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I don't think designers get design. In the same way that engineers over-engineer, designers over-design. The difference is when you over-design a user interfac

I don't think designers get design. In the same way that engineers over-engineer, designers over-design. The difference is when you over-design a user interface the end-user actually notices. In the same way that developers jump on the next new language and framework, the designer jumps on the next trend. But when you change the interaction pattern the end-user has to re-learn. Those clever lines of code you love so much in your last project? That's the 50ms animation that really ties together the page - but creates that noticeable (and endlessly anoying) lag where after you click you have to wait to start entering data but you always start to soon and it misses the first letter or the keystroke does something else because the page focus is wrong. Sometimes design isn't about pretty, it's about not annoying the office worker who uses your product several hours per day.

currysausage 11y ago
> Those clever lines of code you love so much in your last project? That's the 50ms animation that really ties together the page - but creates that noticeable (and endlessly anoying) lag where after you click you have to wait to start entering data but you always start to soon and it misses the first letter or the keystroke does something else because the page focus is wrong. This. Could someone at Google (and every other hip software company) please print this 2000x with a wide-format printer and plaster the walls of the designers' offices with it? Thanks.
- reagency 11y ago
  You mean like this? http://www.google.com/about/company/philosophy http://www.google.com/about/company/philosophy
  - currysausage 11y ago
    There was a more radical version on a long-gone page called ux.html [1]: Every millisecond counts. Nothing is more valuable than people's time. Google pages load quickly, thanks to slim code and carefully selected image files. The most essential features and text are placed in the easiest-to-find locations. Unnecessary clicks, typing, steps, and other actions are eliminated. Google products ask for information only once and include smart defaults. Tasks are streamlined. Speed is a boon to users. It is also a competitive advantage that Google doesn't sacrifice without good reason. [1] http://web.archive.org/web/20080719213524/http://www.google.com/corporate/ux.html http://web.archive.org/web/20080719213524/http://www.google....
ocdtrekkie 11y ago
I also have yet to find a UI designer who doesn't pitch a fit when you dare question the usability of their design. I'm sure they're out there, but my carefully constructed explanation of why a UI makes something harder to use has never been well received.

currysausage 11y ago

> Those clever lines of code you love so much in your last project? That's the 50ms animation that really ties together the page - but creates that noticeable (and endlessly anoying) lag where after you click you have to wait to start entering data but you always start to soon and it misses the first letter or the keystroke does something else because the page focus is wrong. This. Could someone at Google (and every other hip software company) please print this 2000x with a wide-format printer and plaster the walls of the designers' offices with it? Thanks.

reagency 11y ago
You mean like this? http://www.google.com/about/company/philosophy http://www.google.com/about/company/philosophy
- currysausage 11y ago
  There was a more radical version on a long-gone page called ux.html [1]: Every millisecond counts. Nothing is more valuable than people's time. Google pages load quickly, thanks to slim code and carefully selected image files. The most essential features and text are placed in the easiest-to-find locations. Unnecessary clicks, typing, steps, and other actions are eliminated. Google products ask for information only once and include smart defaults. Tasks are streamlined. Speed is a boon to users. It is also a competitive advantage that Google doesn't sacrifice without good reason. [1] http://web.archive.org/web/20080719213524/http://www.google.com/corporate/ux.html http://web.archive.org/web/20080719213524/http://www.google....

ocdtrekkie 11y ago

I also have yet to find a UI designer who doesn't pitch a fit when you dare question the usability of their design. I'm sure they're out there, but my carefully constructed explanation of why a UI makes something harder to use has never been well received.