There has never been more pressure on software developers. Dealing with multiple tech stacks, devops pipelines, observability, and more. Add to that the pressure to deliver working software quickly and regularly and we end up with software that doesn't meet expectations and cannot be easily changed. But with so much else on their minds, when do teams think about design and architecture? 

At The Ministry of Software Design we have been looking at how teams can incrementally own their design, and own their architecture, despite the complexity they are working with. Join this session to see how you can manage the complexity of your software design to create software that is evolvable and meets both user and business needs.

Communicating software design is a crucial aspect of being a successful software developer, however, this is a skill you don't get taught. Learning by trial and error is not ideal, so how do you create inclusive diagrams and visuals that successfully communicate to your audience?

Apply communication design patterns and recognize antipatterns.

The purpose of a diagram is to successfully communicate with the audience, which sounds deceptively simple. Communication design patterns can be applied to guide you towards this ultimate goal of successful communication, and towards maximum inclusion for your audience.

In this session, learn from a hands-on solution architect - and thought leader in communication design and documentation - how to tailor your visuals to your audience, choose the most appropriate standards (or not) and level of detail, and apply patterns to improve accessibility for all audiences.

Additional notes:
This talk is based on content from part 1 of my book, Communication Patterns. Patterns and antipatterns, and how to apply and mitigate them, are grouped in the following areas:
- communication essentials
- clarify the clutter
- accessibility
- narrative
- notation
- composition