workload and

client expectations for optimal time management. PM tools are meant to

enhance resource efficiency and ensure the project scope. Unfortunately,

communication within the project management structure is one of the top

problems confronting projects today. Lack of understanding from the client

regarding the project process, as well as internal team communication, are

additional common barriers to project management.

For starters, the communication of the design process is scattered across

multiple platforms. Information regarding the project might be housed on

post its, emails, chats, calendars, documents, spreadsheets, and file sharing

devices. The market has noticed this evident need, and software developers

have been working to produce team communication solutions. The tally

of these new program management tools is building. Though many tools

are being developed, there still seems to be lacking a simple successful

tool which encompasses all that designers need to succeed at managing

projects efficiently. In addition, a critical element missing in the majority of

the tools being offered, or even taken into account, is the essential role of

the stakeholder to the project, the client.

There is a lack of project management software which speaks to and

addresses the client directly. The client is part of the design team and is

a key stakeholder, yet they are left off a majority of project management

tools. The client is left blind to the process. A majority of grievances that

delay the flow of the project derive from the lack of understanding of the

design process by the client.

This specifically comes into play for the agency or the freelance designer,

while the product designer or in house designer, who does not work directly

22

with a client, takes the user into consideration. In both instances, when

moving through the design project, be it for the client or the user, empathy,

distillment, and clarification are key factors to be considered.

Management of the design project has become a complex problem. The

solution to complexity is simplicity. Simplifying communication helps to

support the client’s understanding of the project process, as well as to

enhance internal team communication, addressing these two barriers is

the focus of my thesis.

Thesis Statement

I have developed a simple solution to the project management woes that

so many teams encounter. I have identified one project management area

which is lacking from current platforms, which will support the client’s under-

standing of the design process. Based on a series of research methodologies,

this is an area where designers are struggling in the project management

process and are not currently being supported by the tools which exist.

The areas which I have research have uncovered other areas of need

within the system of project management, which I will reveal throughout

this research publication, but I have chosen to focus and address this par-

ticular area, the client perspective, as it is the one that has lacked attention.

I will address this through the design of a simple modular project manage-

ment component. This custom project management element I propose can

be further developed to create a new tool, or the API can be added to an

existing project management tool.

The tool I propose will be designed through a process of simplification.

Simplification requires a thorough and pervasive commitment to empathize,

distill and clarify. When you have reached a point where you have achieved

transparency, clarification, and usability, you have likely achieved simplicity.

This attention to the client’s understanding and the transparency of the

project process will reduce many of the management barriers which cur-

2

23

rently arise. It will enhance the overall design process and save time for

the design team. I propose we, the design team and the client, all get on

the same page.

Design Approach

This thesis has been structured and created under the three principles of

simplicity taken from the book Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity,

which was coauthored by Alan Siegal and Irene Etzkorn of Siegelvision,

a New York based branding firm. The design approach of simplicity has

inspired and guided this research as well as the project.

Simplification is a thorough and pervasive commitment to empathize, distill

and clarify. Simplicity requires us to have the discipline to boil down to its

essence what we’re offering or communicating. It’s about shaping, filtering,

purifying, and customizing whatever is being offered to people so that it

best meets their needs and expectations. It demands that we strive for

clarification through the use of both plain language and design.

To establish empathy, I had to understand the user, and that was done through

research. My deductive research was conducted through various methods,

both quantitative and qualitative processes, to analyze data regarding the

experiences and successes of project management processes and tools

within the design experience. I used a series of methodologies to facilitate

my research including self completion questionnaires, social media, obser-

vation, and interviews. Included in the distill chapter is the breakdown of

the questions and their results for each of these methods.

Simplicity starts with understanding the

circumstances and needs of others. The

designers must “get inside the head” of

the user to anticipate their needs.

3

24

My research began with observation. Watching people and mentally record-

ing their behavior throughout my internship and freelance experience over

the summer was what brought me to this thesis topic. It was clear, through

the interactions between clients and designers, that there was a lack of

a process which could clearly communicate to the client. As a result, the

design process suffered.

The first step of this approach was established through in-person interviews

with a variety of professionals in the field of design. In order to establish

empathy, I collected qualitative data through this series of interviews. Pro-

viding open ended questions, and allowing the interviewee to disclose their

personal experience with concerns to project management, was essential

to my research. With limited personal professional experience in the field

of design, I depended on the interviewees to disclose common knowledge

of studio practices and processes.

Through these interviews, I was able to empathize and distill pertinent

information about what is needed to support project management during

the design process. The interviews disclosed what tools and processes

designers are currently using in the field, and what they need to have to

be successful in managing their projects.

In addition to interviews, I presented a series of online questions to pro-

fessionals who work in the design sector. Each respondent answered on

their own accord. Self completion questionnaires are good for collecting

data on relatively simple topics. I was able to gain a general overview of

the experience of project management from the designer.

The questions focused on understanding four main areas: what project

management tools designers are using, how their experience has been

using such tools, what is lacking with project management tools, and what

are the main problem areas that arise during a design process that project

management software might be able to limit or solve.

I experimented with social media, using twitter as a tool for my research.

The idea was to create a platform which will allow for communication around

25

the project management experience to be freely expressed. The results

were gathered and distilled and led toward the clarification of the project

proposal. One particular tweet stated and reflected my thesis statement.

Liz Rose Chmela, the founder of the design firm Made By We, tweeted the

desire of a client facing transparent interface.

She said, “I wish I had an easy-to-update

interface where clients could see the

whole design process and status.”

Connecting with professionals in the field of design was essential to my

research, be it through means of surveys, interviews, social media or obser-

vations. The research methods I used opened up doors to conversations

I was not expecting.

At the start of my research, I sparked a partnership with Alta, a design firm

in San Francisco, California. The founder of Alta, Alex Chrisman, had been

in conversation with a developer he collaborates with often, Tyson Caly,

about the very topic of project management frustrations. Alex runs a small

agency and is often struggling with ways to best manage projects at his

company. The conversation sparked an interest among the three of us to

join our efforts and work towards a solution. Through weekly scheduled

calls and set deliverables, the team has offered insights and clarification

regarding the project, gained through professional experience and expertise.

Through the use of simplicity as a design method, I conducted this series

of research methodologies which resulted in data that was then distilled

to provide clarification in proposing a solution. This clarification revealed

what was indeed lacking in the current tool kit of design management and

how I might offer a solution.

28

TOO MUCH

INFORMATION

IS THE

SOURCE OF

COMPLEXITY

prime

29

THE BACK

STORY

Organizational Structures

Methodologies & Process

Elements & Tools

Summary

30

THE STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF DESIGN

31

In order to start moving project management toward simplicity, we first have

to understand the field in which it resides, that is, how designers work and

the process which occurs when managing a design project. The first part of

this research provides an understanding of the various structures of design

management. Once we establish this baseline, we can take the necessary

steps towards simplicity. The most important part of project management

is not the tools; the most important part of project management are the

people. The following chapter will break down the organizational structures

of how designers work, the methods they use, and the tools which have

been created to support those methods.

Project Organizational Structures

Design firms seek organizational methods that facilitate teamwork, can

maximize the usage of limited resources, and support efficiency and quality

in terms of how a project is carried out and the way goals and objectives are

achieved. One aspect of project management, that first received quite a bit

of attention during the 1950s and 1960s, is project organizational structures.

The three traditional organizational structures are functional organization,

project organization, and matrix organization.

Functional Organization structures assign projects in two ways. One way

requires that the project be allocated to a specific functional manager who

then coordinates with all the other departments, allowing for their input.

Alternately, projects may be shuffled around to several departments where

32

Alternately, projects may be shuffled around to several departments where

each department manager makes sure that their aspect of the job is com-

pleted. This method does not work well in complex projects.

Project Organization is created specifically for executing projects. The focus

is on completing the project. Once the project is finished, this structure

disbands. The problem here is that as soon as the members actually begin

acting like a cohesive team, the project is over and the organization dissolves.

Created in the 1970s, the matrix structure combined the ideal parts of those

two structures: Functional and Project. This model functions very well

when you can find multiple projects being simultaneously coordinated, for

example, in an agency where designers are working on several projects

for different clients. Though this has the best of both structures, problems

still arise when designers have multiple managers to report to so internal

communication becomes key. 1

Depending on which organizational methods is used, a project management

methodology will follow and complement the organizational methods used.

