Usability to Typical Clients

March 14, 2008

Why is it that designers are hired? Our creativity, professional opinions, design sense, our ability to simplify, or our trained eye? Maybe all of the above.

I'm not tooting my own horn — I still have a lot to learn before I consider myself really good (I'm my hardest critic). But, most of us would agree that Apple's designers are probably some of the best out there. And consumers can appreciate their ingenuity and simplisitc style in their amazingly intuitive products. This is good design. Simplicity.

In pretty much everyone of my design classes, and even from our Creative Director here at Atlantic BT, we're constantly told that "good design is not when there's nothing more to add, but when there's nothing left to take out."

This mentality seems to get lost in our educating of non-designers when dealing with all of the requirements, wants and dislikes, and most everything else clients want to cram into something. This isn't because they're wrong to want this, it's moreorless because they don't always know exactly what they're looking for or how to go about it. But, these situations can be both frustrating and rewarding. This is where creativity comes into play.

So, when Locke sent me a link to this humorous image about usability, I felt I should share it and my 2 cents. Why is it that client's websites and applications are so hard to navigate? Maybe because simplicity and the art of taking things out have been forsaken?

What are your 2 cents?

Usability to [...]

March 14, 2008

Mark Caron

2 comments

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