On Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 12:13 AM, Spencer Nowak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I don't think the companies you mentioned should even be considered > exceptions to the rule. Facebook and 37signals both practice > self-centered design. 37s uses all their own products internally, and > I imagine most Facebook devs are the right age to be on Facebook. By > testing their designs against their own expectations, they can > approximate the UCD process with less overhead and a much shorter > turnaround time. Their success actually has a lot to do with their > ability to internalize UCD, and is most definitely not a good example > of why UCD is broken. > I was wondering about that myself, but I guess folks are dispair(ag)ing of the user research phase and focused usability testing in these cases. ? As counter examples, I have personal experience with software companies focused on software devs who turn out, let's say, less than usable products. The engineering (and sales and marketing, to be fair) focus on function overrides any focus on other aspects of user experience like usability, findability, and desirability. They can be very successful in terms of the business despite that. So I think these folks, mostly "Web 2" types, are doing something different, and I agree with you, Spencer, that they are using certain aspects of UCD (or is it SCD? :) ). I saw a talk by Ryan Singer that made it very clear that they followed UCD principles, even if they weren't out doing formal research and usability testing. I don't know about Facebook, and Google now, if not originally, is certainly using UCD principles as well. Heck, I think someone just recently was talking about their usability labs, which sounds pretty UCD to me. And I tend to think Allen's point about less-easily-changeable products is important as well. Perhaps it's not UCD that's a problem but an unwillingness to adapt it to one's environment and needs, e.g., excising aspects that are less necessary because you, say, already deeply know your audience. ? Are there any advocates of the idea that UCD is broken out there that can clarify what they see the problem with UCD to be? --Ambrose ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