Project Management Methodologies & Process

Project management methodologies are models, which project managers

employ for the design, planning, implementation and achievement of their

project objectives. There are different project management methodologies

to benefit different projects.2

Project management methodologies were officially defined and used in a

widespread fashion among organizations in the 1950s. They were appro-

priated and originally derived from engineering, construction and military

defense projects. These methodologies are all about specifying the best

way to initiate, plan and execute projects.3

Project management methodologies are most commonly used among soft-

ware developers and IT specialist. Over the past few decades, there has

been strong debate surrounding which methodology is best. The debate

33

has become particularly heated over two particular methodologies: Agile

or Waterfall. The topic of project management methodologies is vast and

pertains more to software development then to communication design. I will

briefly touch on the two most commonly discussed methodologies, which

are, Waterfall and Agile.

Developed in the 1970s, Waterfall is the most traditional methodology. It

is sequential, with top-down approach to project management. Within the

waterfall project management methodology, project managers strive to

eliminate risk and uncertainty by following a step-by-step approach towards

the project. It is best used when the project is defined and the require-

ments will not change during the course of the project. After each step is

perfected and completed, the process proceeds to the next step. Just as

builders would not revise the foundation of a house after the framing has

been erected, so does the designer ideally proceed through the step-by-

step process of Waterfall.4

Requirements

Design

Implementation

Verification

Maintenance

Waterfall MethodFigure 1.1

34

One of the main ideas of Waterfall is that, by investing time in the early

stages of a project to ensure that the proper design requirements have

been met, this process will eliminate the need for corrections later on. This

is accomplished by ensuring that one phase of a project is successfully

completed before moving onto the next phase.5

Waterfall works in theory but not always in practice. In order to use this

method you must be sure at the start of the project what you are delivering

to the client.

The most prominent criticism revolves around the fact that very often,

customers don’t really know what they want up-front; rather, what they

want emerges out of repeated two-way interactions over the course of the

project. In this situation, the Waterfall model, with its emphasis on up-front

requirements to capture and design, is seen as somewhat unrealistic and

unsuitable the real world.

Further, designs that look feasible on paper turn out to be expensive or

difficult in practice, requiring a re-design and hence destroying the clear

distinctions between phases of the traditional Waterfall model.

In general, therefore, the model is recommended for use only in projects

which are relatively stable and where customer needs can be clearly iden-

tified at an early stage. Whether you should use it or not depends largely

on how well you believe you understand your customer’s needs, and how

much volatility you expect in those need, as the project progresses.6

While Waterfall is one of the most widely used project management meth-

odologies today, Agile has become popular among software developers.

The so-called lightweight Agile software development methods evolved in

the mid-1990s in reaction to the heavyweight Waterfall-oriented methods,

which critics called heavily regulated, regimented, micromanaged and

over-incremental.

Just as the name implies, Agile, refers to being able to able to move quickly

and easily. The process lends itself to a fast turnaround and the dynamic

7

35

Agile Method

Figure 1.2

AGILE DEVELOPMENT

Develop 1

Intergrate& Test

Intergrate& Test

Intergrate& Test

Develop 2

Develop N

ReleaseFeedback Review

Accept ?

No

Test & Release

Adjust & Track

Next Iteration

Record Changes

Yes

36

HOW TO BUILD A MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT

NOT LIKE THIS

LIKE THIS

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5

Minimum Viable Product

Figure 1.3

37

ability to quickly adapt to needed changes or course corrections. Agile is

thought of as the most humane and sustainable of the two methodologies

because it is human centered and focused on producing work with the

client. Agile relies on producing work in sprints; implementing short, itera-

tive phases that rely on ongoing feedback that continuously reshapes and

refines the project path.

Agile software development processes are built on the foundation of iter-

ative development. The foundation is more people-centric viewpoint than

traditional approaches. Agile processes use feedback, rather than planning,

as their primary control mechanism. The feedback loop is driven by regular

tests and releases of the evolving software.

Agile accommodates change requirements and is a lightweight methods of

designing by presenting to the user in small increments. The sprint phases

of Agile produce market ready products that can be tested with users who

can supply feedback to support the process, unlike Waterfall which delivers

the product at the end of the entire process.

It is hard to know whether your product will be good. So, build incrementally

and try to enhance your feedback, to prove to yourself that the product will

promote the solution.

One method used during the Agile process is called Scrum. Scrum is a way

for teams to work together to develop a product. While a Sprint might take

two weeks, a Scrum will occur within the Sprint and be held in a shorter

timeframe, about 24 hours. Scrums are short phases of development and

occurs in small pieces, with each piece building upon previously created

pieces. Building products one small piece at a time encourages creativity

and enables teams to respond to feedback and change, to build exactly

and only what is needed.

Agile development prides itself on fast production. Agile developers ulti-

mately deliver user-facing code, but designers output thinking. Designers

create solutions to design problems, traditionally expressed via mock-ups

or assets. Knowing how much design is enough is hard. Knowing how much

8

9

38

design to start with is also hard. So what happens when design thinking

and software development methodologies mix?

On October third of this year, Mike Burn, a partner at the design firm Fu-

ture, wrote an article titled on Rapid Ingenuity + Agile = True Love? This

article was published after Mike Burn and I conversed over email around

the idea that Agile might have been an influence in the creation of the

design method Rapid Ingenuity, created by the design firm Future. Below

are excerpts from Mike Burns's response to the connection between Agile

methods and design thinking.

Agile has its roots in software development, but today you can find people

across organizations using it to run projects. Why has Agile taken hold?

Because the big bets and risk-filled assumptions of traditional Waterfall

project management too often failed to deliver products and projects.

Many of the organizations who pioneered the broader use of Agile have

stumbled upon a new challenge: “We’ve mastered the development and

delivery of solutions, but we’re not where we want to be when it comes to

conceiving game-changing innovations.”

To address this, engineering, product management, strategy, and innovation

leaders have turned to design. They’ve spotted a useful overlap in the Agile

Design Thinking Venn diagram. One accelerates conception. The other

accelerates execution. When design thinking and Agile come together,

there is an eureka moment!

39

EU

RE

KA

!

AGILEMETHOD

DESIGN THINKING

Agile Design Thinking Venn Diagram

Figure 1.4

40

Rapid Ingenuity is next-generation design thinking. Rapid Ingenuity is the

clever, original, and practical use of existing resources to solve a challenge

fast. It does this through a series of stages.

The Be Bold Practice.

Be Bold focuses everyone on your challenge and how to make the most

from taking it on. It helps you not only take users into account, but also the

strategic aspirations of your organization and the people who show up every

day to achieve those. Ultimately Be Bold challenges everyone to raise the

bar on what’s possible. It’s a unifying practice that inspires and energizes

your people, your partners, and the communities you serve through shared

purpose and a compelling vision of impact.

The Think Wrong Practice.

Think Wrong deliberately breaks the heuristic biases and synaptic connec-

tions that result in the status quo and stand in the way of ingenious solutions.

The Think Wrong Practice forces you to solve from a place you would never

consider, ensuring solutions you could otherwise never imagine.

The Bet Small Practice.

Bet Small, inspired through our work with best-selling author Peter Sim’s

(Little Bets), counters the fear that too often snuffs out newborn ideas by

applying Sim’s concept of affordable loss. So, rather than placing a massive

bet on an unknown and untested idea (what the Waterfall methodology was

developed to manage), this practice generates a portfolio of small bets from

which ingenious solutions can quickly learn, adapt, and evolve.

41

With its Scrums, Sprints, and frequent deliverables, Agile offers a management

approach ideally suited to producing the LFI (Learning From Investment)

that Rapid Ingenuity Make Stuff, Bet Small, and Move Fast Practices are

designed to produce.

So, while the honest answer to whether or not the Rapid Ingenuity Practices

were inspired by Agile remains, “No,” it’s equally true that Agile and Rapid

Ingenuity are kissing cousins.

Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, and Rapid Ingenuity are a few of the methods being

used today to structure the design process. This is the high level thinking

behind the management process. Once the methodology is decided, then

the elements and tools of management come into play.

10

Move Fast.

BetSmall.

MakeStuff.

ThinkWrong.

Get Out.

BeBold.

Rapid Ingenuity Diagram

Figure 1.5

42

Project Management Elements & Tools

A good system of management is absolutely essential for every graphic

design firm. However, the process of finding the software that’s most ap-

propriate for you can be very confusing. There are lots of competing proj-

ect management systems out there and each has different strengths and

weaknesses. I have provided a brief overview of a few of the key elements

which exist in project management tools, as well as a review of how those

elements are offered in some of the most well known softwares.

