Luke Wroblewski on a Designer’s Ability to Reposition a Problem

Luke Wroblewski, one of the designers we learn a tremendous amount from, recently brought up a great point about the role of designers.

‘As analysts and representatives of end user requirements, designers are in a perfect place to reposition a “problem” (or market opportunity -if you prefer) to reflect the perspective of the customer. So instead of describing the problem from the standpoint of business goals, designers articulate it by outlining what it means for the end user of a product: the customer.’

(from the post Defining the Problem)

We’re seeing the role of designers evolve toward this as well, moving away from a strict layout-and-build routine to a much deeper integrated level. They’re becoming a support system for users, articulating their concerns and desires back to an organization who may not be aware of what’s going on at ground level. As Luke says, designers are in a great position to be the enabler of communication between an organization and its users.

Also, as you may know, Luke is speaking this year at UI11. We think he’s got a great message to share, and of course we recommend reading his Functioning Form blog.