Robert,

I was only trying to convey the notion that designing is the rarer talent,
because it is an amazing synthesis of both left brain and right brain
processes. I personally don't find it hard. I would find evaluation hard
because I'm not tempera mentally suited to it. But "hard" has become a
distraction in this thread – I wish I hadn't used it seven postings ago J.

Ø  I understand. But this doesn't really explain your analogy that a
Usability professional is like a movie critic, so I'm standing by my
statement. 

 

I wasn’t trying to say that being a usability professional is like being a
movie critic in terms of *specific* methods. I was using the movie critic as
one example of the age old debate as to whether being able to critique,
evaluate, measure, analyze a domain, bestows on one the ability to design or
create at an equally high level in that domain. My answer is no.

 

I think there are people (but very few) who are good at evaluation and
analysis who can also do good design – but imho, they can design because
they posses that talent, *as well as* the talent to evaluate and analyze –
not as a *result* of the talent to evaluate and analyze.

 

Apparently, based on other posts in other threads, this comes across as
annoyingly elitist. I’m sorry if it does, but it just seems plain as a
pikestaff to me.

 

I have the good fortune to work with a great visual designer. I often need
to critique his design. I try very hard not to make specific design
suggestions. Rather I tell him what isn’t working for me in the language of
what my reactions to his design are. It is obvious to me that he possesses a
“magic” that I simply do not have – why get in the way of it? I don’t think
him elitist because he can do something I can’t – nor do I think him elitist
because he can’t explain to me what he is doing – he just does it way better
than I can.

 

Why does superior talent have to be explicable to everyone in order to be
acceptable. Is it political correctness?  

 

Some people are just better at some things than others.

 

Joseph Selbie

Founder, CEO Tristream

Web Application Design

http://www.tristream.com

 

 






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