ELEMENTS

When choosing a project management software, the user must decided

what they will need. There are a series of elements offered in each tool.

For example, Dropbox is a cloud storage tool which offers one project

management element. Other tools, like Asana, an online task management

and project management app, offers multiple elements such as collabo-

ration, email integration, file sharing milestone tracking, percent-complete

tracking, portfolio management, status tracking, and task management. I

have included a key on the next page that lists some of the basic elements

offered in project management tools.

TOOLS

There are many project management software tools that have been cre-

ated to support the design process. The following survey information was

provided by Capterra, a project management software resources website.

Currently, there are 388 project management tools audited on the website.

I have highlighted twelve of the most popular software tools. During this

research phase, I investigated what many of these tools offered. I provided

a brief summary of a few of the tools I reviewed. Each day it seems I am

discovering a new tool. It is a saturated market place for start ups, each

working to tackle the same problem, how to simplify the project manage-

ment process for the user.

11

43

PLANNING

BUDGET MGMT

FILE STORAGEDASHBOARD

TASKS

CHAT

PERCENT TRACKING

API INTEGRATION

BUG TRACKING

CALENDAR

TIME TRACKING

0

TESTING

EMAIL INTEGRATION

GANTT CHARTS

MILESTONES

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ELEMENTS

44

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE REVIEW

PROS

Multilingual

Easy Access

Many Features

CONS

Poor Client Interaction

No Built-In Tracking

Poorly-Designed

BASECAMP

A web-based project-management tool created in 2001

by the software development company, 37signals, who

recently changed their name to Basecamp. This project

management tool allows for people in different roles with

different responsibilities to communicate and work together.

It’s a place to share files, have discussions, collaborate on

documents, assign tasks, and check due dates. It is used

by millions of people and 98% of its customers recommend

it, primarily for its simplicity.

ELEMENTSS

TRELLO

Trello is a collaborative task tracking tool that could be used

for sharing ideas as well as tracking projects. Software could

be accessed through a variety of hand held devices as well

as desktop computers.

ELEMENTSS

PROS

Visual Workspace

CONS

No Deleting

Completed Jobs

45

ASANA

Asana is an online-only task management and project man-

agement app. It is a web and mobile application designed

to enable teams without email. It was created, in 2008, by

co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and ex-engineer Justin Rosen-

stein at Facebook to improve productivity of employees. It

has been adopted by design firms to create and manage

tasks. It allows users to add tags and due dates to easily

organize team tasks.

ELEMENTSS


PROS

Great Features

Intuitive Movement

CONS

Only Works Online

Not Intuitive

No Chat

No Message Board

JIRA

JIRA is software which helps development teams track and

manage projects and supports issue tracking during testing

phases of a product or website. It was created by Atlassian, a

software development company started in 2002. Jira offers

an Agile software option with Scrum and Sprint planning.

ELEMENTSS

PROS

Easy Interface

Tracks Bugs

CONS

Costly

No Offline Access

46

SLACK

Slack brings all your communication together in one place.

It’s real-time messaging, archiving and search for modern

teams. Search focused communication tool for teams that

automatically indexes content of every discussion and ev-

ery document that is uploaded.

ELEMENTSS


PROS

Easy Search

Team Chat

Emoji Support

CONS

Poor Readability

Slackbot

DROPBOX

Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash

Ferdowsi, as a Y Combinator startup company. Dropbox

offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud,

and client software. Dropbox allows users to create a special

folder on their computers, which Dropbox then synchroniz-

es so that it appears to be the same folder (with the same

contents) regardless of which computer is used to view it.

Files placed in this folder are accessible via the folder, or

through the DropBox website and a mobile app.

ELEMENTSS

PROS

Excellent for Syncing Files

Excellent Sharing Files

Simple to Use

CONS

Expensive

47


PROS

Good Usability

Streamlines Workflow

CONS

Needs to Have

Customizable Invoices

HARVEST

Simple and usable interface to track time. A powerful and

graphical report to see how time and resources are dis-

tributed. Harvest’s powerful reporting gives you real-time

access to keep your projects on time and on budget. Get

the insight you need to estimate future projects, and ensure

your business’s profitability.

ELEMENTSS

TEAMGANTT

TeamGantt is an easy way to use gantt chart software online.

TeamGantt was Co-Founded in 2009 by John Correlli and

Nathan Gilmore. After searching hard for a good way to

schedule a project online, they couldn’t find anything so they

decided to tackle the challenge of building it themselves.

Nathan began designing early interfaces and John began

building what would soon become TeamGantt. TeamGantt

began taking beta users in 2010. TeamGantt continues

to enhance the product and provide excellent customer

service to every user.

ELEMENTSS

PROS

Well Designed

Good Usability

Task commenting

CONS

No Offline Access

48


PROS

Collaborative Office Suites

Local File Syncing

Offline Access

Generous Free

Storage Space

CONS

Lack of Privacy

GOOGLE DRIVE

Google Drive is an online word processor that lets you cre-

ate and format text documents and collaborate with other

people in real time. It provides access to files anywhere

through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos,

videos, files and more. Files in Drive can be reached from

any smartphone, tablet, or computer.

ELEMENTS

PROS

Great Features

Intuitive Movement

CONS

Only Works Online

Needs Directions To

Understand

No Chat

No message board

PODIO

Citrix Podio is the new way to organize, communicate and

get work done. More than 500,000 organizations use Podio

to run projects and company departments. This includes

everyone from small growing companies using Podio to run

their entire businesses to innovative teams in enterprises.

Podio speeds communication and provides the transparency

and accountability needed for efficient teamwork, by enabling

people to organize and track work in one easy-to-use place.

ELEMENTSS

0

49


PROS

Simple to Use

Affordable

Unlimited Users

Unlimited Storage

CONS

Only Suitable for

Smaller Teams

PROJECT TURF

Project Turf is a web-based project management software

with file sharing, milestone tracking, document storage,

contact lists and task management. Projecturf is the straight-

forward and intricately-designed Web-based project man-

agement application that helps you manage projects, people,

and tasks.

ELEMENTSS

SOLO

Solo is an all-in-one management solution for the creative

professional. It’s designed to help freelancers run their busi-

ness, improve workflow and increase productivity all from

within a stunningly beautiful environment. Solo is tailored

specifically to the needs of creative freelancers, and Team

has been created to meet the management needs of small-

to-medium-sized studios. They bring transparency to creative

ventures, allowing users to streamline their businesses and

fine-tune workflow.

ELEMENTSS

PROS

Handsome UI

CONS

Doesn’t Integrate with

Accounting Software

51

Summary

Through this brief summary it is evident there are many complex layers in

the field of design project management. I have provided a quick overview

with enough information to understand the general ecosystem. With this

overview of the structure and management of design, we will now start

moving project management toward simplicity.

The first stage, of this three stage process toward simplicity, is to gain em-

pathy. How are these project management tools and methodologies used

by designers working today? How are these tools received by designers?

These are a couple of the questions I have investigated through a series of

research methods. The first research method and the most crucial was the

interview. The following section will introduce five professionals, working

in the field of design, and provide their personal experience with design

project management.

SIMPLICITY

STARTS WITH

UNDERSTANDING

the

CIRCUMSTANCES

AND NEEDS OF

OTHERS

THE INTERVIEW

Liz Rose Chmela

Ambika Roos

Alex Chrisman

Brendan Callahan

Madelin Woods

Summary

56

EMPATHIZE

57

Simplicity starts with understanding the circumstances and needs of others.

The designers must “get inside the head” of the user to anticipate the needs

of the user. To emphasize is to understand another’s thought process,

decision-making strategies, and attentions spans.

The first step toward simplicity is empathy. This section contains a record

of interviews with a variety of professionals in the field of design.

When it comes to empathy, context is everything. And sometimes the only

way to fully understand context is to physically place yourself in it. While

empathy involves imagination, real-life experience can be a tool to exercise

the imagination and gain insights.

I used interviews to gain insight and context. I was able to empathize and

distill pertinent information through the interview process about what is

needed to support project management during the design process. The

interviews disclosed what tools and processes a varied group of design

professionals are currently using in the field, and what they need in order

to be successful in managing their projects.

1

58

Tell me a bit about the studio.

We are a for benefit design studio,

and we’re out to change the world for

the better. We partner with do gooder

organizations and help them rethink

their communication strategies.

