Designing Together: The collaboration and conflict management handbook for creative professionals, 1st edition

Published by New Riders (June 14, 2013) © 2013
Dan M. Brown

Title overview

Collaboration and conflict management are not taught in design school and yet every designer is expected to know how to work well with others. The talent and technical skill of a designer does not alone ensure project success. Designers must excel at dealing with other people. This book is geared for everyday design teams, rather than for management or leadership, and helps designers answer the question, “How can I be a better team player?” It explores typical situations designers face, and the personality and behavioral traits they may bring to these situations. It offers techniques for resolving conflicts, and behaviors that lead to collaboration—and design success.

Table of contents

  • Introduction: Conflict, Collaboration, and Creativity
  • 1. Designer as Contributor
  • 2. The Designer Mindset
  • 3. Listening: The Essential Skill
  • 4. The Role of Conflict in Design
  • 5. Assessing Conflict: What’s Really Wrong
  • 6. The Model of Conflict: Patterns, Situations, and Traits
  • 7. How Collaboration Works
  • 8. The Four Virtues of Collaboration
  • 9. Situations: Circumstances and Scenarios Common to Design Projects
  • 10. Traits: Evaluating Yourself and Your Colleagues
  • 11. Conflict Patterns: Behaviors for Reaching Resolutions
  • 12. Collaboration Behaviors: Embodying the Virtues

Author bios

Dan M. Brown is the author of Communicating Design (New Riders) and principal at EightShapes, LLC, a user
experience design firm based in Washington, D.C., whose clients include Yahoo!, Marriott International, and Cisco Systems.
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