I have a lot of various design (and some non design but closely linked) related thoughts going on at the moment and figured I’d write them down. Of course some may become full on posts, but I felt it was about time I got some of these out of my brain and onto my blog. Consider this a designer’s brain dump for today.
- Should GUI design be more about role play and less about pretty.
- Is testing the unsung hero of the web world?
- The card game solitaire potentially is the best form of sticky design ever.
- Why when designing websites do we not look at the offline world and interfaces that work there more often?
- Re-evaluating isn’t failure.
- Wrongs are only wrong when you don’t learn from them.
- Why don’t we wear our designs more before we release them onto people?
- Can anyone seriously call themselves a web designer and not support ie?
- Shouldn’t it be more about the designs and less about the designers?
- Internet famous is only that.
- Is doodling good for the inner designer?
- When does something pass into being essential and how can I learn from the essential things and make better designs?
- Is the best design the things that we don’t notice?
- Should as a designer you be focusing less on the shiny and more on the invisible ‘just works’?
- Is 80% of a site I do really needed? Or do I just think it should have it as I’m not being brave?
- Fundamentals are fundamentals for a reason.
- Shouldn’t the lack of sites of quality in the reboots this year be a call to arms for designers not a point of moaning?
The best design is definitely the bits most people don’t notice: the little things which probably took the designer a little longer to create, but which really finish a website perfectly.
I agree completely with Richard. In my opinion it’s exactly the more subtle stuff that leads to a good user experience. In the end that’s what counts. Looks must not be everything.
And: yep, testing pays off. Too bad most people don’t care. Other industries – just to have used the word – established extensive testing as part of any development process. Why no the design people? Or rather: why not their clients? It can’t be that hard to see.