Saturday, October 13, 2012

Design as... Creation for Consumption

There comes the time in every successful designer's career when that person is faced with the decision of "do  i stick with my design because it reflects my personal expression?" or "How should I make changes to my design so that they work for the people who will use it?"

That breakthrough moment is critical because it is the moment when personal preference takes a back seat to the priority of utilitarianism. Let's face it, we all come across designs that challenge our cognitive perception of the world. Whether a website, door handle, elevator button, or book cover--the things we use every day; the things we consume--are the creations of designers. Some better than others. And what do we do in these instances? We assume the blame for the bad user experience.

This is not an original idea. Donald Norman is the best-known voice for usability in everyday things. His book, The Design of Everyday Things was transformational for me, and every designer needs to read this book.


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