Bridging The Divide

There’s a chasm between the worlds of design and development. Natalya Shelburne explores how we might close it.

- Natalya Shelburne

We’ve all heard of the gap between design and development in tech: the seemingly impossible chasm between creatives and engineers that only mythical unicorns, infamous rock stars and ninjas can traverse. We didn’t invent this divide between art and technology, but we can work to bridge it.

The debate is well-versed. When photography first emerged in the painting-dominated art world, it was quickly rejected. Despite photographers’ efforts to be seen as creatives, the art world’s message was clear: snappers were not artists, they were technicians. Cameras were pieces of technology wielded by operators whose creative skill was inconsequential. If you wanted to be a ‘real’ artist, you were better off with a brush. Does this seem familiar?

History is repeating itself in tech, and it’s to no one’s advantage. Somehow, the reasonable separation of disciplines and expertise has morphed into something more sinister, dividing people into binary categories of designer or developer, right brain or left brain, CSS or JavaScript, art or maths, creative or non-creative.

The dichotomy is unnecessary hyperbole, and it is harmful to the entire industry. Engineers are hearing they are not creative enough to step outside the code, designers are told their artistic minds can’t possibly grasp the logic of engineering, and fine artists graduating from some art schools are still taught the same old message that oil painting is the one true way.