Bridging the Divide

Christian Dodd is the Global App & Operations Manager, FordPass, Ford Motor Company. Dodd shares his thoughts on working with tech practitioners and colleagues who come from different backgrounds.

When I made the transition from a digital agency to a full-service, more brand-oriented agency seven years ago, it became quickly apparent that the ways I had become accustomed to conveying ideas and vision would need some adjustment.

I have a distinct memory of one of my first meetings and discussing a brand home page. Thinking I would show some initiative, I sketched up a quick wireframe prior to my first meeting with our internal team, hoping it could help guide and focus our discussion. It did not. The account director—who would later become one of my favorite collaborators—upon seeing the wireframe, became visibly annoyed, and told me it was totally wrong and it couldn’t be shown to the client.

I immediately assumed he didn’t understand what a wireframe was, and questioned my career choice. In actuality, the reaction was driven by the words I’d thrown into the wire to indicate content sections, and was easily remedied.

Through the experience, I learned something important about the difference in focus and expectations both coworkers and clients bring to the table when dealing with anything from a “brand” shop—even when it’s part of a functional work flow.

Words matter

For better or worse, clients look to their brand agencies to solve messaging and communications problems. They want your guidance on how to talk about products and services. Even when evaluating something intended to prescribe functionality, there will be a tendency to evaluate “what it’s called”, calls to action, product labels and any other copy on the page.

While it can seem pointlessly time-consuming to noodle copy in a wireframe or low-fidelity prototype, it’s probably worth it—especially if you’re trying to sell an idea. Enlist a copywriter, or at least someone familiar with the brand to get you as close to appropriate tone as possible and help you avoid seemingly innocuous words that might set someone off.

Always provide context

While details matter, diving directly into them almost always puts the team’s focus on the wrong things (like the words). I try to work down from as simple a model as possible. (For example: Where does this content hub exist in the broader campaign, or what are the major steps necessary to make this reservation?) Then, once the details are placed in appropriate conceptual context …

Describe the experience, not the thing

Particularly when selling a new idea, it helps to spend more time describing how the thing (app, site, product, etc.) will be experienced and exist in the life of the user, rather than focusing on the individual pages or buttons. It is important to know what it is and how it works. And, it’s just as important to make it seem obvious by the time you get there.

Higher fidelity is better

This has been a tough one to accept. With a background in HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) methodology largely based in the world of large, complex software projects, the idea that low fidelity wireframes and prototypes lead to a more efficient design process with better outcomes was almost gospel. When operating in the world of advertising, however, I was forced to admit that rounds of revision in wireframe without at least some layer of brand-appropriate design were often wasted. Like the words, the visual design is so critical to the reception of an idea that wireframes rarely work. We still draw them, but treat them more often as an internal working document rather than a default client deliverable.

Video can work better than the real thing

In the quest for higher fidelity, prototyping seemed like the pinnacle—not appropriate for everything, but certainly the thing to shoot for if time permitted. However, for many of the reasons above (such as providing appropriate context, or focusing on the real-world experience), even a quickly produced video can do a better job of selling the experience than a highly polished prototype. Prototypes can be great for testing, but haven’t worked as well as a tool to sell ideas.

Seven years in, I still get blank stares, puzzled looks and lots of questions. But it is getting better, easier and more fun. And, like the ideas themselves, I’m sure at least one of these thoughts will change tomorrow.

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