Maybe this is design technologists’ time to shine

I’ve had a weird career. And before that, I had a weird education. I went from majoring in computer science to graduating with a degree in Visual Arts. I then entered a job market that was in free fall and not very interested in graphic designers. I decided paying rent was pretty important, so I dusted off my dev skills to become a front-end coder. I didn’t give up on design though. I would take on personal projects in my free time. Strangely enough, there weren’t any engineers begging to build my ideas. So it was up to me to suck it up and figure it out. Next thing I knew, I was a design technologist. In 2004. We were a rare breed.

Twenty years ago I said, “Ten years from now, design technologists will replace the software design role”. My bad. I maintain the opinion that design techs are the ideal role for making software. They have a fuller understanding of the software medium. That makes them more capable to design and build for it. That all seems logical in my mind. But people and society aren’t logical. Corporate America definitely isn’t logical. And so the hybrid role has continued to tread water–quite literally between the margins.

My belief in the practice has not wavered. But I had lost confidence that it would take off beyond isolated pockets. That may be changing due to market conditions and advancements in technology. And so I’m dusting off my optimism to discuss what makes this role so special and what qualities I look for when hiring.

The design technologist role is a wide spectrum

It’s important to note that design technologists come in many shapes and sizes. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking of them as engineers who like to dabble in design. But that’s flat out wrong. Some design technologists are 10% design and 90% engineering. Others are the complete opposite. Most are somewhere in the middle.

The emphasis doesn’t matter–if there even is one. What matters is that there’s a blend of the two skills. Each blend is going to bring its own strengths and weaknesses. But they all bring something valuable to the table.

This role remains special–and misunderstood

Yes, I’m biased. Unapologetically. I’ve seen what this role can do and it’s invaluable. It’s also undervalued. They’re typically only half-understood regardless where they exist in an org chart. Design leadership doesn’t get how the engineering skills apply to their org. Engineering leadership doesn’t see how the ability to design is useful for them. This role can feel unappreciated without the right support.

None of that changes that the design technologist brings a whole new set of capabilities to a team. They’re not a partial designer and a partial engineer–they’re a whole other thing entirely.

Design techs get things done

People in this role drive results–quickly. It may not be perfect. But it’ll happen. And let’s be honest, a lot of day-to-day work is about getting it done. Their wide skillset frees them to take an idea all the way to final execution with little to no support.

I’ve also noticed a common streak of pragmatism from people in this role. They’re often implementing their own designs. So, they know how uncompromised design can lead to painful engineering. They also know engineering decisions that impact design lead to a crap experience. Design technologists usually aim for the best practical blend of design and engineering. They know usually leads to the best all-round outcome.

On top of being able to go soup-to-nuts, they’re also incredible at filling gaps in projects. If a team is short on dev cycles, they can assist. Need some design support? They can do that as well. Need a little of both, they have that covered. Design techs are blocker killing machines. The flexibility of the role makes them a resourcing dream.

They improve the ways teams work

Design technologists’ have an understanding of how the sausage is made on both sides. They know how design impacts engineering (and vice-versa). They know how designers can set up engineers for success (and vice-versa). They also understand how engineers piss off designers (and, again, vice-versa).

They, more than most, know how design and engineering are interconnected. That understanding helps them shape ways of working that benefits all parties. Designers and engineers still struggle to work well together after decades of trying. This skill alone should have teams hiring design techs like their lives depended on it.

They develop novel solutions

The Law of the instrument is the origin of a pretty famous quote, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.

Pure designers will always try to solve problems with design. Pure engineers will always try to solve problems with engineering. Design technologists by nature have a bigger toolbox.

Sometimes they’ll solve a tricky development roadblock with an alternative design. Other times they’ll fix some design challenge through technology. Sometimes it’s a blend of both.

They have a lot of tools at their reach and it allows them to approach problems differently. This results in solutions that neither a designer nor engineer would even consider. One design tech working on a problem is fundamentally different than a designer and engineer working on that problem in tandem. I wouldn’t say one is better than the other, but they’re absolutely different. And that difference opens up the possibility for original solutions.

They make connections more specialized people don’t

Design techs see patterns and make connections that most specialists won’t. Viewing software creation through a wide-angle lens makes that almost inevitable. Being in more steps of the process shows how one decision impacts every future one. In a way, working as a design technologist is a crash course in systems thinking.

I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many design technologists gravitate to design systems. My experience building with reusable code made design systems seem like only reasonable way to make software. It’s impossible to unsee.

Good design techs are action-oriented, collaborative, and curious problem solvers

I’ve hired a decent number of design technologists in my time. I’m typically not looking for portfolios or experience with specific tools. I’m definitely not looking for years of experience as a design technologist. I’m looking for a mindset. In my experience, there are certain qualities that thrive in this role. I look for one or more of these when hiring.

Action-oriented

Good design technologists bias towards action. They’d rather beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. In part, they broadened their skillset to avoid being blocked in the first place. They’d rather cut through the red tape and do it themselves than wait.

I’ve never met a design technologist with Initiative as their legal middle name. But it may as well have been for most I’ve worked with.

Collaborative

But don’t get it twisted. Sure, they may not want to wait around and do nothing. But the good design technologists are some of the best collaborators around. Their hybrid experience gives them healthy amounts of respect for each discipline. They may not be keen on waiting around. But they’re also typically the first person to want to include folks for different perspectives.

Intellectually curious

Design technologists are naturally interested in a lot of things. They see something they don’t know about and want to learn more. Many can be a little like butterflies that need space to fly around where they see fit. I try to give folks in this role a lot of space so they have room to experiment and tinker.

This is often their fuel and their source of greatest value. Some of our teams’ greatest achievements came from a design technologists’ unplanned tinkering.

Problem solvers

The defining trait I’ve seen in nearly all strong design techs is an insatiable desire to solve problems. That may sound like a platitude. You may think, “Designers and engineers also want to solve problems”. And you’d be correct. But design technologists take this to another level. The drive to solve problems is the motivator to grow beyond design or engineering. That’s what got me into this mess. And many others I’ve worked with.

Design technologists see problems and aggressively want to fix them. That often makes them incredible enablers. They thrive in solving problems other people/teams are facing.

What’s the future for this practice?

I don’t know. A part of me continues to think that if it was going to take off, it would have done so by now. But we’re in a cycle of big change. Companies want to do more with less. Engineering orgs in particular seem to be slimming down. AI may not be the magic some are selling, but it’s not completely hype.

We may be heading to a world of dwindling headcount and tools to supplement code creation. We can debate the merits of such a future, but that’s for another day. If that’s in our future, the design technologist could be ready for its time in the sun. And frankly, it’s about damned time.