Posts Tagged ‘NatalyaShelburne’
[DotCSS2018] DotCSS 2018: Natalya Shelburne – CSS at the Intersection of Mental Models
Natalya Shelburne, a designer-turned-software-engineer, delivered a thought-provoking talk at DotCSS 2018, exploring CSS as a nexus of diverse mental models. Drawing from her experience as an educator and career switcher, Natalya examines why CSS sparks debates about its efficacy and ownership, advocating for tools that foster collaboration across disciplines.
The Clash of Mental Models
Natalya frames CSS as a battleground where designers and developers, shaped by distinct prior knowledge, encounter cognitive dissonance. A designer accustomed to global styling may find CSS’s cascade intuitive, while a programmer seeking control flow might view it as chaotic. This dissonance, while a natural part of learning, can lead to public frustrations that reinforce silos between job roles.
Natalya argues that these debates—whether CSS is “broken” or “awesome”—stem from the intersection of mental models. By embracing cognitive dissonance as a learning opportunity, developers and designers can grow beyond their comfort zones, fostering a more cohesive industry.
Building Collaborative Tools
To bridge the gap between design and development, Natalya advocates for tools like design systems and prototype environments. She shares an example from a project where a designer proficient in HTML/CSS but not JavaScript collaborated with a JavaScript-focused developer. By creating a style guide and a private prototype route, the team enabled the designer to contribute semantic HTML and CSS, which the developer then connected to data and abstractions. This approach minimized handoff gaps, allowing both team members to expand their skills.
Natalya’s Harvard Extension course further illustrates this philosophy. By assigning roles outside students’ expertise (e.g., a JavaScript developer designing UI), she created a safe space for experimentation, resulting in improved collaboration and skill growth. These tools and practices empower teams to transcend arbitrary barriers, enhancing productivity and creativity.
Embracing Flexibility for Growth
Natalya emphasizes that above-average learning requires deliberate flexibility. By challenging assumptions and embracing discomfort, individuals can become “unicorns”—professionals adept at multiple disciplines. This flexibility not only enhances personal growth but also enables the creation of inclusive tools that empower entire teams. Natalya’s call to action is clear: build interfaces that accommodate diverse mental models, fostering a collaborative and innovative web community.