Involving Team Members in the Process

When you ask nonprogramming team members for their input, I can already tell you what they will say: they want to be involved early in the development process. Of course, this doesn't mean that they have to attend every design meeting and have a say in every design decision. At the very least, what it means is that they need to review the preliminary designs and the early prototypes and demos. They need to know what is going on so that they can make their contribution early in the process—when it can make a significant difference—rather than later in the process when it is often too late. The last thing you want to do is plop the finished program on their desk a week before it ships and say, "Here it is, what do you think?" At that point, their input won't count for much and they will be fully aware of that fact.

TIP

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Your other team members want to be involved early in the development process.

Make an effort to make sure that the other team members understand that their input is wanted. Many people in these other roles do not take this for granted. In fact, they often preface their opinions with something like, "Well, I'm just a tech writer, but I think that…." Make it clear you want their input, and always give it a warm reception, even though it might be critical of your work. User interface design is not for the fainthearted.

TIP

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Make sure that the other team members understand that their input is wanted.