We collaborate with them and with

the creative community at large, be-

cause if there is one thing we know

for certain, it’s that the world won’t

be changed by one person alone.

The change will be made by we.

We are a full time two person oper-

ation. We pull in freelancers to help

with projects, so communication tools

are key for a successful operation.

Liz Rose ChmelaFounder & Creative DirectorMade By We

Type

For-Benefit Design Studio

Size

Small

Methodology

Waterfall

59

What project management software

does Made By We use?

We launch each project with a face-

to-face meeting and use that time

to bring the team together. We use

Basecamp as our main project man-

agement tool. We use Basecamp to

share files between the client and

the other designers.

We also used Dropbox for internal

file sharing as well as to share files

with the development team. For

conversations, we seem to use email

because clients are not comfortable

conversing over Basecamp. It feels

too public to ask questions there,

while email feels more private.

We have started employing a new

application called Invision, which is

an online prototyping tool. This tool

is excellent. You can share mock

ups with clients as well as use it as a

presentation tool. It walks the client

through a clickable prototype of a

website before coding. This allows

client interaction and feedback to

occur to create an experience the

client is happy with and understands.

We use Harvest for time tracking and

invoices. It manages expenses for

the company and clients. We tried to

use the application Solo but found it

to be very annoying to use. We try

to have the most meetings in person,

but will use the application GoTo-

Meeting when we work remotely.

What, if anything, frustrates you with

the use of PM tools?

Tools that try to do everything, or

when they don’t think about the

user and what they are already us-

ing. Whatever the tool is, it needs

to be easy for new user adoption.

It would be great to have a tool that

will work with all the tools I already

use. A tool which will sync with the

other devices you use, in a way le-

veraging everything they are doing

well while filling in for the parts that

are missing.

My biggest ask is for a hub that con-

nected all the tools that are already

super successful at one task. No need

to reinvent the wheel. I just wish the

platforms I used seamlessly would

communicate with one another.

60

and take on more than they can re-

ally do. It is important to manage the

timeline in our office and balance

how it impacts the other projects

we are working on. There is a lot

of time spent and wasted updating

the timelines.

What do you wish you had in a project

management tool?

The biggest things I have not found

yet, but need, is a dynamic and easy-

to-update timeline. A reactive time-

line that will adjust as you update it.

Anytime a task gets changed, it will

be easy to see how the rest of the

timeline changes and the client can

also see it. If the client is late on a

deadline, they can see the repercus-

sions of that right away.

Currently, for project management,

we set up a simplified calendar with

all the milestones in Basecamp. We

also use a detailed analog calen-

dar on our wall in our studio which

is very visual and helps me to see

everything - to see where we are

easily on the project.

We send weekly spreadsheets to

the client with hourly updates so

they can see where the hours were

allocated each week, which keeps

us very transparent. Non profits are

very sensitive to time allocations and

want to know where the hours are

being spent.

Non profit clients always seem to

miss their deadlines because they

are not used to the design process

61

1. Any tool needs to be easy for new user adoption

2.

Platform that users can use seamlessly and would

communicate / integrate with other tools

3.

A reactive timeline that will adjust as you update it

4.

A dynamically updating interface where clients could see the

whole design process and status

KEY TAKEAWAYS

62


Hyperakt is a Brooklyn design studio

with a passion for creating work that

affects change in the world around

us: meaningful design for the com-

mon good. We work with clients who

fight for justice, celebrate culture and

diversity, spread knowledge and en-

gage in social entrepreneurship.

How many folks work there?

Hyperakt has twelve people on staff.

Of those, two are studio heads and

two are managerial.

Ambika RoosStrategist & Account Manager Hyperakt

Type

Design Studio

Size

Medium

Methodology

Waterfall

63

What methodology do you use?

The project management methodol-

ogy we use is Waterfall. This method

has challenges. It is hard because

people always change their minds,

and because it is set up to be a fairly

linear system. It makes it hard to go

back to phases to make adjustments

or changes. There are certain check

off points where clients are signing

off on things, and if there are chang-

es, then we

have to go

back. It caus-

es issues with

the designers

because they

are frustrat-

ed that they

have to make

changes. Then we have to charge

more from the client, and they are

not that happy about that either.

What would you suggest is needed

in order to support the design man-

agement process?

I waste a lot of time explaining the

deliverables and changes to the cli-

ents. I have to go through my emails,

so it would be helpful to have a place

to enter that data as we went along.

So, as we meet deliverables and

changes take place, it would all be

recorded. The key is that it has to

be customizable and flexible, a tool

where I could enter in our wording

and that would match our contract.

I like to see all the projects in one

place, spread across the top, a top

level timeline that includes indicators

with key dates for deliverables.

Another thing we are missing is a

CMR tool to keeping track of all our

new business

inquires. Cur-

rently, most of

them live in

my email and

in my head.

We tried us-

ing High Rise

from Base-

camp but it was a little funky. Track-

ing new business usually comes in

the form of emails. I do host it all

in a google spreadsheet which is

color coded, showing new business,

proposals, and where we get the

referrals from. The google spread-

sheet is not very pretty but it works.

I waste a lot of time

explaining the

deliverables and

changes to the clients.

64


does Hyperakt use?

We use Harvest for time tracking.

Harvest currently hosts the team, the

hourly rates and the project, but the

tool is not adaptable. I need to be

able to use that same information to

plan for the team and to generate

reports. This can be frustrating.

We use Dropbox for file sharing.

For the rest, we mostly use Google:

Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google

Drive. Occasionally, our clients will

use things like Basecamp, but we

will only use that if that is indicated

by the client. We use Quickbooks

for billing, which is robust. We have

been outsourcing all development

up to this point so we use GitHub

for the development phase. We use

Dropmark to share visual assesses

and create mood boards. We also

use InvisionAP.

At the start of the project, the client

will be provided a detailed scope

of work so they will see what our

process is, and what each of the

deliverables are along the way. I

will also put together the timeline

manually in Excel.

I use Excel because our timelines

are changing so quickly it is easier

for me to edit. I have all the deliver-

ables written out, so I can just drag

them down a couple of cells and the

spacing of the deliverables will shift

accordingly. I do not have to re enter

everything. The downside of using

Excel is that it is not online, so other

team members can’t view it. That

is something that we are missing.

Currently there does not exist one

place where everything lives for the

team to view the deliverables for

the project.

We do try to limit the amount of proj-

ect management tools we use be-

cause it is too cumbersome to have

so many logins and becomes more

work to enter in so many passwords

if you are using multiple tools. We

tried Trello, which is an application

which keeps track of everything,

from the big picture to the minute

details, but it didn’t have everything

we needed, so it didn’t seem that

useful to me.

What do you wish you had in a PM

tool? This is your chance to write

your wish list!

It would be nice to have a high level

dashboard of what projects are cur-

rently on the table and the duration

of each of those projects. Right now

I have to enter things into Harvest

65

1. A downloadable option is important 2. Planning people’s hours over

the duration of a project that maps against the budget of the project 3.

CMR tool to keeping track of all our new business inquires 4. Adaptable

timelines which can be shared with clients and team with key delivera-

bles 5. Limit new passwords to enter

to track time. Harvest just released

a tool called Forecast which is sup-

pose to help you plan time, but right

now it is not integrated. You can’t

stack it up against actual time so that

it is not that useful. It’s almost use-

ful, but not for us at least. It would

be nice if Harvest could do more.

It doesn’t help me to plan hours or

days at the beginning of a project.

At the end of a project, there is no

way to download a summary of a

project just to keep for records. It

also does not offer an external side

for clients.

Having an option to download files

is important. Part of it is a bit of a

trust thing with APs. Most of them

are startups, who come and go. If

you are keeping all of your records

there, that can be dangerous. We

have a backup system, and save a

copy of our files on to our server, so

they are not solely on a single AP.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

66


Alta is a San Francisco based strate-

gic design company. Besides myself,

there are two employees, a project

manager and a designer. We usu-

ally have a handful of folks that we

contract with outside of the office

when we work on projects, such as a

copywriter, photographer, developer,

video and / or e-commerce. We usu-

ally work in teams of five to seven,

and run about ten projects at a time.

What methodology do you use?

I suppose you could say we fall into

Waterfall, which is a phase oriented

design process. We start with re-

search, then go into concept, then

implementation. About 30% of the

bulk hours and cost are spent in the

research phase.

