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This is to UX/IxD literature what „just add water“ meals are to cooking. A collection of patterns you can copy. To really make it worth while you‘d have to look

This is to UX/IxD literature what „just add water“ meals are to cooking. A collection of patterns you can copy. To really make it worth while you‘d have to look behind the presented patterns and ask why they work (and when they won‘t). This, you can also do by looking at real products in the wild. For $249 (fake price anchor, I know) you can get all the classics from Tufte, Cooper and Norman, a bookshelve and a stool to sit your behind down and study first principles. There is room for both and I’m sure you can find a lot of value in the applied examples as well, but at $249 RSP I would not recommend it.

rchaud 8y ago
While I agree with your analogy, it is entirely possible to sink an inordinate amount of time into learning design theory with those books, and have absolutely nothing to show for it in terms of a real world website that reflects good design principles in a way that is apparent to the average web user. I've read "The Design of Everyday Things"; I appreciate its role in providing a kind of philosophical grounding for HCI education. But if I were building product to compete in the same space as Robinhood, or Airbnb, that book wouldn't tell me a damn thing about how to design a UI that engages users. And increasingly, a lot of "engagement" comes down to whether or not the app "feels" like a premium experience. Unfortunately that feeling isn't something you can recreate by reading about the circumstances in which a door would be designed to be push or pull based.
- colinjoy 8y ago
  I don’t disagree, but I will add that copying proven patterns without an understanding of the core mechanics will only carry you for a short distance. Very similar to how one could be very productive by glueing together stackoverflow snippets and random 3rd party modules for a while, but once the first tough problem arises it is a lost cause. With code that is usually tangible in form of a bug or performance issue. With design, it might still tick all the „look and feel“ boxes and yet be utterly broken. „The design of everday things“ is often recommended because it is so relatable even for readers with no expertise in the field. This is not to say that reading it is sufficient to make you a capable designer.

rchaud 8y ago

While I agree with your analogy, it is entirely possible to sink an inordinate amount of time into learning design theory with those books, and have absolutely nothing to show for it in terms of a real world website that reflects good design principles in a way that is apparent to the average web user. I've read "The Design of Everyday Things"; I appreciate its role in providing a kind of philosophical grounding for HCI education. But if I were building product to compete in the same space as Robinhood, or Airbnb, that book wouldn't tell me a damn thing about how to design a UI that engages users. And increasingly, a lot of "engagement" comes down to whether or not the app "feels" like a premium experience. Unfortunately that feeling isn't something you can recreate by reading about the circumstances in which a door would be designed to be push or pull based.

colinjoy 8y ago
I don’t disagree, but I will add that copying proven patterns without an understanding of the core mechanics will only carry you for a short distance. Very similar to how one could be very productive by glueing together stackoverflow snippets and random 3rd party modules for a while, but once the first tough problem arises it is a lost cause. With code that is usually tangible in form of a bug or performance issue. With design, it might still tick all the „look and feel“ boxes and yet be utterly broken. „The design of everday things“ is often recommended because it is so relatable even for readers with no expertise in the field. This is not to say that reading it is sufficient to make you a capable designer.