3 ms·

your design certainly looks more "current" and "professional", which people will class as better. but that's not the same as more understandable, which is some

your design certainly looks more "current" and "professional", which people will class as better. but that's not the same as more understandable, which is something you can actually measure. for example, you can do random trials, showing people a flyer for a short length of time and then asking questions about it. so you're obviously capable of making something that fits in with current taste. but you haven't proved that your version is more understandable. if you want the cachet of a "scientific" justification for your design then you have to do the science. tacking on an assertion doesn't really cut it.

nonrecursive 16y ago
All very true! I am taking a break from this site for the time being, but when I revisit it, I plan on: * Creating new before & after examples from scratch, hopefully with fewer flaws * Adding a section on going through the process of redesigning something * Adding more resources But no, I'm probably not ever going to do the science, unless somehow I get paid for the time I spend doing so.
- andrewcooke 16y ago
  you could look at a/b testing. it might be interesting to learn how to set that up... (not sure how you'd use it to measure this particular case though)
- ZoFreX 16y ago
  I would heavily recommend "doing the science". It's a lot of fun, and it has one of two outcomes: You confirm what you think is true, in which case your argument has a LOT more weight (as so few people will "do science"), or you disprove your idea, which means you get to find a way to make your design even better. Win-win! It really is a lot of fun, too. We had a university assignment to investigate a particular public-facing system, and while most of my peers turned to Google I hit the streets with a clipboard. I had a really great afternoon, learnt a huge amount about the system, and discovered data that no one else did.
  - nonrecursive 16y ago
    You make it sound very fun :) I've done some usability testing, and I've really enjoyed it in the past. But really, I'm not sure how I would realistically test a flyer. Actually... it could be quite fun to create a couple flyers with links listed, post them around town, and see how many hits I get. I don't think it would be a true a/b test, though, as it wouldn't be possible to alternate different flyers at the exact same location.
    - gallamine 16y ago
      You could use a tool like fivesecondtest.com. Not affiliated, btw.

nonrecursive 16y ago

All very true! I am taking a break from this site for the time being, but when I revisit it, I plan on: * Creating new before & after examples from scratch, hopefully with fewer flaws * Adding a section on going through the process of redesigning something * Adding more resources But no, I'm probably not ever going to do the science, unless somehow I get paid for the time I spend doing so.

andrewcooke 16y ago
you could look at a/b testing. it might be interesting to learn how to set that up... (not sure how you'd use it to measure this particular case though)
ZoFreX 16y ago
I would heavily recommend "doing the science". It's a lot of fun, and it has one of two outcomes: You confirm what you think is true, in which case your argument has a LOT more weight (as so few people will "do science"), or you disprove your idea, which means you get to find a way to make your design even better. Win-win! It really is a lot of fun, too. We had a university assignment to investigate a particular public-facing system, and while most of my peers turned to Google I hit the streets with a clipboard. I had a really great afternoon, learnt a huge amount about the system, and discovered data that no one else did.
- nonrecursive 16y ago
  You make it sound very fun :) I've done some usability testing, and I've really enjoyed it in the past. But really, I'm not sure how I would realistically test a flyer. Actually... it could be quite fun to create a couple flyers with links listed, post them around town, and see how many hits I get. I don't think it would be a true a/b test, though, as it wouldn't be possible to alternate different flyers at the exact same location.
  - gallamine 16y ago
    You could use a tool like fivesecondtest.com. Not affiliated, btw.