Alex ChrismanOwner & Creative DirectorAlta

Type

Strategic Design Company

Size

Small

Methodology

Waterfall

67

We are like a careful tailor. We take

careful measurements, we ask in-

sightful questions, we spend a lot

of time getting to know the client

(what it is that they intuitively need

or want) and we try to deliver all that

first time around.

After that, we then just have to make

small adjustments. We work to get

as close as we can on concept, and

then use some more Agile methods

as we get into the feedback phase.

It seems that psychologically, when

we have shown multiple designs to

a client, they felt a need to edit out

instead of looking for opportunities.

When we put one option in front of

them, they tend to look at the good

in the concept vs if we put three

in front of them. Then they tend to

make arbitrary decisions, why one

does not work over the other, and

even irrational decisions based on

not liking the color. It tends to lead

to confusion because clients do not

know how to make a design deci-

sion. So if we put one idea in front

of them, and they know up front that

is the process of how we work, then

they are pressured to be involved in

the early phases of the process. If

they know they have three options

coming to them, they won’t dedicate

themselves so much to the front end,

knowing that they will have a say in

the back end. If they know that this

is their only opportunity to have an

insight and impact on the project be-

cause we are only offering one, they

are much more apt to get involved.

What project management tools do

you use at Alta?

A lot of what we use is reactive to

what our clients are using. If they

are live editing a document, and they

want us to weigh in on it, we have

to have access to it. Currently we

are using ProjectFlow for high level

dialogue between our projects, Har-

vest for time tracking, GoogleDocs

for spreadsheets and collaborative

work, Basecamp for calendar and

task tracking, Dropbox for file shar-

ing, and Quickbooks for accounting.

We are going to try out a new tool for

project tracking called TeamGrant.

TeamGantt is a Gantt chart software

located online which allows users

and their teams to manage projects

with Gantt software.

A Gantt chart is important because it

shows the project phases, and pro-

vides a high level view to give us a

clearer idea of where we are at in

a project, as well as for scheduling

where those overlaps happen, so

68

that we do not get over stacked.

When we get larger, it will also show

who is assigned to which project and

what time they have dedicated to

support with resource management.



your wish list!

I feel at this point I have most of my

PM needs pretty well served with the

exception of a sales pipeline which

our new project manager is working

on building out in a spreadsheet.

We tried to using the new Basecamp

CRM platform, but it was too compli-

cated for what we needed because

we don’t have a big salesforce, and

it is more targeted for people who

have a sales team.

We are building out a nice google

doc spreadsheet that handles that

part of the business such as pitch

tracking and monitoring of sales

progress so we can get a sales

funnel which is for all the requests

of work we receive, what we bid at,

win/loss rates, on this spreadsheet

so we can go back and gain insights.

The rest of the things I need for the

business I have build out in one mas-

sive master Excel spreadsheet that

has twenty interconnected pages.

For a design studio there are a lot of

complex questions to answer: when

do you hire and how do you predict

how people are going to use their

time, what do you charge for the

time, and when does scope become

a problem for your business model.

I would like to go back to my client

and explain to them why it cost and

what it cost to do a project.

With management on a design proj-

ect, you can view it from one side:

you can look at it as a fixed fee value

based proposition, which is the way

we price our products. Then you

look to the other side: you can look

at it from a cost perspective, how

much does it costs me to earn these

things. The delta is the money the

company is actually making. To be

honest, most designers do not know

if they are making money or not.

But going back to project manage-

ment software, there are a lot of

questions that designers need an-

swered, but they don’t even know

to ask them. They just assume that

it is not in their domaine to know

about business.

We need a tool which can provide

powerful insights for small design

studios and help them run their busi-

ness so they can ultimately focus

69

I think that there is an opportunity to ap-

ply design to project management tools.

How do you take these insights that are

right now buried in numbers that no one

wants to look at and process them into a

way that all of a sudden makes for good

project planning and helps people make

decisions about when to have a conver-

sation about scope. If you can pull those

things out in a software and present them

to people in a way that is really easy to

understand, then all of a sudden you have

real value from data that you have been

gathering anyway.

70

on design work. I think that there is

an opportunity to apply design to

PM tools. How do you take these

insights that are right now buried in

numbers that no one wants to look at

and process them into a way that all

of a sudden makes for good project

planning and helps people make

decisions about when to have a con-

versation or about scope. If you can

pull those things out in a software

and present them to people in a way

that is really easy to understand,

then all of a sudden you have real

value from data that you have been

gathering anyway.

I see the value in project manage-

ment tools as a way of relaying pat-

terns and feedback loops to make

better business decisions. A Gantt

chart is a useful tool because it re-

lays the plan visually, so that you

can quickly digest how things are

stacking, where they are falling,

where problems are arising, so you

can work to fix them.

A nice idea is to create these smaller

modulars which all speak to a larger

platform, which then gives the user

insights. For me, the pieces I see

from my side that are missing are

that I had to either build myself or

we had to use a lot of software to

accomplish the task. Rather, it could

be accomplished if you were to cre-

ate a modular which you can use a

couple of different pieces to address

problems which align. There are

things that are smart to embed into

the same little widget and then you

get them all to play together. There

are really interesting insights that

come out of them; that is the op-

portunity when looking at big data.

When you aggregate all these things

together, when you take different

data sets and put them next to each

other you gain these insights that

maybe big business has and small

business do not, and it is these cru-

cial ‘make or break’ decisions which

can really help someone starting a

new studio.

I would review the tools which are out

there, look at those for the trouble

spots, see where the big holes are and

where are the things that are missing,

and see that as an opportunity.

71

1. Smaller modulars, which all speak to a larger platform, which

gives the user insights

2.

Pull out data from the project management software and present

them to people in a way that is really easy to understand

KEY TAKEAWAYS

72


AIrbnb was founded in the summer

of 2008 and is based in San Fran-

cisco, California. Airbnb is a trusted

community marketplace for people

to list, discover, and book unique

accommodations around the world

either online or from a mobile phone.

The design team that I work with is

about sixteen people, but the compa-

ny has about 1,500 employees. The

design team mainly sits in the San

Francisco office, but we expanding

to London and Singapore. Having an

efficient project management tool

is key for us, and that need will only

increase as we expand globally.

Brendan CallahanDesign ManagerAirbnb

Type

Product Development

Size

Large

Methodology

N/A

73

Do you use a project management

methodology?

To be honest, I do not know what

that means. We don’t use any spe-

cific method within the design team

that I know of as we focus on print

and environmental design and not

experience design.

What we do is design in stages. We

first have a kick-off meeting with all

the stakeholders, designers, and

strategists present. Then we break

up to work on usually three design

concepts. We have critiques twice a

week. The process is very freeform.

We print and post up the work for the

team to review. It is very valuable

to hear everyone’s input and talk

between the teams. It is very similar

to the school experience.

Our office space is located in a big

open warehouse, and we have huge

printers to produce our work. We

focus on quick and dirty prototyping

and getting it live before we refine it.


does Airbnb use?

Right now the team uses Asana,

Evernote and Google Documents.

On one project, we used Basecamp.

I usually resort to making task lists in

Evernote. I organize things in Asana

and make task lists in Evernote.

Google docs work for me. I like the

calendar view in google. It is easy

to set alarms and reminders. It is

easy to view and hide things. So

you are not always looking at this

massive color map of tasks which

can be overwhelming. It seems like

the other PM tools do not work well

with google docs. So, for example,

when I am using Basecamp, I use it

as the external shell and everything

else is linked out to google docs.

What, if anything, frustrates you with

the use of project management tools?

That there is never a perfect one.

We work with many teams, and we

Having an efficient project management

tool is key for us, and that need will only

increase as we expand globally.

74

have to work with a tool that every-

one wants to use. Each team has

their list of their own needs, and its

hard to pull all those needs into one

existing platform right now.

For me, it is not about what tool to

use and what works. It is import-

ant, of course. The true failings are

within today’s work setup. We have

multidisciplinary teams: engineers,

designers, developers, project man-

agers, writers, business folks who

are all on one team. Each group has

their preferred program, and way of

working so it’s tough to get buy-in

across the board on one program

because each have qualities that

pertain to each team. The team set-

up won’t change because it works.

Programs have to adjust. That is the

silver bullet.

What do you wish you had in a project

management tool?

That is a good question and a hard

question to answer. I want an eco-

system where you can utilize your

own individual tools to manage your

own time and your own work and

methodologies, and have it all pulled

into one centerpiece that connects

everything and aligns all the work.

