The Changing Language Of Design

Jamie Myroid Vp of Design,Adobe.

- Marcus Wong

How would you say design has evolved through the years?

I’ve been at Adobe for 15 years now, and during that time I’ve seen the “changing tides of design” so to speak. When I first started, obviously there was the web, but the main portfolio was Creative Suite, still really servicing print design. We didn’t really have web design tools until we merged with Macromedia and took on their web-based tooling.

The design team at that time was looked at as more the last step in the process - more decorators of the user interface versus being in the mix of strategy and understanding what the thing needed to be. At that time we were only designing desktop software, but when we moved from “software in a box” to the subscription model, it really changed the tone of design at the company.

We were looking at the different ways in which people were purchasing and acquiring software, and found we needed to look more at the end-to-end experience; not just each product in its own silo. And then also, we were able to continually update the software, so where the design process used to be 18-24 months, we’re now never locked down. And now we’re designing for desktop, mobile, and web, so it’s a whole other ball of wax. But also the dialog around the role and value of design has really elevated.

Some companies are really learning to talk the talk, and leverage design expertise for the entire product development cycle.

Other than that, what are some of the other design trends you’re seeing?

Well Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality…. *laughs* New technological modalities are definitely changing the design landscape and the means in which a company can communicate with their end users.