On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 2:31 PM, Jared Spool<[email protected]> wrote: > I don't think this is really as much of a problem as you make it out to be. > > A manager, coming to the philosophy of creating designs that delight users > is good for business, will embrace it no matter what. Managers who shy away > from that philosophy will do so no matter what. > > If they turn to any "sage writing" that argues either way, it's to support a > decision they've already come to. > > Instead of worrying whether we're saying things that will be misunderstood, > let's focus on creating tools and techniques for those folks who have > already bought the koolaid. > > Good design is hard enough to do when everyone is on the same page. Let's > focus our efforts on making that easier. Once we achieve that, then we can > worry about dealing with the misguided folks, assuming they are still > around.
Excellent position, Mr Spool. In agreement, I would like to restate the obvious: - Good design is good design - be it user centered or otherwise. - Good designers may or may not use UCD methodologies/techniques/processes. - Bad application of any methodology or group thereof is bad for that methodology. As an aside, I'd like to note that a certain amount of circular logic has been applied throughout this thread - "my design was successful. I used UCD, therefore UCD was successful" - conversely "Apple don't use what I have read as UCD. Apple is successful. Therefore UCD is snake oil". I think that both positions are wrong. It's like saying "My dog has black and white fur. You have a black and white pet, therefore you have a dog". Some supplementary questions for you: are we only ever bottling "good design" and selling it to one another, and to our clients who already believe? Are we really only ever preaching to the converted? If so, how do we step beyond that? Should we? Is "good design" so self-evident that it sells itself? Best regards, Andrew -- --- Andrew Boyd http://uxaustralia.com.au -- UX Australia Conference Canberra 2009 http://uxbookclub.org -- connect, read, discuss http://resilientnationaustralia.org Resilient Nation Australia ________________________________________________________________ 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
