Well it may very well be an issue of semantics Nick.
My opinion is generally based upon some blend of research,
experience, knowledge and a bit of perspective. Hopefully it is well
thought out. Hopefully I am able to deliver something beyond all of
that stuff, as added value. Other wise they might as well have some
one else doing this job (and someone else may very well do it
better... and most certainly differently). Research does not answer
questions nor does it make design decisions. It must be analyzed,
interpreted prior to synthesis and applied. The human is a vitally
important part of this equation.
If instead you mean 'do I design for myself' as opposed to finding a
more aggregate or distributed user perspective, the answer is of
course. We all do. We try and augment that viewpoint with user
research and alternate perspectives. But we are nearly always acting
at some level on researcher introspection.
Mark
On Aug 27, 2008, at 4:30 AM, Nick Gassman wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:17:03 -0400, Mark wrote:
Frankly, this is what I get paid for.
On Aug 26, 2008, at 1:09 PM, Nick Gassman wrote:
It's too easy for us to
inject our own opinions in this business.
Really? Can I have your job. I'd love to have a job where all I have
to do is to express my opinion, and people do what I say. That would
be great. But why would anyone pay you to have an opinion over anyone
else?
I think what I'm paid for is not my opinions. I'm paid to find out the
opinions, views, needs etc of my customers and users of my site. When
someone asks me about UI issues, I try very hard not to give an
opinion, but to base an approach on what I've seen and know about
customers. It's that knowledge and approach that I hope makes it worth
paying me over someone else. The active bit in what I said is 'our
own' opinions. When I give a view that is my own opinion (because I
don't have any evidence to substantiate it), I make a point of letting
people know. In such cases, someone else's opinion is as valid as
mine.
I'm not trying to suggest that Mark isn't professional in his
approach, or to question his knowledge and authority. Maybe it'll turn
out to be a semantic distinction, but are we really paid because our
opinions are worth more than other peoples?
* Nick Gassman - Usability and Standards Manager - http://ba.com *
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