I try not to be an unforgiving cynic (I’m much better than I used to be), but working on projects as a designer and programmer for dozens of companies and individuals over the years has led me to believe that there is almost always one constant in an ever-changing universe…

Do Not Let The Project Be Designed By Committee!

A horse is a camel designed by Committee

Why is this important? It’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, counter-productive and does not necessarily produce quality results.  Our latest ongoing project with a large international real estate company confirms my theory.

The Coming of the Apocalypse:

Here’s one of the usual combination of factors that can plague the project from the start. The names have been changed so I might actually get paid.

• Robert loves it, but thinks it needs more “pop”
• Darlene hates it…  she can do better because she had one semester of graphic design
• Tim gives his thoughts 2 weeks later that contradicts his original changes
• Stephanie wants it how it originally was because it’s less work
• Samantha adds her two cents because she had one semester of marketing
• John says the programming code will add another 3 months to the timeline
• Amanda says it cost way too much
• Rest of the committee fail to give any feedback at all

Sound familiar? Most committees end up in this kind of circular, unproductive feedback loop because the group operates on many or all of these principles:

• Lack of a clearly stated objective
• Suggestions based on individual opinions
• Personal or piolitical agendas
• Disorganized feedback process
• No definitive leader – Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians

Despite the obvious pitfalls of design by committee, there are effective strategies for navigating the process that can produce positive results. When done right, the product of a well-run design committee will satisfy all parties involved and produce a better design than if just one person were in control.

Here is some interesting reading to help you pass the time:

Matthew Inman’s How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell, it is the one of the most entertaining portrayals of design-by-committee-gone-wrong to date.

Gary Hartley at The Floating Frog describes a typical design by committee outcome.