I recently posted the following question to a group of Ux professionals: What is the single most important activity that a user experience group can do to increase its effectiveness and influence? I asked everyone to draw from their real-world experience, NOT theory or ideals.
There were a number of thoughtful, practical responses…
Today, smack-dab in the middle of downtown San Francisco’s Union Square, we came across a gigantic, multi-story advertisement featuring David Beckham in his skivvies. OK, so the guy is ripped…but do I need 5 stories of this shit rammed into my brain? Not subtle at all. The ironic thing was that I didn’t process or remember what was being advertised (Emporio Armani). After we left the square, I kept thinking it must have been CK (Calvin Klein) since it featured someone in underwear. I had to look at the photos again to be sure. Beck over-dominates Union Square + the brand. While it’s good branding for him, I’m not so sure about EA. Maybe he paid them? Perhaps it’s co-branding?
At any rate, contrast the above to an Apple billboard atop a building at a right angle to Macys. Read the rest of this entry »
The Economist has an excellent series of articles on how difficult technology is to use. The topics covered include: complexity, ubiquitous computing, simplicity, enterprise data integration, outsourcing, web services, featuritis, anthropological research as the basis for product design, and a whole lot more.
I say, that it’s relatively easy to design a small-scale system like the iPod/iTunes when you can start with a clean slate, and your executive management understands the value of a simple and elegant design language and–more importantly–demands it.
uxstudio 