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Book Description

When it comes to solving thorny UX design problems, two heads are better than one. That’s the premise behind pair design, the practice of having two designers work together on each aspect of a design project. In this report, two seasoned pair-design advocates explain how this feedback relationship works and what you need to implement pair design at your company.

Authors Gretchen Anderson and Christopher Noessel take you through each step of the process, describing how one designer generates possible solutions while the other critiques or synthesizes them. With this system of checks built in, the pair is able to provide continuous testing as the design unfolds. You’ll discover why people who get a taste for pair design often find it counter-productive to return to a “normal” routine.

With this report, you’ll learn:

  • Why this practice benefits the team, the design, and the organization
  • How pair design works in each phase of the project, including research, analysis, wireframing, and detailed design
  • Case studies from Cooper, Pivotal Labs, GreatSchools, and Lab Zero
  • Key traits necessary for each member of a successful pair design team, and ground rules for working together effectively
  • What an organization needs to do to support pair design
  • Answers to several frequently asked questions about this practice

Table of Contents

  1. Pair Design: Design Better, Together
    1. Why Pair Design?
    2. What Is Pair Design, and How Is It Different?
      1. Working Together, Closely
      2. Two Defined Stances
      3. Aren’t These Just Tasks?
    3. How Does Pair Design Manifest Across User-Centered Design?
      1. Research
      2. Analysis and Sensemaking
      3. Wireframing and Sketching
      4. Detailed Design
      5. Other Common Activities
    4. What are the Benefits of Pair Design?
      1. It Makes for Better Design
      2. It Makes for Better Designers and Better Design Organizations
      3. Pair Design Makes for a More Effective Process
      4. In Short...
    5. Four Case Studies of Pair Design in Practice
      1. Cooper: Pair-Designing an App
      2. Pivotal Labs: Pair Design with a Client
    6. Beyond Pairing Two Designers
      1. GreatSchools: The Life of the Designer–Product Manager Pair
      2. Lab Zero: The Life of the Designer–Developer Pair
    7. Where Pair Design Lives and Thrives
      1. What Makes a Successful Pair Design Team?
      2. The Agreements That Underlie Successful Teams
      3. For Those in the Generator Role
      4. For Those in the Synthesizer Role
      5. For Both
      6. What Pair Design Needs from an Organization
    8. Frequently Asked Questions
    9. How Do I Hire for Pair Design?
    10. In Closing
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