Collaborative Design

I am now more interested than ever in the inclusive aspect of user experience design, simply because what used to be taken for granted when I was at sapient working on a project - with a multi-disciplinary team that comprised of graphic designers, content strategists, information architects, site developers, experience researchers, anthropologists, social scientists, software architects, project managers - is almost non existent in traditional design like print and packaging. Worse still when there are people from advertising background for whom the only team they know of is that of an art director and a copywriter. Due to this, two designer don't ever work together, they don't like anyone working on their files, they don't take feedback positively, and having massive egos, they block out anything that has got to do with 'working together', creating a space around them that no one can enter. But should good design always happen in silos?

Collaborative design is a mindset.


"All the projects are developed by a team which includes designers, other professionals from a range of disciplines, front-line workers and members of the public who, with me, are challenged through the design process to abandon their initial preconceptions and co-create something new and beautiful that works."

- Taken from the post Authorship and Design from Doors of Perception blog

Further Reading that directly or indirectly talks about this problem (and/or the solution):
What is Experience Design? - Experience Designer Network
Graphic Design vs Illustration - Design Observer
This is my process - Design Observer
We're All Stellar Designers, Now - Design Observer