Paul Robert Lloyd is one of our speakers at UX London 2023. Ahead of his talk — ‘Time team: Documenting decisions and marking milestones’ — we had a chat with Paul.
Here’s what we asked, and what he told us:
What is the most useful online tool you have come across recently in helping you complete (any) day-to-day tasks?
I’m tired of tool talk, to be honest. My working thesis is that beyond a certain point, every productivity tool introduced to a team reduces its productivity by half. Or something like that! There’s much more to be said about inter-personal activities; speaking, listening, sketching, workshopping, co-designing. Taking a long walk is also underrated.
Could you name three values needed to build a better world and a better web?
Building a better world starts and ends with prioritising the environment over bottom lines and KPIs. Designers shouldn’t be trying to get “a seat at the table” but questioning if the table should exist in the first place. As to building a better web, we could start by engaging in more thoughtful critique, in particular around the tools and processes we adopt, their provenance and the values they may unwittingly instil. If “we shape our and then our tools shape us”, it’s vital that we choose our tools carefully. “Amazon does it” is not sensible or sustainable practice. Summed up as three values? Perhaps curiosity, caution and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
What do you think is needed to build an inclusive culture within a team?
I think “inclusive culture” is an oxymoron; cultures are almost exclusive by definition, or at least that’s the danger. The question is therefore how teams ensure they are open to new ideas and welcome fresh perspectives. This is an area where tools like design histories can help. Having design decisions — as well as terminologies and processes — written down and publicly available gives everyone in the team (current and future) access to this knowledge. But this is just a small piece of a much larger puzzle.
What are your go-to sources for a dose of design inspiration?
Brand New has long been a feed in my RSS reader. I don’t do much branding or identity work, but it’s a useful way of observing trends and fashions. I’ve come to learn that an average logo can be massively improved with consistent, thoughtful application. My favourite projects tend to be those that refine an existing identity, building on existing brand equity rather than starting from scratch.
And finally, what are you currently listening to, reading or watching?
I’m currently following a number of Lego creators on YouTube. Building my own models only for them to collect dust — as well as all the plastic involved — doesn’t appeal to me, so I live vicariously through creators like Brickcrafts and AFOL TV. I’m in awe at their ability to create detailed landscapes from a limited palette of shapes and colours. I’m not a big reader, shamefully, but I recently picked up Birmingham: The Brutiful Years, which is a study of post-war architecture in Britain’s second city. Again, I’m drawn to the idea of improving and celebrating what exists rather than demolishing all that stood before.
You can see Paul speak at UX London 2023, on 22–23 June, at Tobacco Dock, London.
