Category Archives: Teaching techniques

Draw a Tree

I often use a short, icebreaker to introduce design storytelling in talks and classes. I hand out an index card and ask people to draw a tree in 60 seconds. I’ve adapted this from Thiagi’s 99 second Draw a Tree … Continue reading

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Challenges When Communicating Designs

Tuesday evening I gave a talk about the challenges software developers face when communicating design ideas. I started by making the connection between telling others about designs and storytelling. Effective designers need to tell good stories. And the tone and … Continue reading

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Deconstructing Frankenstein

One of my favorite things I do in any architecture or design course I teach is to discuss AntiPatterns—design ideas hatched with good intentions but that prove problematic over time. We’ve all seen examples of software done badly. The purpose … Continue reading

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Good enough domain models

Eric Evans talked about Domain-Driven Design at our Portland SPIN meeting Wednesday. Eric’s thesis is that unless you capture the “ubiquitous language” that people use to talk about the functions of the business and create a domain model representing object … Continue reading

Posted in Psychology, Software Design, Teaching techniques | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment