The rolling desk idea is brilliant, I do wonder how often the configurations are shifted around though.
Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
11–20 of 23 posts
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that google shares a similar philosophy in a few ways.
There are many similarities, but the nature of the products each produces introduces some differences. Valve creates occasional monolithic products that depend heavily on art direction and experience design. Google produces a complex, interconnected system where Everything Must Scale.
I imagine their digital distribution system (Steam) is very much like what you described (complex, interconnected, scalable systems). Valve is quite diverse.
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#13The rolling desk idea is brilliant, I do wonder how often the configurations are shifted around though.
From this http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6471/the_valve_way_gab... it sounds like their employees shuffle between projects and teams pretty frequently. I imagine some employees are more mobile than others, but from the sounds of most things about that studio, people are rarely locked down spatially unless they want to be.
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#14What are some other software companies that share a similar philosophy?
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that google shares a similar philosophy in a few ways.
In some ways, Valve manages to be more extreme, because it's smaller. 250 employees could conceivably be totally flat, if they are all committed and the boss is ... brilliant.
Google has a few more employees.
The idea that everything is shared, and people do pretty much whatever they want is nice, but doesn't work if you want as many heads as Google has.
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#15The rolling desk idea is brilliant, I do wonder how often the configurations are shifted around though.
From this http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6471/the_valve_way_gab... it sounds like their employees shuffle between projects and teams pretty frequently. I imagine some employees are more mobile than others, but from the sounds of most things about that studio, people are rarely locked down spatially unless they want to be.
So, dumb question, but how do people do power cords safely? I would love to do this at our office.
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
From this http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6471/the_valve_way_gab... it sounds like their employees shuffle between projects and teams pretty frequently. I imagine some employees are more mobile than others, but from the sounds of most things about that studio, people are rarely locked down spatially unless they want to be.
So, dumb question, but how do people do power cords safely? I would love to do this at our office.
Those desks are surreal. They have their own built-in power distribution and wiring looms, so all of the cords for monitors, the PC, sound, and so on are bundled out of sight. You only need to unplug one AC cord, trundle the whole thing down the hall, and plug it in when you get where you're going.
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, dumb question, but how do people do power cords safely? I would love to do this at our office.
Those desks are surreal. They have their own built-in power distribution and wiring looms, so all of the cords for monitors, the PC, sound, and so on are bundled out of sight. You only need to unplug one AC cord, trundle the whole thing down the hall, and plug it in when you get where you're going.
Indeed. Technically two chords (ethernet too!), though.
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#18I wonder if they fire bad hires? Even the strictest hiring regime will result in some errors. Do they fix those?
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#19I wonder if they fire bad hires? Even the strictest hiring regime will result in some errors. Do they fix those?
Yes =)
Re: Lessons from Valve - How to build a designer's paradise
#20I have come to really dislike lessons - love anecdotes, though. A 'lesson' taken from a specific context and applied under different circumstances is, in my opinion, just as likely to harm than help. Some of the 'rules' may be completely arbitrary but work because Valve has some great people. Others work because Valve is Valve and wouldn't work anywhere else.
I wish sometimes people would just tell the story, and not try to distill it down to lessons for everyone to follow.