Product Development
In a normal product development cycle, there are "silos" of ownership; the engineer may be responsible for the functionality of the product, and that functionality is frequently embedded in emerging technology. The engineer becomes the advocate for technology; while not necessarily proposing the latest technological advancements, the engineer remains responsible for making sure that a product is technically sound and that it functions correctly. A marketing manager may be responsible for ensuring that a brand presents a consistent and compelling image; a project manager may own the product development schedule. Each player in the development of a product has a primary focus, and has been trained to evangelize their particular world of expertise.
The interaction designer, too, takes ownership of a particular area of expertise; while engineers may be advocates for function, and marketers for brand, the interaction designer becomes an advocate for the user. This advocacy must occur on various levels of detail as a project progresses from a business goal into a tangible form.
At the beginning stages of a project, an idea may be driven solely by a business goal: increase profits; gain brand equity; disrupt a traditional channel owner. The interaction designer, if invited to discuss the project at this stage, may ask questions like "Does the user need this product at all"� This is, clearly, a philosophical question of a very high level; the right answer may be the wrong business suggestion, and interaction designers are rarely invited to discuss the project at this stage.
Further along in the process of product development, it may become apparent that particular elements of functionality are more difficult or expensive to implement. At this stage in the project, the interaction designer is responsible for forcing a dialogue of cost/benefit analysis from the perspective of the end user. How much contextual evidence is there for such an element of functionality? What is the value of a more expensive piece of technology � on a human scale, rather than a cost scale?
Finally, as a project nears completion, interaction designers are frequently called upon to consider the visual aesthetics of a solution. This detailed level of refinement gives the interaction designer a final chance to advocate for the end user - this time, on a purely aesthetic level.