Novembro, 12 2004
Sexta-feira

LoQUo Porto

The word is out. O Pedro deixou cá a novidade e o André disse-me hoje via IM... já abriu o LoQUo Porto. Tambenhe sômos gente carago! :-)

12 Novembro 2004 - 15:27   Sem Comentário(s)   Technorati links   Linking posts

Light that match
Strike a match. Close your eyes. Hold the light high up in the air. Sway back and forth. C'mon, pay a proper tribute. The usability paradigm in Web design is about to end.
And sure, it's hard to let go. After all, we’ve certainly had our fun with Jakob

Só estas linhas fizeram com que continuasse a ler o artigo que o Tiago me passou, The End of Usability Culture. Alguns excertos...

A 2002 Stanford University study on Web credibility, which included a special look at the financial services industry, reveals that consumers place more emphasis on “design look” and “information design” than on “content evaluation.” This is the opposite of what those working in the industry think. Further, the study went on to reveal that “design look” received the most comments from consumers in all categories as a sign of Web credibility—46.1%, almost twice as many mentions as the next category. Visual design is every bit as important as usability, findability, and accessibility. It is perhaps even more critical in swaying the perception of today’s more Web-savvy site visitors.

What were these companies spending their Web development dollars on? Their sites had good architecture, followed standards, and generally worked well. Like so many companies over the past five years, they invested in the more analytical, scientific, quantitative elements of Web design, those that have risen to the fore through usability culture. And the trend came through loud and clear, with one boring, plain, expressionless site after the other. In industry after industry we can see the same thing. The limited degree of innovation, flair or creativity is numbing. And it is a trend that seeps into consumer companies as well as those in more traditional business spaces. Clearly, something has to change.

Traditional design flies in the face of usability culture.
It comes from the gut, it is rooted in heart, and it has the ability to surprise. The great designers of past generations, from Tibor to the Eameses to Paul Rand, were characterized by styles that were more about the essence of their approach than a repeatable process or look. While research, testing and thoughtful analysis were a part of their process, at the end of the day their spirit and soul were just as evident in the finished product as the analytical components. Style and feeling are the very essence of good design.

The usability culture that has pervaded and defined the last few years needs to go. This is not a criticism of those skills or people. In fact, the reason the Web is healthy in so many ways today is thanks to the gains we’ve made during this time. But the pendulum has swung too far in that direction.

Já no outro dia tinha falado no assunto.

12 Novembro 2004 - 15:11   1 Comentário(s)   Technorati links   Linking posts