I think that would be great. If we are

talking blue sky that is my blue sky.

1. Create an ecosystem where each

team can utilize their own individual

PM tools but all the data will be ag-

gregated into one centerpiece that

connects everything and aligns all

the work

KEY TAKEAWAY

75

For me, it is not about what tool to use and

what works. It is important, of course, but

the true failings are within today’s work

setup. Our work teams are multidisciplinary

made up of engineers, designers, devel-

opers, project managers, writers, business

folks all on one team. Each group has their

preferred program, and it is tough to get

buy-in across the board on one program

because each have qualities that pertain to

each team. The team setup won’t change

because it works. Programs have to adjust.

That is the silver bullet.

76


I am a Software Engineer at Square.

I work with a team of designers and

engineers to do product develop-

ment. We just hit a one thousand

employees. I work on a team of ten.

Square, Inc. is a financial services,

merchant services aggregator and

mobile payments company based

in San Francisco, California. The

company was founded in 2009 by

Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey and

launched its first app and service

in 2010.

Madelin WoodsSoftware EngineerSquare

Type

Product Development

Size

Large

Methodology

Agile

77

Does Square follow a certain design

methodology and if so which one?

Early on, we definitely had an Agile

point of view. At this point, it has

been difficult to get everyone on

board on the same process because

we are growing so fast and getting

so big. So, it has become a mix.

I would say the design teams use

something closer to a Waterfall meth-

odology. They are working closer

with the product teams to get deliv-

erables out the door.


does Square use?

We use a lot of JIRA. We use it to

work across the entire company.

We use google document spread-

sheets often. Some teams use Asana

and others use Trello. We also use

GitHub, Basecamp, Slack, Slash, and

DropBox.

What frustrates you with the use of

project management tools?

A problem I have now is how do I

communicate with a thousand other

people around what I am going to

be doing today. How do I manage

up? How do I structure my stand up

notes and my JIRA tickets with what

I need to get done and, from there,

how do we project out and scope

for future upcoming work? We have

used Pivotal tracker and JIRA, but

neither really work because unless

you have someone organizing and

maintaining those PM tools, it com-

pletely falls apart. So I would say the

biggest issue is the communication

with how we operate with these tools

and how do we maintain that ca-

dence around using them, and how

I need a tool that gives visibility on proj-

ects, a single source of truth for iterations,

and one place to refer to as I go through

my personal checklist.

78

do we structure our teams around

that. I would say that is our biggest

challenge. Every time I join a new

team, we have to redefine what tools

we are using and how to work best

because everyone works differently

and has a different process to take

into account.



your wish list!

Fast load time, definitely. JIRA is so

funky and slow. It is very difficult to

travel back and forward to other PM

platforms. Always poking around

Dropbox or Basecamp wondering

where the designer put the files is

a time waster. Knowing where is

the latest version of the files is key.

Something that gives visibility on

projects, a single source of truth for

iterations, and one place to refer to

as I go through my personal check-

list, not a thousand places to check

for updates every day.

79

1. Fast page load and quick link syncing across tools

2.

One place to refer to for updates and files

3.

Enables more offline communication than online

4.

A tool which gives visibility on projects and

Standardized language through the process

KEY TAKEAWAYS

81

Summary

From the small three person agency at Alta, to the over fifteen hundred

employee company at Airbnb, I gained a better understanding of the how

project management tools can support or hinder the process of the designer

in these varied fields.

The conversations, with such a range of people from varied titles and com-

panies, all speak to similar needs. The common request among this range

of professionals was for an ecosystem or a hub where all the data will be

aggregated into one centerpiece. A hub which will align all the work and

give the user insights, presenting it to people in a way that is really easy to

understand. This information will be joined with further research to move

into the second phase of simplicity, distillment.

ONCE YOU

HAVE A BETTER

understanding

YOU CAN MAKE

INFORMED

DECISIONS ON

BEHALF OF

OTHERS

THE RESULTSARE IN

Questionaire Survey

Summary

Social Media Survey

84

DISTILL

85

Once you have a better understanding of the needs, you can make informed

decisions on behalf of others. To simplify is to curate, edit, and lessen the

options and choices that overwhelm. Anyone trying to create a simple

anything - a product, a piece of communication, a service, an experience

must be ruthless when it comes to editing, purifying or to use a harsher

word, killing. The challenge is knowing what to kill and what to keep - what’s

essential and what isn’t. It isn’t easy to create a simple product. It involves

constant trade-offs as well as the need to find the right balance between

quality, functionality, and ease of use.2

The interview process provided the insight into the design studio process.

The information from the interviews were combined with additional re-

search methods in order to better understand the context and process

which occurs when managing design. My research was conducted through

various methods, using a survey questionnaire and a social media forum,

to vet information. Both of these quantitative and qualitative processes

provided content which is displayed in this chapter to further distill the

data and provide insight on the experience of project management within

the design experience.

86

Username: @PMThesisStudy

Tag: #projectmanagementstudy

Description:

Designers let your voice be heard, tweet your project management frus-

trations and let's create a solution.

Followers: 8 Tweets: 6

I experimented with using social media as a means of collecting feedback

and used twitter as a tool for my research. The idea was to introduce a plat-

form which will allowed for communication around the project management

experience to be freely expressed.

This was attempted but, over all, failed to produce results. I am not an avid

user of twitter and I believe keeping up with it and engaging the community

is a necessity for the method to be successful. I was not able to secure

followers or any interest in tweeting about project management.

The account I created was called PMThesisStudy. I used the hashtag #pro-

jectmanagementstudy to collect the tweets. I included the twitter account

information on the questionnaire I sent out to over hundred people. This

is how I described the twitter account: ‘Designers let your voice be heard,

tweet your project management frustrations and let’s create a solution.’ I

was only able to secure eight followers and six tweets. Though just a few

tweets were posted they were helpful to my research. The following page

has the responses I was able to compile.

SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY

Twitter Profile

87

@PMThesisStudy I wish I had an easy-to-update (or dynamically updating)

interface where clients could see the whole design process & status.

Liz Rose Chmela, Founder and Creative Director

I wish tasks could be broken down with multiple deadlines and micro tasks.

A visual timeline tool would be nice too. #ProjectManagementStudy

Robyn Nagorsky, Producer

Would love a PM application that could let clients and designers find most

up-to-date files quickly/easily. #projectmanagementstudy

Remy Kass, Designer

It would be great to have a system that manages smart reminders and sends

them to clients. @PMThesisStudy #ProjectManagementStudy

Jim Schachterle, Interactive Thinker and Designer

Need a PM application that saves you time rather than wasting it on under-

standing its poorly designed interface. #ProjectManagementStudy

Dipti Siddamsettiwar, Designer

It’s too easy to get disorganized with too many folders on #Basecamp

@PMThesisStudy #ProjectManagementStudy

Caroline Matthews, Senior Designer

Tweets

88

QUESTIONAIRE SURVEY RESULTS

Self completion questionnaires are often used to collect data on variety of

topics. To distill information and investigate this topic further, I presented a

series of online questions to professionals who work in the design sector.

Each respondent answered on their own accord. This research method

offered insight into the experience of project management from the per-

spective of the design professional.

Summary of Survey Participants

The survey was distributed through email and social media portals. I was

able to collect surveys from 73 participants. Here is the breakdown of who

participated in the survey, the questions and results.

DESIGNERS

CREATIVE DIRECTORS OTHERS

PROGRAM MANAGERS DEVELOPERS

25% 9%

6% 1%

58%

89

89% 85% 75%

34% 18%14%

EMAIL

BASECAMP JIRA HARVEST

DROPBOX GOOGLE

Project Management Tools Used

What project management tool(s) are you / your agency currently using?

30%

OTHERS

1. Flowdock 2. Quip 3. InvisionAP 4. Evernote 5. Box 6.

Trello 7. Sharepoint 8. ProjectFlow 9. Pivotal 10. Notable

11. Freshbooks 12. ZenDesk 13. Github 14. Bitbucket 15. Mi-

crosoft Project 16. Excel 17. Asana 18. Hackpad 19. Things

90

DAILY

SOMETIMES

SELDOM

NEVER

Project Management Tools Use

Besides email, how often do you use project management tools in a

given week?

91

85%85%

FILE SHARE

EXTERNAL COMN TASK LIST

CALENDAR INTERNAL COMN

79%

58% 58%

Project Management Elements Used

What elements of project management tools do you use?

