Comments on: Expert vs designer: who wins?

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:35:23 +0000

Matt, brainstorming’s great as long as you can get SME time. I definitely agree that buy-in is very helpful.

By: Matt Trupia

Matt Trupia — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:04:53 +0000

I’ve definitely experienced this! To address this difference in professional opinions, I’ve noticed that conducting a series of brainstorming meetings with the SMEs goes a long way to get their support and buy-in on a design concept. If the developer team is able to address SME concerns, build on and enhance their ideas, and guide them through a more collaborative phase at the beginning of the project, it might lead to a solution that is still creative and gives all parties a sense of ownership. Also, have lunch catered in. It’s hard to argue when there are delicious sandwiches involved.

By: Clark

Clark — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:01:44 +0000

Kerry, yes, most of the time reasonableness prevails. However, sometimes folks who wouldn’t think they could be a graphic designer, believe writing’s easy (or vice versa), rather than recognizing the specialist knowledge. Similarly, believe they can design an interactive experience because they have an experience concept (usually linear). As you say, you just have to be willing to work together to find a workable end solution.

By: Kerry McGuire

Kerry McGuire — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:14:21 +0000

My experiences have been pretty similar… SMEs want to design the content because they “know” the content. I’ve started trying to set the expectations of roles & responsibilities by recognizing that I’m not an expert in their content, they are. But, I am an expert in workplace learning. So, if melt together our two skillsets, we’ll be able to “create” a course that teaches the participants what they need to know and is easy to learn from.

Most of our clients get that. Although I have worked with some that just don’t agree. In those cases, we negotiate, offer examples of where our process works, and eventually find a balance. It’s not always the balance I prefer… but rarely, if ever is it far off.