As part of the GA Software Engineering Immersive course, we worked directly with UX/UI students on a 2 day "Collabathon". Our client was "Pyxis" Restaurant News, and the designers I worked with did an incredible job to create a professional design with limited requirements--all on a tight deadline. The design can be found here.
The process of working with designers was an unparalleled learning experience. I've worked with clients to do enterprise software development in the past, but this was unique in that the requirements for the software were fluid and subject to change at any given moment.
While this is not completely realistic in a "regular" software development team, this certainly happens with front end development and it was nice to experience that. Besides the overall experience, some learning highlights:
- Finalize the data models, but focus on providing a visual prototype
- Utilize design tools (Figma) for relevant information
- Develop mobile first
I learned early on in my career the importance of an accurate data model upfront. It drives many, many requirements and allows for a clearer direction when developing.
While we nailed down what the User would look like early, I took too much time developing the backend. In an environment where a visual MVP is needed ASAP, developing the backend is not required. Especially when working directly with designers, the critical feedback loop is interrupted if developers get bogged down in the details of unnecessary server logic.