Friday August 8, 2008

The Design Looks Like A Heather But Sounds Like Tom Waits

by T. Scott Stromberg in Article

5 comments

I enjoy talking to people. Most of my friends would agree that I love to talk–ramble, bend-an-ear, propose discussion–I count it as one of my strengths. Talking is actually one of the skills that best help me in my role as an Information Architect/UX Designer. The next helpful skills would be observation, empathy, and listening. Of those skills, listening is the one that I have had to put the most effort into mastering (and I use mastering quite liberally).

The truth be known listening is far more important than talking, but to listen you have to get the other party talking and often that requires a “talker”…and that is where I come in. I like starting conversations with strangers. I figure if I mess-up and say something stupid I have far less to lose when I’m talking to a stranger. I enjoy trying to figure out what makes people tick.

Sometimes I am drawn to a person and I ponder what is it about them that caught my interest? What makes them interesting? What makes them unique?

I often find myself in crowds searching common or unusual features or traits amongst the masses. I will often sit to the side, pull out my sketchbook, and try to capture interesting or intriguing aspects of the people I am watching. Sometimes I am drawn to a person and I ponder what is it about them that caught my interest? What makes them interesting? What makes them unique? What makes them familiar? What do I expect them to sound like? “That person looks like my friend Joe…I wonder if they are as intrigued by good design like he is?” What makes them follow that fashion trend? Is it economics or self-expression? The questions go on-and-on.

I look at Web sites and Web applications in similar light. Do they have recognizable features? Why were they designed in this manner? How do they make me feel? Do they have a purpose? Is this purpose intrinsic? If I interact with this Website will it have a familiar voice? Is it what I expected? If this Web site isn’t what I expected does it make me feel uncomfortable or does its differences increase my intrigue? Are there common or recognizable design features? You get the point.

Just like people Websites/Web applications can have common patterns, personalities, and unique features that make them interesting or not. Design fundamentals are often universal– structure, contrast, balance, color, methodologies, etc. And we can’t leave out the individual emotional response caused by the interaction.

That said…could good design exist outside of usability and if so does the lack of usability devalue the design or relegate it to–design for design’s sake?

The question then becomes, is a positive response to good design natural or learned? Is it instinctual or intellectual? Steve Krug in his book, “Don’t Make Me Think!” has stated (and I paraphrase) if the user is taking the time to think then the usability of the design should be questioned. That said…could good design exist outside of usability and if so does the lack of usability devalue the design or relegate it to–design for design’s sake?

“Hi, my name is T.Scott and I was just noticing that you are wearing Doc Martins with your suit. Is that an English Beat pin…Wow! You wouldn’t happen to know who Neville Brody is would you? How about Jeffery Zeldman?…”

Comments on “The Design Looks Like A Heather But Sounds Like Tom Waits”

1. Jared Christensen said:

   That’s a great photo, and after reading this article I imagine you hanging out in a train station, wearing a poncho, scoping out potential conversation bait. :D

   “…could good design exist outside of usability…”

   I’m going to say “yes” to that. There was some superbly engaging design work produced during the late 90’s/early 2000’s that was also pretty unusable by conventional standards. Stuff like Prate, Praystation, Dreamless, and 2Advanced showed off incredible design that wowed and inspired a generation of designers. I just don’t see that level of inspiration taking place these days.

   “…and if so does the lack of usability devalue the design or relegate it to–design for design’s sake?”

   Probably, though this opens up the whole “what is usablility?” debate. ;)

2. Geof Harries said:

   I completely agree that talking and listening are core skills to UXD. Coming up with design solutions is, of course, part of the fun, but really, the favourite aspect of my job is discussing workflow, issues and improvement ideas with a wide range of people who use the application. I truly enjoy acting as the bridge between people, business and technology.

   As a side note, Steve Krug wrote Don’t Make Me Think, not Jeffrey Veen.

3. T.Scott Stromberg said:

   @jared Great comments. When I was writing the article I had this awkward feeling that I might come off as an art-stalker. Obviously, I should have listened to my sixth sense ;)

   It is really interesting because even though I am a huge proponent of usability, I had this inner struggle because I can also see the value in design for design sake. My early art and design influences (especially DaDa and pop art) have only added to the dilemma. It would definitely be a can of worms I might love to explore deeper in the future. Thanks again for the post!

4. T.Scott Stromberg said:

   @Geof I am actually at UX Week in San Francisco and I just got out of a Storytelling workshop with Kevin Brooks. One of the fascinating correlations was several exercises on listening. You teamed up with someone else and told them a story for 2 minutes and they couldn’t say anything, just listen. It was very uncomfortable.

   We also learned that as Americans we find silence in a conversation “awkward”. In other parts of the world silence is acceptable and encouraged because it means the other person is considering deeply what you are saying and is thinking of a response.

   You can find out more about Kevin’s work at: http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~brooks/

5. Jan said:

   Nice post. Listening and talking – two important skills of an Information Architect.