SIGIA-L Mail Archives: SIGIA-L: don't we?.. call out for more i
SIGIA-L: don't we?.. call out for more involvement in overlapping issues
From: Gunnar Swanson (gunnar_at_pobox.com)
Date: Mon Aug 21 2000 - 11:18:59 EDT
Robert,
Just curious: If your organization and interaction scheme gets in the way
of the success of the graphic design, are you open to others'
reconsideration of your work?
Gunnar
>I must admit that I agree with Judy's desire to be involved in font and
>color selection. I would elect to "leave the graphic design to the Graphic
>Designers (and not step on any toes)"; however, if their implementation of a
>GUI becomes unreadable in terms of navigation (where do I, as a user, click?
>/ how do I find what I'm looking for ?, how do I get back to where I came
>from?), then my IA becomes a failure as well, by virtue of a domino effect.
>No matter how clearly organized the nesting and navigational schema, if the
>User cannot read what's on the screen [and from what she sees figure out how
>to navigate], then the IA is a failure. A simple example I came across
>recently was dark purple header bars with black text (at 7 or 8 pt. size) on
>top of them. UNREADABLE, I cry.
>
>I think that a good IA brings a mélange of various experiences to the table,
>and that this "Jack of all trades" background is not only a prerequisite,
>but also a value add. For me, Graphic Design is one of those value add
>skills, for someone else it may be technical writing, for yet another it may
>be database design. We, as IA's, must resist the temptation to demand
>control over every aspect of a project (...the physician's "God Complex"
>rears its ugly head in the world of software design), but we must also be
>brave enough to stand up for what we believe in, and stand our ground when
>compromises in quality threaten to liquidate the integrity of a finished
>product. Champion the User Experience and collaborate with fellow User
>Experience specialists to deliver a superior product!
>
>Robert E. Dornbush, Jr.
>Information Architect, Advanced Technology Group
>idapta, inc.
note new information:
----
Gunnar Swanson Design Office
536 Catalina Street
Ventura CA 93001-3625
v: +1 805 444 4532
f: +1 805 715 2005
e: gunnar_at_pobox.com
director, multimedia program
California Lutheran University
v: +1 805 493 3241
e: gswanson_at_clunet.edu
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