92

95%

5%

UNSATISFIED

SATISFIED

Project Management Tool Satisfaction

How would you rate your satisfaction with the PM tools you are using?

93

55%

45%

SUPPORT WITH EXISTING TOOLS

A NEW TOOL

Project Management Tool Choice

Which would you prefer: one project management tool that will sync with all

your current tools or one new project management tool that encompasses

everything you need?

94

Project Management Barriers

What are the most common project management barriers you see arise?

95

Internal team communication

Lack of understanding by the client

Constant revisions by the client

Communications with the client

Personal time management

None

Other

96

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Shared Platform

There is a call for one project management tool that will sync and work with

other PM tools. This would allow teams to work with the tools they need, but

also have the data they create embedded into a shared platform. There is

a need to sync platforms and reduce the amount of clicks and passwords

needed when maneuvering from different management tools. A platform

that users can use seamlessly, and that would communicate/integrate with

other tools. Integration is important as too many of the tools are silo.

2. Visual Timeline

A reactive project timeline that visually displays key deliverables and can

be shared with clients as well as team members.

3. Task List

A task list that can be broken down with multiple deadlines and micro tasks

and offers an option to track time spent on tasks with a built in time tracker.

4. Dashboard

One place to refer to check for updates every day and which would provide

an overview as well as visibility on a project(s). This place should also call

out who is accountable, offer a place for reminders, as well as the current

project status.

5. File Folders

A place to load and house project files with folders that categorize and

organize the information.

97

6. Client Support

An ability to collaborate with clients on projects, and to offer smart client

reminders. A place that would house all the documents for the clients so

they can find files quickly and easily. The ability, also, to annotate designs

with feedback from clients. Files that will allow for embedded comments.

7. Calendar

A simple calendar which includes an embedded task list and filters.

8. Offline Access

A tool which will work online as well as off line. Also, there should be an

option to download files so they can be saved off line and kept on the server.

This is important because the data is sensitive and needs to be protected.

Many project management tools are start ups and if they fail or shut down

the project data might be lost.

9. Ease of Use

Simple and distilled interfaces that are organized and offer ease of use

and quick categorization.

10. Time Management

A dynamic workstream tracker for planning people's hours over the dura-

tion of a project and maps against the budget of the project so when the

hours are entered, the tracker automatically calculates the hours against

the estimated time.

11. Timestamp

A way to record the data that is occurring during the process of the project

to provide insight and support forecasting for future projects.

99

Summary

There is an obvious need for a visual project management tool to be creat-

ed with the intent and specific purpose of supporting the design process.

My research methodology has deduced that designers are unhappy with

many of the features and interfaces that the current software for project

management offers. Of the seventy plus professionals surveyed, only five

percent are satisfied with the current state of project management tools.

So how can we turn that frown upside down for the design community when

it comes to managing their design projects? This chapter summary has dis-

tilled through a survey research process has provided the clarity needed

to move toward the simplifying the management of projects for designers.

Based on the research, what a majority of designers are struggling with is

the communication around the project both internally with team members

as well as externally with the client.

100

IT’S BETTER

TO DO

ONE THING

well

THAN MANY

THINGS

ADEQUATELY

101

THE EUREKAMOMENT

Process

Project

Proposal

Summary

102

CLARIFY

103

Based on the research presented, it is clear that designers are seeking sim-

plicity when it comes to the management of their design projects. They are

overwhelmed with the options and are seeking support to unify their efforts,

save time, and gain a better understanding of their projects in the process.

The third and final stage of the simplicity formula, is to clarify. Design teams

and their clients need information regarding their projects, but what they’re

getting instead is data - untamed and unfiltered, without order, structure, or

shape, and ultimately without meaning. In order to achieve clarity, we must

apply design to this information; this information needs to be organized,

emphasized, and visualized.

If the structure of data is intuitive for a reader, that reader being the design

team or the client, it is more likely to be read and understood. You can use

design to help guide through structured information by arranging it into

distinct, thematic, clearly marked sections or buckets. When people are

confronted with information that isn’t organized this way, they’re most likely

to experience cognitive overload. The project I propose will focus on clari-

fying how design projects are managed for the client and the design team.

104

Project Proposal

I propose the creation of a project management dashboard. This center

platform, this dashboard, will aggregate information into one platform.

This dashboard will provide the team and the client a clear overview of

the project and it will increase the client’s understanding and participation

in the design process.

In management information systems, a dashboard is an easy to read, often

single page, real-time user interface, showing a graphical presentation of

the current status (snapshot) and historical trends of an organization’s key

performance indicators to enable instantaneous and informed decisions

to be made at a glance.

In real-world terms, “dashboard” is another name for “progress report” or

“report.” Often, the “dashboard” is displayed on a web page that is linked

to a database which allows the report to be constantly updated.

The dashboard will provide the a clear visual overview of the design project.

It will allow the team, as well as the client, to be on the same page regarding

the project. Tasks, milestones, files, deadlines, budgets and notes will be

streamlined into one source. This high level view will support and simplify

the design process.

Project Process

The dashboard is being developed through a MVP (minimum viable prod-

uct) strategy. So before I explain the details of dashboard, let me explain

this strategy. An MVP is not a minimal product. It is a strategy and process

directed toward making and selling a product to customers. It is an iterative

process of idea generation, prototyping, presentation, data collection, analysis

and learning. The process is iterated until a desirable product is obtained.

For the stake of my thesis, I decided to focus on the client version of the

tool. The vital component missing from the current PM marketplace is the

client’s inclusion in the tools created to support the design process. The

3

4

5

105

agency’s dashboard will be included in the second version once the client

version has been completed and tested with users. This is the projected

plan. The second version, or agency version, will not be ready or prepared

for this thesis. This thesis has proposed the idea and need, and has started

the MVP process by launching the first version through a beta site.

To gain the necessary feedback, I will launch a beta site. A beta site, ba-

sically means “we’re not finished yet.” Any site or program that has the

word beta attached means that it is in testing and working out bugs or

identifying needed modifications or changes. Sites and programs are able

to automatically send back information on bugs you may experience while

using the site or program. This allow the programmers to correct the bugs

before the site or programs goes to ‘final release’; beta sites and programs

also provide ‘feedback’ links so you can comment, report bugs or other

problems, and make site improvement recommendations.

To launch a beta site, you first need to collect a select group of users to

test the project. As part of my thesis I have created a marketing website,

dashbeta.co, to advertise the concept of the project and gain users register

to participate in the beta site.

6

106

Project Brand

The name of the project is Dash, an abbreviation of the word dashboard.

When I was considering the name, during the branding brainstorm process,

I reviewed car dashboards. A car’s dashboard provides a quick overview of

critical information you need in order to focus on driving the car. At a quick

glance, you can see how much fuel you have left in the car, what speed

you are going, how many miles you have driven and the temperature of

the engine. It will also show quick alerts if there is something wrong with

the engine or if you left the trunk open. There is also a hierarchy of infor-

mation. The speed dial is often displayed larger than the other elements

as it is viewed more often when driving. All the data displayed is easy to

understand and does not require instruction or tutorials.

So take this concept of driving a car into a driving a project. Whether it is

the client or the designer looking at the dash, either one should be able

understand the pertinent information regarding the project at a quick glance.

This is how dash was born.

107

dashFONT

Brandon Text

COLORS

108

Project Elements

The project management tool, dash, provides a quick overview of the key

elements the client needs to review. It helps the client and the design team

stay on the same page during the progression of the project. It is one place

to refer to for an overview of the project. The dashboard also will call to

attention who is accountable, and offer a place for reminders, as well as

provide the current status of the project.

When you log in the dashboard is the first screen you see. Think of it as

mission control. Here you can review metrics, meetings, messages and

get an idea of what’s going on with the project at a quick glance. To dive

in deeper into any areas of the project select an area from the menu or

click into any of the areas on the homepage to reveal further insights. The

dashboard homepage will provide the following elements:

MESSAGES

Messages is your own personal billboard giving you helpful hints, reminding

you of your events and alerting you to upcoming deadlines, late invoices

and more. Messages are drawn from your calendar settings and updates.

PROJECT STATUS

A reactive project timeline that visually displays key deliverables and bench-

marks. The project status is the overview of the project flow and shows

the stages of the project. It also reveals projected time vs actual time on

project deadlines.

TASKS

Two view task list. The client view, showing an active client task list with

due dates and completed tasks visible. Use the toggle to switch to the

designer view to review what the designer team has due and what has c

been completed to date.

