We have a brilliant display coder on our team. He rocks when it comes to pushing the edge in AJAX type projects. He understands how his code will need to be implemented and is often helping our client's programming teams make better use of their environment.
He's also a really good IX designer. He doesn't let his knowledge of the underlying code push him into doing things the easy way. He stays focused on the needs of the users. He is rare is my experience. However, in practical terms, we use him mostly for coding because there is just so much to do. We have other very talented IX designers on our team, we don't have other people with his brilliance in the code. So, I would tend say that the two roles can coexist in one person temperament wise and skill wise -- but there just isn't enough time on projects for a person to do both. Joseph Selbie Founder, CEO Tristream Web Application Design http://www.tristream.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Katie Albers Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 9:27 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] JOB UX Designer, Fulltime/Permanent Role, Recruiter, Redmond, WA At 9:54 AM -0400 10/9/07, Matthew Nish-Lapidus wrote: >I humbly disagree... A good technical background in >html/css/javascript allows an interaction designer the freedom to >prototype interfaces in a much more efficient way. Working with a >full-time programmer to prototype can be time consuming and isn't >always possible. > >If you understand the technology and how it works then you know not >only what is and isn't possible, but how systems react and change in a >very detailed way. As an interaction designer for the web you need to >keep up with interface technologies or you won't know what to design. Let me see...how do I put this politely...If we'd been adhering to this logic in 1993, you'd be out of a job. So would I. The Web was strictly a markup language. People developing perl apps for pages were on the cutting edge...and that was purely for very limited functions...it certainly had nothing to do with interface. If your background is in the system, then you can't have the viewpoint of the user. The more completely aware you are of the former, and the more you design around it, the less you can design for the latter. The reason UX exists is precisely because all the incarnations of the work that preceded it which were supposed to enable users rather than accommodating machines have disappeared into system/software/hardware fields...systems analysis to choose one at random. Being able to prototype is, first of all, something that exists at many levels...paper, interactive wireframes, basic html, and so forth...prototypes are not the same thing as a .01 functioning version of the product. The impossible becomes possible when you don't know it can't be done. Deeply understanding a programming language traps most coders in its logic. It's the difference between telling people "Find a way to do this" and "Optimize this code" and the results vary accordingly. >On 10/9/07, Ari Feldman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> the only value that having a programming or technical background when it >> comes to interaction/interface design is understanding the limitations of >> what's possible under a given technical platform or operating system. this >> background really comes in handy when it comes to designing efficient and/or >> usable interfaces and working around physical restrictions that various >> technologies impose. > >-- >Matt Nish-Lapidus >email/gtalk: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Katie -- ------------------ Katie Albers User Experience Consulting & Project Management [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://gamma.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
