5 ms·

Design is about more than cosmetics. Usability and layout is key and engineers have a great perspective on that.

by strunz 3y ago

afavour 3y ago
I'd strongly question whether engineers have a great perspective on usability. Some certainly do but in my experience there's no substitute for a highly qualified designer who can think specifically about a project's usability.
- ecshafer 3y ago
  The thing about this point of view is that it seems like it would indicate that the top companies do not hire designers. Website usability has really deteriorated in the last 20 years or so. Or maybe they aren't designing for usability? Netflix is an awful website for example, it takes so long to find something to watch you might as well just give up and not watch anything. The changes and addition to gmail and google docs (Drive now!) have all been usability regressions. Facebook used to be really useful for keeping in touch and finding events around you. Nothing Microsoft has ever made has been usable. So where are all of these designers creating great usable experiences, since its not at Billion and Trillion dollar companies apparently. Craigslist is a website so elegantly designed that I know 80 year olds that can use it just fine.
  - afavour 3y ago
    > Or maybe they aren't designing for usability? Netflix is an awful website for example, it takes so long to find something to watch you might as well just give up and not watch anything. Yeah I'd argue Netflix absolutely aren't designing for usability. The most usable UI they could offer starts with a big button saying "continue watching the last show you were watching" but that runs the risk of you stopping watching once you're done with that show. They want to push new stuff at you constantly. > Nothing Microsoft has ever made has been usable I'd argue Windows Phone 7 was one of the purest examples of usable UI I've ever interacted with. Then it all got destroyed. The sad reality is that good, usable design is never the top priority.
    - t-3 3y ago
      > I'd argue Windows Phone 7 was one of the purest examples of usable UI I've ever interacted with. Then it all got destroyed. The sad reality is that good, usable design is never the top priority. Very much agreed. WP7 was a nearly perfect platform for communication.
tristanb 3y ago
My entire career has been spent fixing engineers perspective on design.
- PyWoody 3y ago
  Do you have any good book recommendations on design? I've read About Face and found it helpful but repetitive and not necessarily well written.
  - tristanb 3y ago
    The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a classic.
    - bawis 3y ago
      I love this book, but how can I exactly implement the ideas from it ?
EspressoGPT 3y ago
> Usability and layout is key and engineers have a great perspective on that. No.
VoodooJuJu 3y ago
The vast majority of engineers do not have good ideas about UX or design, sadly. What's worse is the vast majority of engineers somehow think they understand UX and design by mistakenly extrapolating their engineering expertise into domains which their engineering expertise does not apply. They end up in this hubris-fueled Dunning-Kruger feedback loop of creating software with a bad user experience. If you're an engineer who does understand the user and what makes a good experience for them, you have a power few possess and you can make some seriously profitable and useful things.

Design is about more than cosmetics. Usability and layout is key and engineers have a great perspective on that.

by strunz 3y ago

Design is about more than cosmetics. Usability and layout is key and engineers have a great perspective on that.

I'd strongly question whether engineers have a great perspective on usability. Some certainly do but in my experience there's no substitute for a highly qualified designer who can think specifically about a project's usability.

ecshafer 3y ago
The thing about this point of view is that it seems like it would indicate that the top companies do not hire designers. Website usability has really deteriorated in the last 20 years or so. Or maybe they aren't designing for usability? Netflix is an awful website for example, it takes so long to find something to watch you might as well just give up and not watch anything. The changes and addition to gmail and google docs (Drive now!) have all been usability regressions. Facebook used to be really useful for keeping in touch and finding events around you. Nothing Microsoft has ever made has been usable. So where are all of these designers creating great usable experiences, since its not at Billion and Trillion dollar companies apparently. Craigslist is a website so elegantly designed that I know 80 year olds that can use it just fine.
- afavour 3y ago
  > Or maybe they aren't designing for usability? Netflix is an awful website for example, it takes so long to find something to watch you might as well just give up and not watch anything. Yeah I'd argue Netflix absolutely aren't designing for usability. The most usable UI they could offer starts with a big button saying "continue watching the last show you were watching" but that runs the risk of you stopping watching once you're done with that show. They want to push new stuff at you constantly. > Nothing Microsoft has ever made has been usable I'd argue Windows Phone 7 was one of the purest examples of usable UI I've ever interacted with. Then it all got destroyed. The sad reality is that good, usable design is never the top priority.
  - t-3 3y ago
    > I'd argue Windows Phone 7 was one of the purest examples of usable UI I've ever interacted with. Then it all got destroyed. The sad reality is that good, usable design is never the top priority. Very much agreed. WP7 was a nearly perfect platform for communication.

tristanb 3y ago

My entire career has been spent fixing engineers perspective on design.

PyWoody 3y ago
Do you have any good book recommendations on design? I've read About Face and found it helpful but repetitive and not necessarily well written.
- tristanb 3y ago
  The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a classic.
  - bawis 3y ago
    I love this book, but how can I exactly implement the ideas from it ?

EspressoGPT 3y ago

> Usability and layout is key and engineers have a great perspective on that. No.

VoodooJuJu 3y ago

The vast majority of engineers do not have good ideas about UX or design, sadly. What's worse is the vast majority of engineers somehow think they understand UX and design by mistakenly extrapolating their engineering expertise into domains which their engineering expertise does not apply. They end up in this hubris-fueled Dunning-Kruger feedback loop of creating software with a bad user experience. If you're an engineer who does understand the user and what makes a good experience for them, you have a power few possess and you can make some seriously profitable and useful things.