Dexo Design » Opinion

Are user interface standards any good?

Russell Wilson — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:59:15 +0000

Check out my post at uitrends: http://uitrends.com/2010/04/13/are-user-interface-standards-any-good/

Would love opinions…

How much information is too much?

Russell Wilson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:32:28 +0000

I keep repeating the same pattern with the same results… I attempt to horde as much information as I can, like a kid in a candy store, until I can’t consume any of it!

For example, I setup iGoogle with all sorts of nifty gadgets and feeds… then I added more… and more… and then more… and now I don’t even use it! I did this with Google Reader as well, and don’t open it anymore. I also subscribed to various email distribution lists and groups on Linkedin, and now I never read any of them.

A little information is better than a lot because “a lot” is equivalent to none.

Takeaways from Presenting Data and Information (Edward Tufte)

Intuitive vs. Conventional

Russell Wilson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:12:01 +0000

Thoughts?

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Is software design a luxury?

Russell Wilson — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:39:24 +0000

In a team meeting recently, someone said “Isn’t it great that we have a software design team? Very few companies our size have that luxury!” The individual meant it as a positive compliment, but every time I hear someone say something like this, I’m reminded that while we are making great advances in software development, we still have a long way to go.

Definition of Luxury [Source: wordnetweb.princeton.edu]:

something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
lavishness: the quality possessed by something that is excessively expensive

Software design is an indulgence and not a necessity? Software design is excessively expensive? If this is true then most certainly software architects, testers, and tech-docs are all luxuries as well. The only necessity is someone who can write code, and if you have more than one, a manager (maybe). The coder can just throw some standard widgets on a canvas, link them to database queries, test his code using some scenarios, and then write some simple guides using Google Docs. Done.

And as long as you just created some incredible innovation, you’ll be fine for a very short time until the competition catches on. Then you’re screwed.

Design happens, and it can happen well or it can happen poorly. It’s not whether you design the user interface of your product, it’s how you design it. We are past the days of users accepting horribly designed software products because they have been exposed to good design on the web and they expect more.

So are user interface designers necessary? Only if you want to create great products. Is user interface design expensive? Are programmers expensive? Is testing expensive? It’s called “cost of goods sold” (COGS).

User interface design is not a luxury… it’s a competitive advantage.

The Bitter Truth for Critics

Russell Wilson — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:32:37 +0000

It is so easy to criticize someone else’s work. Give me any website and I can find ways to improve it. But critics need to acknowledge and respect what the creators have done regardless of whether or not it’s perfect. I was reminded of this while watching Ratatouille with my children on the 4th of July.

Anton Ego, Ratatouille (2007)

In many ways the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

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In 10 words or less, what is software design to you?

Russell Wilson — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:04:42 +0000

At the end of a recent interview, the candidate asked me “What is software design to you?” I can probably come up with a thousand different answers but the one that popped into my mind immediately that day was “software design is making the ordinary extraordinary.”

Okay, so maybe it won’t get me a mention in Businessweek, but what I was trying to capture and communicate was that software design in particular is largely about taking unglamorous tools and making them functionally robust and efficient, rewarding to use, and aesthetically pleasing. We aren’t artists, but we are creatives. We aren’t rocket scientists, but we’re smart and talented. And every day we have to use our creativity, smarts and talent to design the best tools for people to use.

So I’m interested… in 10 words or less, what is software design to you? Enter more than one if you like (as separate comments).

Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?

Russell Wilson — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:27:27 +0000

Is it just me or does it seem strange that there is no Sign In on Amazon.com’s homepage?

Each time I visit amazon.com, and I visit too often, if I’m not already logged in, I stumble looking for the Sign In link. I would expect the “Sign In” text at the top of the page to be a link taking me to a Sign In form. Or even better to automatically display a Sign In form on the homepage. But instead you are required to click on something that would only be available to you once you ARE signed in – e.g. “personalized recommendations”, “Your Lists”, “Your Account”, etc.

This seems like such a fundamental flaw that it had to be done on purpose. But why? Why break with convention and force people to take an extra cognitive step? Did they conduct usability studies and find that this was superior somehow? I’m very curious…

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Four questions every software user interface designer and usability professional should be thinking about

Russell Wilson — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:42:48 +0000

1) What is the best way for user interface design and usability to integrate with software engineering processes, specifically Agile processes?

Design and engineering must work well together if we want design cemented in the overall software development process. Many perceive design as being oriented towards a waterfall approach, costly, and a “nice to have, but not necessary”. We must change these perceptions by repeatedly producing better results through close work with software engineers. Agile processes, whether strictly or loosely followed are the most promising framework for design and engineering to come together and pave the way for future software products and superior user experiences.

And since there are often fewer design resources than engineering resources, it is easy to develop a design-engineering bottleneck. The best way I have found to avoid/remedy this is to develop design artifacts (standards, templates, and best practices) for common scenarios so that many situations requiring design input can be solved without designers. It’s not as simple as developing the artifacts and giving engineers a link to them; it is up to the designers to educate engineering when and why the artifacts should be used.

2) How can we better quantify the value of design and usability (ROI)?

There are several books on the subject and countless online resources, and yet most designers stumble when asked this question. If we can’t speak the language of executives, i.e. “dollars”, then we will remain “less important”. And we need more than examples of value delivered from a particular case study: we need standardized quantifiable metrics that pass the executive litmus test. If we have these already, then we all need to learn how to track and measure them and how to start communicating our value with them. In addition to asking “how can we measure the value we deliver?” we also need to ask “how can we deliver the most value?”

3) Where does design and usability belong within an organization?

In some software organizations user interface design resides in the engineering or development department. In others it sits in marketing along with product management. In some it is actually its own department in parallel to development and marketing. While organizational structures do vary from company to company, design seems to be all over the place with even less of a standard structure. Regardless of detailed top-level structure, I would strongly argue that design be parallel to engineering and product management, otherwise design becomes less strategic and mostly tactical, and that is very dangerous.

4) What’s next for software user interfaces? (CLI comeback? Gestures?)

If you are a designer, you should always be on the lookout for new and better ways to improve user experiences. I read online blogs, journals, the results of user interface studies, and attend conferences searching for the stepping stones that lead to the next creative and innovative solution. I’m particularly interested in new software interaction paradigms – designs that leverage the power and uniqueness of our digital medium rather than rely solely on mental models of physical objects mapped to the digital world. For example, is clicking a button the best solution for the physical and digital world? Maybe…

If there are any other core issues you feel I have missed, please add a comment for the rest of the readers.

$705k for redesigning a website?

Russell Wilson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:11:22 +0000

Wow… and I thought I wasn’t cheap!

According to this article, the City of Austin will vote this week on awarding a contract to a California company to “redesign their existing website.” I’m sure it’s a large site with a fairly complex structure, and they do want the company to migrate all existing content over to the new site. A CMS will be involved (of course). But I’m having a hard time getting to “$705k”. Ironically, that’s the “low” bid. Two Austin-based companies bid on this for around $1.3m (forcing the city to consider the out of state offer)!

WHY didn’t they call me… why…

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3 Things Every Designer MUST Have

Russell Wilson — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:47:14 +0000

1) The ability to influence (e.g. to influence product direction, strategy, design decisions and buy-in, etc.)
2) Good prioritization skills (e.g. know what to do and when)
3) Passion for their work!