Archive for August, 2009

Why are Usability Conventions a Black and White Subject?

One thing that I have never quite understood as a web designer is the willingness to make something far less successful visually in order to gain a minimal increase in usability. For example, removing 80 pixels of vertical whitespace in the header of a homepage design. Yes, removing the whitespace would bring the content up higher, but at what cost? Why are usability and other functional concerns of such absolute importance? Is it not possible to design something that is usable yet not as far as it could be, and have aesthetics be considered a worthwhile tradeoff? I think so, let me explain.

08/17

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Koocha: Thanks for that. Also, feel free to browse my new site http://koocha.com with lots of design stuff collected from Internet
Paul Gordon: Aaah, I love KickStarter projects. I’m hoping they come over to the UK very soon. Nick, the very best of luck with...
Firma Rehberi: thanks for this.
James Kemp: In the end, everything thing is designed. Plain things are still designed, but with usability in mind. The two bounce off...
Joshua: Being more of a graphic designer than a web designer, I think I can agree with the concept here. I do a lot of web layout mockups...
estudio web: Muy buen blog de diseño! great blog! thanks from Argentina.
theComplex: @Lisa – I have the same issue. And sometimes I get so caught up in how irritated I am at that client that the...
Daus: I don’t think there is “rules” in webdesign. It is just trend, and people (read: designer) often...
Web Design Australia: Forcing yourself to work on something when you’re stressed won’t give you the results that you want....
Benny: Great post and good tips! I also have this problem from time to time, having trouble finding that perfect ‘inspiratio...
Luci: Conventions and standards, in my mind, are different kettles of fish. Standards, like coding standards, I think exist for good...
Tom Hermans: Although I want a website to be visually appealing, and to stand out etc.. I also want it to be a handy instrument that is...
Vim: This list is always a good tip however its something that most designers already know, finding inspiration can be hard, but to get...
LA Woodarts Designer: An excellent reminder to step back sometimes. It’s amazing how often the business part blocks the creative....
Ben Rama: shouldnt it be as simple as if it works it works in an ideal world great post – thanks