What Makes a Good System Designer?

In her article Masters of Abstraction, Ann Steffora Mutschler explains,"Good system designers are a unique breed. While it’s easy enough to distinguish the traits that define a good one from a weak one, it’s much harder to determine who possesses those traits before they are put to the test, or whether or how they can be taught."

The piece includes several sources who share their thoughts on the definition and characteristics of a good systems designer. TerraSwarm PI Edward A. Lee appears in the article and observes, "that there are enormous differences between good designers and weak designers. The productivity difference can be orders of magnitude. Interestingly, he said he hasn’t been able to detect any other correlations with personality traits. Some of the good designers are nerds, and some of them are outgoing and gregarious. It’s all over the map."