DPL Reading List – September 16, 2016
Here are some of the articles we’ve been reading around this office this week.
Key Principles of Team Leadership (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “I’m a designer by trade. Design is fundamentally all about problem solving. Leadership is essentially the same thing, and it’s impossible to solve a problem without first defining it. Listening allows for definition, comprehension, and understanding. Pause to listen before leading.”
Why Fewer Meetings Could Be a Greater Waste of Time (Thanks to Brian Zimmer for recommending this article) – “A client of mine in the manufacturing industry recently experienced an a-ha moment about how often their team should meet. They had tried everything under the sun to find the right meeting pulse—daily meetings, weekly one-on-ones, weekly meetings, bi-weekly meetings, monthly meetings, cross functional meetings…you name it. Nothing seemed to be working effectively, and they were getting frustrated. And no matter what they did, they were wasting too much time in meetings, and not getting stuff done.”
Finding Time to Become a Better Developer – “I used to think that the only way to be a great developer was to work myself sick. My health, friendships, and family all suffered because of it. Understanding the following 5 truths about time management for a developer is what saved me.”
I Wanted to Type a Number (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “HTML5 brought us updates, specifying new <input> types linked with new interface controls, progressively enhancing from the vanilla text inputs of yesteryear. The battle tested truth of new web features and standards proved very true with these new form controls: browser implementations vary. This browser variability is particularly true with touch devices, especially in relation to the primary innovation of the touchscreen keyboard: its malleability, or adaptation its mode of input to best suit the context.”
The Art of Designing with Heart – “So if mechanical is bad, and excess personality is also bad…Then what’s good? The sweet spot is right in the middle. Good software is friendly, casual, approachable — but also serious, gracious, and respectful. Just like a pleasant real-life experience you’d have at a local business.”
The Myth of Low-hanging Fruit (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “In my mind, declaring that an unfamiliar task will yield low-hanging fruit is almost always an admission that you have little insight about what you’re setting out to do. And any estimate of how much work it’ll take to do something you’ve never tried before is likely to be off by degrees of magnitude.”
What You Miss When You Take Notes on Your Laptop – “Of course, not every meeting is the same, so you need to be able to distinguish what type of meeting you’re attending. Bring your laptop or tablet if you know you’ll need to just record a few key dates or a to-do list — and if you need access to materials or the internet. But keep in mind that meetings such as presentations, progress reports, and performance reviews contain information you need to stick. If you ditch your digital ways, and bring the pen and spiral notebook; your memory may thank you.”
