Superprototype
A Digital Product Design Manifesto
The Role of the Design Technologist
Design Technologist, n. /dɪˈzaɪn tɛkˈnɒlədʒɪst/ ⸻ An individual who is responsible for mediating between designers and developers.
In many job descriptions, a Design Technologist is essentially considered a synonym for "UI Developer." However, I don't agree with this definition: a Design Technologist is more than just that. First, they specialize in rapid prototyping and technology assessments and are accustomed to being an integral part of the design process. Second, they can act as a mediator between design requirements and technological constraints, helping to prevent conflicts and issues that may arise when technology is not involved in the early stages of a project.
A Design Technologist can understand what the product/design team wants, as well as define a technology stack for the project. If the product they're working on needs to use a pre-defined architecture, they can read and understand technical documentation, guiding the design team through topics that might be hard for non-technical professionals to digest. They don't need to be proficient in every existing technology (library, architecture, etc.), but they need to be resilient enough to understand its potential and limitations. Very often, a Design Technologist is involved in all phases of the project, even if they write very little production-ready code. Their goal is to facilitate communication between the design and development teams.
The production phase should begin after all the different forces that contribute to shaping the product have been analyzed and described in the "Technology Assessment" document. This document outlines a list of requirements and constraints, as well as a description of the solutions that should be implemented to achieve the product and design goals. It also identifies potential criticalities that may arise, along with a set of actions to mitigate their impact on the final product.
When it comes to rapid prototyping and the productization of digital artifacts, the role of a Design Technologist is unique and extremely important for getting things done quickly and efficiently, ensuring both speed and quality in the final outcome.