Superprototype
A Digital Product Design Manifesto
The Role of Designers
to Design, v. /tə dɪˈzaɪn/ ⸻ To conceive or plan the form, structure, or workings of something before it is made or built.
Designer, n. /tə dɪˈzaɪn/ ⸻ A designer is a person who plans, creates, or devises the form, structure, or appearance of something, often with a specific purpose or function in mind. Designers use creativity, technical knowledge, and problem-solving skills to plan and create things like products, buildings, websites, graphics, and more.
While many of us think a designer is an illustrator who can use computers, the reality is different and much more complex. As the definition states, a designer is responsible for conceiving and planning, which, obviously, is just a little bit more than choosing the shade of red we should use to highlight errors. Obviously, there are designers and designers. Some of them are super tech-savvy and pride themselves on being able to read and understand technical documents, while others feel a sincere discomfort when you talk about code and algorithms. While every individual has their own strengths and weaknesses, one thing must be clear: designers play a central role in every digital product development.
If the goal is to "conceive and plan," it's clear how important it is for a designer to be able to access all the information needed to do their job properly. I am not (only) talking about brand guidelines, stakeholders' requirements, and business goals, but also technical information that might have an impact on the final product: the tech stack, platform-specific guidelines, etc. I am not saying that the designer should know the database schema, but in many projects, especially data-driven ones, knowing what kind of data and what kind of aggregations are possible helps a lot with the designer's job, reduces friction with the development team, and eventually produces a better product. Furthermore, when there is close collaboration between design and tech, it becomes easier to request changes or improvements—such as adjustments to the data collected—to enhance the final product. This type of collaborative approach fosters a more open environment, making it easier to adapt and iterate. In contrast, pushing requirements down from the top may cause resistance from the tech team, as it can feel disconnected from the development process.
Collaboration between designers and design technologists, especially at the beginning of each project, is crucial to create a common ground between design and tech. Superprototyping can make this connection even stronger, allowing both designers and technologists to understand each other's reasons and criticalities. Mutual respect and trust between these two key figures in digital product development are extremely important, and the rapid cycle of design/development/validation/review enforced by rapid prototyping increases them and creates bonds that will last throughout the entire project.