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Jul. 19th, 2004
the art of usable design
Jul. 19th, 2004 10:09 pmI am currently taking a usability class through work. Some history: I'm the Section 508 "point person" in my workplace, which not only means that I have to make sure everything on our websites is accessible to people with disabilities, but I also get to be the bad guy who tells all the Flash and "bleeding edge" geeks that nope, sorry, don't like it - not compliant!
I jest but little, and sometimes it is a bit of a bummer not to be able to work with the latest, greatest, shiniest software and gadgetry available. Like it or not, ours is an information-based site and not a graphics studio, so we have to be a bit more.. staid (?)
But I find myself growing ever more intrigued with the fine art (IMHO) of making something that looks nice and actually works. Look around sometime, not just online but at everything around you. Ever seen a street sign that makes no sense, or tried to use an appliance that did a crappy job, assuming that it's use was (seemingly) intuitive out of the box?
Bad design is everywhere, and folks blame themselves for not being able to make things work as they ought when really their problems are caused by poor planning, poor materials, feature creep, etc. I think my fascination with the perfect marriage of form and function comes from my interest in fashion - a sweater might be the softest, most gorgeous cashmere, but if it's got 3 turtlenecks and no arms, who cares?
Indeed, the first time I really started thinking about this was my first Costume Society lecture, on traditional Mongolian costume. It was an enormous eye opener, how every fold and overlap served a practical or communicative purpose: overlapping fronts to keep out the wind. Curled toes on boots to keep extremeties off the cold ground. Different ties and drapes in sashes to communicate a recent death in the family, or indicate a happier event, so strangers will know what subjects to talk about and what to avoid on first meeting. Elegant in it's simplicity and function, ahhh...
Then historic costume, where the rationale of construction makes no sense until you try it yourself and realize that there are valuable reasons why they did it that way "back then".
I'm too tired to really address this subject the way I'd like, but suffice it to say that I'm really looking forward to what I can get out of this class!
I jest but little, and sometimes it is a bit of a bummer not to be able to work with the latest, greatest, shiniest software and gadgetry available. Like it or not, ours is an information-based site and not a graphics studio, so we have to be a bit more.. staid (?)
But I find myself growing ever more intrigued with the fine art (IMHO) of making something that looks nice and actually works. Look around sometime, not just online but at everything around you. Ever seen a street sign that makes no sense, or tried to use an appliance that did a crappy job, assuming that it's use was (seemingly) intuitive out of the box?
Bad design is everywhere, and folks blame themselves for not being able to make things work as they ought when really their problems are caused by poor planning, poor materials, feature creep, etc. I think my fascination with the perfect marriage of form and function comes from my interest in fashion - a sweater might be the softest, most gorgeous cashmere, but if it's got 3 turtlenecks and no arms, who cares?
Indeed, the first time I really started thinking about this was my first Costume Society lecture, on traditional Mongolian costume. It was an enormous eye opener, how every fold and overlap served a practical or communicative purpose: overlapping fronts to keep out the wind. Curled toes on boots to keep extremeties off the cold ground. Different ties and drapes in sashes to communicate a recent death in the family, or indicate a happier event, so strangers will know what subjects to talk about and what to avoid on first meeting. Elegant in it's simplicity and function, ahhh...
Then historic costume, where the rationale of construction makes no sense until you try it yourself and realize that there are valuable reasons why they did it that way "back then".
I'm too tired to really address this subject the way I'd like, but suffice it to say that I'm really looking forward to what I can get out of this class!
