Comments on: Why I like 37signals Design Decision Posts

By: Claire

Claire — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:20:20 +0000

It’s a big thing to do for 37signals, but they obviously know exactly what they’re doing. They want criticism, they want opinion. Yes certain comments might hurt the designers – as it is their pride and joy at the end of the day, but in the end they will be designing something that will hopefully please most viewers, and whilst designing they have gained more viewers!

I think posting that will give so many people the chance to influence something is clever, and in turn will get a lot of viewers.

By: Johnny Holland - It’s all about interaction » Blog Archive » Design in the open: baring your wireframes in public

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:59:40 +0000

[...] your ideas, Apple-Xerox ‘open the kimono’ style? Apparently not. In response to a post by Joshua Porter applauding how 37 Signals design in public, Garrett Dimon (the creator of bug and [...]

By: Jason Fried

Jason Fried — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:31:02 +0000

Thanks for the write-up. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the design decisions post. We are too. We’re definitely going to be designing our new marketing sites in public. Highrise is the first one and we’re still making adjustments. We’ve learned a few things since the initial launch and are conducting some A/B testing to learn a lot more. We’re going to do our best to share as much of the process as we can.

By: Jethro Larson

Jethro Larson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:01:38 +0000

You’re dead on. Thanks for the post.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:13:16 +0000

that’s funny – when I took 37s and it asked me what kind of post I would to read more of in the future, I wrote “design decisions” – and so did a lot of people out there it seems, because 37s actually started posting a lot of dd’s compared to the last months… love it!

By: Some design thoughts I appreciated « Words For Nerds

Some design thoughts I appreciated « Words For Nerds — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:17:00 +0000

[...] equally interesting follow-up piece today) that I thought I’d share: Josh Porter talks about making the design process transparent and how that can benefit an organization, not just design-wise but in other ways as well. While I [...]

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:50:38 +0000

@Jonathan. I don’t think that’s cynical at all…that’s the reality of the situation. And…in this market (or any for that matter), could you blame them for trying to improve PR?

Nevertheless, I think it’s a bit much to say that 37signals doesn’t listen to anybody but themselves. While that may be their public persona, the brash way they talk about themselves (which is good for PR), if you read their blog at all you’ll find its just not true.

In these situations there is always the stage and the behind the curtain…

By: 7 ways designing in public can improve your business - Bokardo

7 ways designing in public can improve your business - Bokardo — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:05:59 +0000

[...] Archives Why I like 37signals Design Decision Posts [...]

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:57:56 +0000

"Theyâ€™re designing in public. They have no need to do this. Theyâ€™re risking their reputation here."

Of course it's possible to be cynical and say that in essence what 37S are doing is more for PR purposes than anything else. After all, they have already loudly stated that they don't design for anyone but themselves. In that sense the above quote is truer than you realise. However, it may be worth comparing 37S's design blog with, say, that of Herald Tribune (I don't work for them by the way, I only saw it the other day).

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:02:46 +0000

I really like the 37 Signals design posts as well. It’s fascinating to watch a live site evolve like this and learn about the rationale behind the design decisions being taken.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:54:04 +0000

I agree completely. My favorite articles in general are those concerning design decisions. Keep an eye out for freckle - Amy Hoy is the type to post about her processes (and already has). Good stuff. I recently wrote about a process of my own, although it's nothing extraordinary or anything.

By: zephyr

zephyr — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:13:28 +0000

Ego can be both a powerful driving force and inhibitor in design. If your clients actually believe you’ve created the best possible design because you’re not talking about pros and cons, decisions and doubts, you’re not working with smart enough clients

By: Adam Wride

Adam Wride — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:54:02 +0000

“Who doesnâ€™t like hearing about how things were made for them?”

That is why the How It’s Made show is so addicting.
http://science.discovery.com/fansites/howitsmade/howitsmade.html

By: Garrett Dimon

Garrett Dimon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:18:55 +0000

I’ve been doing the same thing with Sifter with one subtle difference. I was sharing our design decisions before we actually built anything. At first it was a bit scary, but ultimately, sharing the ideas ended up being arguably the most important decisions I ever made for most of the reasons you identified and then some.

So, speaking from experience, sharing design decisions is a very good thing. There’s almost unlimited upside and virtually no downside whatsoever. I strongly encourage anyone who’s building anything on the web to openly share their process and results. In the end, it will make all of us better for it.

By: A note on 37signals Design Decision Posts « Peter Parkes

A note on 37signals Design Decision Posts « Peter Parkes — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:05:22 +0000

[...] A note on 37signals Design Decision Posts · “Who doesn’t like hearing about how things were made for them?” [...]