Thoughts on Interaction Design

Chapter Seven. The Political Dynamics of Product Development

The fight for “ownership” during the development of a product—either physical or digital—is not a new fight. There has long existed tension between management, engineering, and “creative” over who should be responsible for the leadership and vision required to bring a product to fruition. The project manager, overwhelmed with criteria from various stakeholders, is usually responsible for the development of a specification document known as a “spec” (or project document). This written bible for development becomes the ultimate check against functionality, features, cost, and timeframe in ...