3 ms·

I'm not sure if you are just trying to make a supplemental point, but this isn't really where I was going. Either my cell phone drops its signal, or it doesn't

I'm not sure if you are just trying to make a supplemental point, but this isn't really where I was going. Either my cell phone drops its signal, or it doesn't. Either my books balance and my checks clear, or they don't. In engineering and accounting, there are absolute and obvious measures of success. When it comes to UI design, who decides when the design is successful? My boss? He approved the Pontiac Aztek. Lord help us all.

kaishin 16y ago
Allow me to chime in, UI design is as methodical as engineering and accounting. There are quantitative and qualitative methods to build and evaluate interfaces. Maybe you are referring to aesthetics, but that's only a fraction of what an interface is...
- uniclaude 16y ago
  For sure, I think we all know that, but this is something your client or boss may not be aware of.
- danenania 16y ago
  There may be metrics available, but it's an inherently fuzzy proposition to say a design 'works' or 'doesn't work'. For developers, once features are pinned down, there are much clearer criteria for success--a feature either works as described without errors or it doesn't. Most of the subjectivity that developers deal with is actually related to design. On the extreme end, you can say a design definitely doesn't work if a large percentage of users can't accomplish their goals or get frustrated in trying, but you can easily run into situations where half your users love a feature and will be frustrated without it, and half hate it and will have fits if you don't change it. Of course, these are the kinds of issues UI designers are paid to resolve, but there will rarely-to-never be total agreement between a designer, a client, and the client's customers on which aspects of a design work and which don't. Not so in development.

3 ms·

I'm not sure if you are just trying to make a supplemental point, but this isn't really where I was going. Either my cell phone drops its signal, or it doesn't

by joblessjunkie 16y ago

kaishin 16y ago
Allow me to chime in, UI design is as methodical as engineering and accounting. There are quantitative and qualitative methods to build and evaluate interfaces. Maybe you are referring to aesthetics, but that's only a fraction of what an interface is...
- uniclaude 16y ago
  For sure, I think we all know that, but this is something your client or boss may not be aware of.
- danenania 16y ago
  There may be metrics available, but it's an inherently fuzzy proposition to say a design 'works' or 'doesn't work'. For developers, once features are pinned down, there are much clearer criteria for success--a feature either works as described without errors or it doesn't. Most of the subjectivity that developers deal with is actually related to design. On the extreme end, you can say a design definitely doesn't work if a large percentage of users can't accomplish their goals or get frustrated in trying, but you can easily run into situations where half your users love a feature and will be frustrated without it, and half hate it and will have fits if you don't change it. Of course, these are the kinds of issues UI designers are paid to resolve, but there will rarely-to-never be total agreement between a designer, a client, and the client's customers on which aspects of a design work and which don't. Not so in development.