Truman Session, Volume 1

 ’Session’ is the designated term for particular kinds of events for all LBi events in The Atlantis Building. The resonance is with creativity - as in recording session, for example - and revelry - as in a drinking session. We had an abortive attempt to stage the first Truman Session on July 11, as part of the inaugaral Atlantis Day festivities, but bad weather, transport logistics and list management put the kybosh on it.

Attempt #2 launched more successfully on Wednesday afternoon, when the first of a series of in-house ‘debates’ kicked-off. The Big Idea - there, I’ve said it! - behind this particular set of Truman Sessions is better understanding and blending of and between LBi’s myriad departmental and individual capabilities. The reality is that we have an organised row about how best we should do things, with beer.

This week, in the red corner, representing the forces of User Research, Head of User Research Ivanka Majic. Opposite her in the blue corner, User Experience Architect Jason Mesut made the case for Experience Architecture. In the middle, chairing and also ensuring that LBi core value ‘provocative’ was properly represented, and then some, was Editorial Director Duncan Arbour.

The arguments were various but the question really comes down to, should our work be research-led or design-led? Or driven? Designers, claimed Ivanka, design for themselves.

And run the risk of ending up with Homer’s car.

Ego and the force of individual vision is where excellent design comes from, argued back Jason.

Then came questions from the floor, ranging from the sematic (’What gives you the right to call yourselves architects?’), to the commercial (’Which method is more profitable?’), to the operational (’Who owns and enforces research data throughout the project lifecycle?’). 

Ivanka and Jason stuck to their respective guns, occasionally conceding a point, or falling asleep, but hitting back firmly in the face of criticism.

“You’re both wrong - or right!” declared Duncan, trying to incite a riot from the interested, but too-polite-for-his-(extreme)-taste audience.

Which was about the size of it, come the summary and closing notes: we perform optimally as an agency when we blend skill sets, and the best work we do involves close collaboration and input from both ends of the ‘user spectrum’. Which isn’t to say that teams can’t work effectively independently of each other - it’s just that network effects and ’sum greater than parts’ tends to apply when we work together. As usual, the people from Atlantis find themselves in violent* agreement with each other.

  *Certificate 15: violence moderate, some swearing and scenes of a sexual nature - not suitable for children under the age of 15.