the art of usable design
Jul. 19th, 2004 10:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonI 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!
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-20 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-20 08:57 pm (UTC)If your love of making fine clothes hadn't already given you away, this would have done it: you have the soul of an artisan. :-))))) You're reminding me of several books I've read on inefficient technology/design and poor planning. The instance that will always stick in my mind is relatively trivial, but it's a prime art-imitating-life example: a Barbie house that was manufactured around the same time that Barbie acquired a wheelchair-bound buddy. None of the doorways were wide enough for the wheelchair! ***shakes head***).
no subject
Date: 2004-07-23 05:20 am (UTC)Re: books on design: if you've got some titles I've not read, I'd love to get a list! My own personal favorites are The Design of Everyday Things (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385267746/103-4405287-7783038) and anything by Edward Tufte (http://www.edwardtufte.com). It's so important to remember that pretty isn't enough!
Love the story about the Barbie house - and good thing it was just a dollhouse, not a real one!
no subject
Date: 2004-07-23 05:14 pm (UTC)The most recent design book I've read (it's the one with the Barbie house story and many other wonderful tales) is Small Things Considered : Why There Is No Perfect Design by Henry Petrowski (if it sounds familiar, it's because it was in one of my early "Cataloguer's Desktop" posts). It's a fun read, looking not only at design, but at how an enhancement can sometimes cause new problems (such as ergonomic, fat-handled toothbrushes that don't fit in toothbrush holders and artsy square-shaped drinking glasses that look nice, but funnel liquids to the mouth faster than round glasses, much to the drinker's surprise).