109

CALENDAR

A simple calendar which includes an embedded task list and filters. Tasks

will be added to the calendar from the task list. Alerts from the calendar will

be communicated on the message area of the homepage.

FOLDERS

Folders offers a place to load and house project files that are categorized

and organized. It is a place that houses all the documents for the clients

so they can find files quickly and easily. The files also offer the ability to

collaborate with the design team to provide project feedback with the ability

to annotate designs with embedded comments.

TEAM

Brief descriptions of the project team. Client’s can add in their personal

team members into the project or remove them. They can also view the

design team and see the project lead.

BUDGET

The budget page is a graphical representation of the hours and expenses

allocated and spent on the project . A dynamic work stream tracker to view

the hours spent over the duration of a project and maps against the pro-

jected budget of the project so when the hours are entered by the design

team, the tracker automatically calculates the hours against the estimated

time. Clients can see how the budget is being managed and all details are

transparent.

111

Project Personas

In product design, a user story, or personas, are one or more sentences that

captures what a user does or needs to do as part of his or her job function

with the product. It captures the ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘why’ in a simple, concise

way, often limited in detail and just enough that can be hand-written on a

small paper notecard.

The dashboard will service two audiences: design studio and the client.

The user stories told below captures why the client or designer would be

motivated to use the dashboard.

7

112

THE CLIENTMarie is project coordinator at a non profit organization who is in desperate

need of a new website. She has just received a grant to fund a website

for her organization. She will need to report back to the granter how the

funds are used. Marie hires a small design firm to create the website. Marie

has no knowledge or training in design and is unfamiliar with the process.

THE DASH SOLUTION

Dash will provide Marie easy access to the status of the project, including

the detailed budget to make sure she stays within the grant guidelines,

the files and design compts, which she can include in her reports, and the

tasks that have been completed and need to be completed. So she has

everything she needs to accurately manage and report on the project.

113

THE DESIGNERJon is a senior designer at a medium size design agency. He is in charge

of redesigning a website for an apparel company. The client is located in

another country so the project must be managed virtually. Project manage-

ment tools are used to facilitate communications. The client often emails

the designer asking for him to share project files or provide status updates.

The designer has logged in too many hours responding to emails about

the project rather than actually designing the project.

THE DASH SOLUTION

Dash will provide Jon with a dashboard which he will be able to set up spe-

cifically for this client. The client will have access to dash, and will be able

to access any information concerning the project. This eliminates the need

to email the designer. Jon is left in peace to design and track his process

on Dash, keeping himself on schedule with his tasks and at the same time

keeping the client up to date.

114

THE PROJECT MANAGERSara is a project manager at a new and growing agency. She is in charge

of managing three to five projects at a time. She spends most of her time

emailing clients to update them on the progress of the projects. She also

checks in with the designers and/or developers to assess their status on

the project and then relay that information to the clients. All this time spent

playing the middle man deters her away from other crucial tasks she is

responsible to complete.

THE DASH SOLUTION

Dash will provide Sara with a dashboard which she will be able to set up

at the start of each project. She can share this with both the client and the

design team. The client will have access to a dash, and be able to access

any information concerning the project. The design team will use Dash to

track their projects and stay abreast of deliverables and milestones. This

eliminates the need for Sara to play the middleman. She can access Dash

directly to track the projects she is managing and be in touch with the client

and the design team on one platform.

115

THE CREATIVE DIRECTORJim is a creative director and founder of a small size studio. Jim has a lot

on this plate. He took a big leap and left his comfortable secure position

as the Creative Director at Facebook to start his own company. He has

two other employees, a designer and a project manager. He depends on

hiring freelancers for the rest of his design team. Currently, Jim has twelve

active clients. Jim doesn’t sleep much. He has been struggling with finding

the right project management tool which will give him a quick overview of

all the projects he is managing. He wants one tool which will provide him

a quick overview to see how his team is handling the projects and, at the

same time update the clients.

THE DASH SOLUTION

Dash will provide Jim with a clear overview of each project he is managing.

He will be able to quickly see the status of projects. The clients will have

their own client view of Dash and will get all the information they need on

the project, this will eliminate the need to contact Jim for status updates.

The client, the design team, and Jim all have one place to enter in and view

the data they need to manage their projects.

117

Summary

This project is vast and, in order to make this more of a reality then just a

concept, I have acquired some help. As previously mentioned I connected

with two design professionals who related to my concept and were open

to the idea of working with me.

The team consists of two Bay Area professionals. One is the founder of

Alta, Alex Chrisman, whose interview is featured in the Empathize chapter,

and Tyson Caly, a designer and developer who works closely with Alex and

owns a small firm called 750 Group.

Through weekly scheduled calls and set deliverables, the team has offered

insights and clarification for the project. I gained insight and direction through

their professional expertise. This project will proceed past my thesis pre-

sentation and will be developed into a viable product.

My thesis project was the first step in creating this product. As part of my

thesis presentation, I released a marketing website which will collect beta

users to test and review the product. Once the client version has been

completed, the product will be released to the beta testers who will provide

feedback. The agency version will be the second version released once the

client version has gone live. This thesis is just the start toward creating a

simple and viable project management tool ready for market.

119

THE END

Conculsion

121

Conclusion

Through the research I have presented regarding the field of project man-

agement, I have proven that designers are unhappy with the features and

interfaces offered by the current software. I have identified that there is a

need for a simple visual project management tool to be created with the

intent and purpose of supporting the design process.

I have developed a simple solution. I have identified and addressed one

project management area which is lacking from current platforms, i.e., the

client’s understanding of the design process.

I proposed the creation of a project management dashboard. This dash-

board will provide the team and the client with a clear overview of the

project, and it will increase the client’s understanding and participation in

the design process.

This project will proceed past my thesis presentation, and it will be devel-

oped into a viable product with the help of two design professionals who

have demonstrated interest in the proposal.

In conclusion, I have uncovered, through this thesis study, an evident need

in the design community and proposed a possible solution. My hope is that

this product will bring clarity and transparency to how designers manage

their projects with their clients and teams.

123

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the individuals who contributed to my thesis in the

form of surveys, interviews and/or general support during the writing and

research of this book.

But first and foremost I would like to thank my family for their love and sup-

port through this challenging, rewarding and transitional graduate school

experience at Pratt Institute.

I would like to send a special thank you to Alex Chrisman and Tyson Caly

whose interest in my project inspired me and whose expertise guided me.

Additional thanks to my studiomates and professors espessially:

Caroline Matthews // Alejandro Torres // Tania Lili // Saana Hellsten // Marie D’ovidio // Remy Kass // Dipti Siddamsettiwar // David Frisco // Warren Bernard // Jean Brennan //

124

Endnotes

Chapter 1: Introduction

1. “The Way We Work Is Soul-Sucking, But Social Networks Are Not the Fix. WIRED.”

Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 7 Oct. 13. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

2. Siegel, Alan M., and Irene Etzkorn. Simple. Print.


Chapter 2: Backstory

1. “Imagine Global Ltd - IT Project Management.” Medium. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

2. “Project Management Methodologies.” Project Management Methodologies. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

3. “A Beginner’s Guide to Project Management Methodologies - AtTask Resources.”

AtTask Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

4. “Splendid Pixels.” Splendid Pixels. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

5. “A Beginner’s Guide to Project Management Methodologies - AtTask Resources.”

AtTask Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

6. ”Understanding the Pros and Cons of the Waterfall Model of Software Development.”

TechRepublic. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

7. “Agile Software Development.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2014. Web.

28 Nov. 2014.

8. ”Dr. Royce and Waterfall.” All About Agile Dr Royce and Waterfall Comments. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

125

9. “What Is Scrum?” Scrum.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.

10. “Rapid Ingenuity + Agile = True Love?” RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

11. ”I Just Used Capterra to Find Software!” Software: Business & Nonprofit. N.p., n.d.

Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Chapter 3: Seeking Simplicity



3. Peter McFadden, CEO of ExcelDashboardWidgets “What is Dashboard Reporting”.

Retrieved: 2012-05-10.

4. “Dashboard (management Information Systems).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,

25 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

5. “Minimum Viable Product.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 28

Nov. 2014.

6. ”What Is a BETA Site?” What Is a BETA Site? N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

7. “User Story.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Ann Marie SextonM.S. Communications Design | Graduate ThesisPratt Institute | New York, NY

A study and evaluation of the management of communication design and a proposed solution to simplify the process through use of visual empathy, distillment and clarification.